How much more pathetic can the Hellraiser films get??

I know Barker was disappointed with Hellraiser 2 (he says as much in my "Making of Nightbreed" book) so I dread to think how he feels about the current bum gravy being passed off under the Hellraiser name.

Never has a superb idea been more quickly and ruthlessly wasted as with the Hellraiser series.

It makes me very, very sad.

I read a little blurb at fangoria.com that claims Barker screened Hellseeker at his house and liked it. Barker is reported to have said the director of it "got" Hellraiser and that it was the best since HR2. That makes it worth a rental anyway. I actually kind of liked 3 and 4 but I agree with the masses that Inferno was not a Hellraiser movie.
I think a good idea would be to have an anthology of three Hellraiser stories from the comics and have Pinhead in the last one to bookend it. It's not going to happen though as Dimension is using the horror series it has for a quick buck. Ah well, I'll always have the first Hellraiser.

I really enjoyed the first two, the second being my favorite. I rented the third and couldn't really follow it, plus it was boring.

Even though I haven't seen Hellraisers 3-5, I won't let that stop me from having an opinion.

The idea of having a tangential cop story with a slight connection to the Hellraiser mythos doesn't sound so bad to me. In some comic books I've read, new artists and writers often do one-shot stories that take a sideways look at the main characters or story. For example, a Batman comic all about Alfred might be interesting, even if Batman is only in it briefly.

Now if they were to release Hellraiser 5 theatrically and hype it as a full on Pinhead gore-fest and then not deliver, that would be wrong. But it's a direct to video horror mystery about a cop who (apparently, by your spoiler) goes to Hell and has some interactions with Cenobites. Sounds okay to me. Of course, if the movie is crappy in other ways, no Cenobites are going to save it.

Maybe no one wants to go into the labyrinth because it's already been done. There are too many other movie franchises that recycle what's been done before. I respect the Helllraiser producers for trying something new.

How bad can it get? Have you ever seen Howling: New Moon Rising? That has got to be the lowest low point for any franchise ever. I couldn't believe they had the gall to actually call it a movie.

Just want to say that I am reading the Hellbound Heart novel and have to say it is extremely beautiful. In these past couple months I have found a soft spot in my heart for Hellraiser. Clive Barker has become my idol and I really admire his work and visions. Hellraiser will truly be one of my all time favorite films regardless of genre, I've already exspressed why before, my love for the film comes from the freshness it has. Pinnhead and the cenobites ( the female with the raspy voice who I love so much) are brillantly used as background characthers to help it all along. The puzzle box was also a unique idea that I will never forget. I unlike some really disliked the second. It was confusing to follow although the effects really accomplished alot. It started to strive away from the orignal, but that happens with every sequel. Hellraiser should have never had a sequel, but thats my opionon, also I really don't think Clive wants to do another Hellraiser film, I think this is why he has sparked interest in Tortured Souls but thats another story.

As for the sequels well as said before I didn't care much for the second. The third had great cenobites which basically made the film, although they disowned Barkers vision it was ok, the filmw as just fun and great to watch. The fourth started out great with the 17th century vibe, it all went downhill after Pinnhead spoke way to much, I found myself fast forwarding the film and was really dissapointed. I haven't seen any film after this one I guess because it just really dissapoints me that nobody can stick to somebodies orignal vision, just because Pinnhead is in a film it doesn't make it a Hellraiser movie, sorry but it doesn't.

I have to voice a minority opinion and say I thought Hellraiser: Inferno wasn't all that bad. I can see why fans didn't appreciate it but I thought taken on its own terms it was a decent Jacob's Ladder-style movie.

While quality has been erratic where the Hellraiser sequels are concerned, I have to give the series points for being a lot more imaginative and thoughtful (as well as more visually interesting) than the typical horror franchise. And it's kept a relatively dark edge all along.

I can't say I'm especially excited about the new film but I am curious, at least.

One thing that Doug Bradley and I have agreed on, is that unlike many(almost all) franchises, the Hellraiser films have done something different everytime. That is something that must be awarded to the series, is that you've never seen the same movie twice.

I love Hellbound. In fact, I consider it NOT a sequel, but a continuation of the original. I like Hellbound almost as much as I do the original. As for 3 and 4, I think they are just too dry for my taste. My problem with 3, is that they don't explain at all how Pinhead became stuck in a statue. In fact, it feels like the procducers of 3 really just wanted to place Pinhead in a situation where he can just slaughter dozens and dozens of people. Really, ask yourself what the point of part 3 is.

And 4 was just a mess. I really don't know if keeping Kevin Yager on the movie, would've made a significant difference. The script was ridiculous, and the direction lacked any potential.

I did on the other hand like Inferno. I'll agree that it lacked Pinhead, but I liked it's mystery and loved the fact that the main character is a dirty cop!! I think Shefer did a great job in making you hate him.

So I am definately looking forward to Hellseeker. I would hate to see the series end on Inferno. Plus, with Ashley Lawrence coming back, I am curious to see what the story is about. The only thing I am not too high on, is that I hear Chatterer is back. Though I love the look of Chatterer, I don't see how he can come back and not the female and Butterball cenobytes from the first two.

So to answer your question, the Hellraiser series can get real pathetic. Any franchise can. Look at the Puppet Master series as an example. But, for now, I look forward to Hellseeker, not with high hopes, but with anticipation to see Pinhead one more time.

- Fixxxer

The silliest thing to come out of the extremely silly and overrate Hellraiser series, is the concept that there was some kind of "Hellraiser" mythology that Barker based the original movie around.

The original novella Barker wrote and based the film on was really nothing more than a fairly decent, somewhat traditional ghost story, dolled up with fanciful notions of alternate worlds and states that exist beyond the extreme experience of pain, or some such. Only in the film was there some attempt to create a sort of "order" of comic-bookish villains, which as such things tend to do become overly familiar and goofy by the time they cropped up in the sequel.

The "mythology", as elaborated on in the first sequel, was really nothing more than an alterate view of hell that looked a heck of a lot like the evil world in Time Bandits.

All this goes some way to explaining why I find Hellraiser: Inferno the most interesting and satisfying film in the series (despite having plenty of its own moments of unintentional goofiness).

How much more pathetic can the series get?

Well they haven't hired one of us to write one. Yet.

And Clive Barker shouldn't be telling anyone how to make any movie...

Django lives to provoke. That is his gift.

Nightbreed is boring as shit and he cut the most horrifying moment out of Lord of Illusions. Not the two best things to do when making horror films.

The problem with Barker is that once you get over the "Wow! Look at that gooey crud!" you start waiting for something of substance to happen. Which never does.

Latex only goes so far...

And for my money the best Hellraisers are 2, 3, and 4...

Can't say I've ever enjoyed a Barker movie, not unless you count Rawhead Rex (which had great cheese value). Incredibly gifted writer, but film just isn't his medium IMHO.

How much worse? Easy. Three words:

Hellraiser: The Musical

Weren't they gonna do that...

I disagree, I thought Nightbreed was a good film, and although I never read the novel and have no clue how well it was adapted, but I enjoyed the film regardless. The creatures were unique in detail and the storyline was solid. I enjoy Clive Barker as a writer and director, maybe it's an acquired taste as many would say about Italian horror films trying to sound sophisticated, in which I'm not, but either you like him or you don't. To me his visions are some of the best I have ever seen and will never be matched.

Nightbreed/Cabal was a f'ing excellent book. The movie sucked though. Barker should stick to writing and Cronenberg should stay behind the camera.