Hellraiser: Bloodline (1996)

Director: Kevin Yagher, Alan Smithee, Joe Chappelle

Writer: Peter Atkins

Tagline: This year, the past, the present and the future will all meet at the crossroads of hell.

Actors: Bruce Ramsay, Valentina Vargas, Doug Bradley, Charlotte Chatton, Adam Scott, Kim Myers, Mickey Cottrell, Louis Turenne, Courtland Mead, Louis Mustillo, Jody St. Michael, Paul Perri, Pat Skipper, Christine Harnos, Wren T. Brown

Runtime: 1h 26m

Category: Torture

Synopsis: In the 22nd century, Dr. Paul Merchant has commandeered his own space station. In the possession of the infamous puzzle box, he has devious plans of destroying the Cenobites once and for all. But before he can complete his work, his station comes under hijack by some type of intergalactic police force. Now in custody, he explains to the interrogator the unfortunate history of his bloodline. An ancestor of his, Phillip L'Merchant, originally built the puzzle box for Duc de L'Isle; who inevitably was obsessed with black magic. Upon delivering the box to Duc de L'Isle, he peers through a window, seeing exactly what he had just created; a gateway to Hell!

Review: I was very surprised at this movie. It was gorier than Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth (1992), but held the same compelling story. Only, this story was actually three-in-one; the beginning story of Paul Merchant in the space station, the flashback of Phillip L'Merchant delivering the box to Duc de L'Isle, and the middle story of John Merchant.

The story of a bloodline and its constant inevitability to conflict with Hell was, in my opinion, hoaky at first. But as the story went on and the origin of the box was explained, I became immersed in the stories; something that is lacking in a lot of movies. But I thought that that concept was ingenious; having a specific family combat the forces of Hell throughout time. I also liked how they tied in the end of Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth (1992) when Joanne put the box in the cement, and turned up in a cement pillar in the building John Merchant had built, and shown in mid-construction. I was very impressed.

The acting was not that bad; I wasn’t expecting much anyway. But overall I would have to say that they did a good job. The acting was convincing enough to hold during the story but not bad enough to warrant a demerit. I do have to mention my own proclivities upon seeing Bruce Ramsay play three different characters. This is not something a lot of movies do now-a-days and rightfully so. Not many actors/actresses can pull off such a feat. Now, I’m not saying that Bruce Ramsay should be up for any trophy for these roles, but I was impressed with his ability to distinctively separate each of his characters, without loosing the obvious characteristics of family.

The gore was a cool drink of water compared to the last one. I was hoping to see some more gore and torture out of this than in the previous film; I got it. The gore was very well done, with many interesting kill scenes and some really cool backdrops. There was much more “chunks” of stuff flyin’ around and a lot more blood (yippee!). Also, as in the second film, the props used to line the sets were wicked awesome! Some really cool stuff hanging on the walls; making it even darker. Plus the exploding dog was sa-weet!

Just as a side note…you have to respect the tenacity of Pinhead and the Cenobites. Yes they have killed a lot over the years, but they have also “died” many times. It just seems like Pinhead always looses (thank God), and comes back for more. This is the fourth Hellraiser I’ve reviewed and I noticed that he just keeps coming back! Like I said, that’s some powerful tenacity!

Rating: 20. I have rated it higher because we finally get a deeper glimpse into where the hell (no pun intended) that damn box came from. Plus the stories were well done, the acting wasn’t bad, and the gore was top-notch. Overall I would have to say that this is probably one of my favorite Hellraisers to date. (20of25).