Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988)

Even if the story's weak, bringing back the surviving (or not surviving) cast members of the original, can make a sequel better. Everyone thinks crazy old Kirsty Cotton is making up stories of demons from hell (which happened to be her attic), but we all know better, don't we? She's now in a mental institution with a girl with a penchant for solving puzzles, under the guidance of a sadistic doctor with a penchant for a skinless Julia. Part of the story is just a re-hash of the first with different characters in similar situations. This time around we go to hell and find that it's like an Escher painting with a giant "Lament" diamond spinning in the sky. Not as good as the first film, but pretty close--a bit gorier and disturbing (but after "Hellraiser", I was expecting this) The acting is similar to the first film, but the special effects are a bit more elaborate this time around as the budget was bigger due to the success of it's predecessor.

Fmovies: Kirsty Collins(Ashley Laurance)lies in a psychiatric hospital,haunted by the night of unspeakable horror that destroyed her life.Now,only hours later,the nightmare is beginning again.From the blood-stained matress hidden in his home,obsessive psychiatrist Dr Channard(Kenneth Cranham)raises the remains of Kirsty's murderous stepmother,Julia(Clare Higgins).Together,Channard and Julia unlock the secret of the Lament Configuration puzzle box to release the unlimited horrors and ultimate pleasures of Hell.For the second time,Kirsty must return beyond the limits to the Outer Darkness to confront the darkest desires of Hell and free her father's soul."Hellbound:Hellraiser 2" was obviously influenced by Lucio Fulci's masterpiece of gore and atmosphere "The Beyond"(1981).The film is very well-made,the acting is alright and there are some good gross-out gore effects that will certainly please every splatter freak.Absolutely recommended.Note:Death metal group from Ohio Necrophagia recorded a song called "Children of the Vortex" on their brilliant album "Holocausto de la Morte",which is loosely based on this picture.

"Hellbound: Hellraiser 2" is one of few sequels that actually matches, and in some instances surpasses, the original in terms of blood, guts and sheer terror. Bringing back nearly all of the actors from the original except for Andrew Robinson who played Larry in the original (his absence caused a great deal of chaos during filming which is obvious when you watch some of the final sequences that were originally supposed to include him) and Grace Kirby who played the female cenobite in the original (she is replaced here by the equally talented Barbie Wilde). The film picks right up where the original left of as it seems that no one believes the wild tale that Kirsty has to tell about her experiences so she is locked up in an asylum that is run by the diabolical Dr. Channard. The doctor's obsession with the occult and Hell leads him to conspire to bring Julia back to life. With the aid of a delusional patient from the hospital who tries to cut off bugs and maggots that aren't actually on his skin thus bleeding on the mattress where Julia died and bringing her back to life. In an interesting twist from the original plotine, Julia comes back in exactly the same condition as Frank was during the original and convinces the doctor to procure victims for her in order to help make her complete again. In exchange, Julia agrees to be the doctor's tour guide in Hell. The doctor's young apprentice befriends Kirsty and soon discovers the sinister plot between the doctor and Julia. Meanwhile, it seems that the doctor is also holding a mute young girl with a penchant for puzzles hostage and when she solves the puzzle box that opens the gates to Hell the cenobites are once again unleashed. With Hell now wide open Julia and the doctor enter as do Kirsty, the young mute and the doctor's apprentice. Kirsty is searching for her father and the others are just trying to escape. Meanwhile, Julia betrays the doctor and delivers him to her god Leviathan (in the form of an entity rather than a demon) and the doctor becomes an extremely powerful cenobite in his own right. In a strange plot twist Kirsty soon discovers that it's actually her Uncle Frank, and not her father, who has tricked her into coming to Hell in another attempt to entrap her. Meanwhile, the doctor goes on a bizarre rampage killing all of the cenobites after Kirsty reveals to them their true human nature. The end result is a strange and bizarre ending that has to be seen to be believed. Even though Clive Barker did not actually direct this film he was the Executive Producer and his influence is obvious. He had apparently intended, however, for the character of Julia to emerge as the lead villain of the series but the character of Pinhead became so unbelievably popular that it would be Pinhead, and the actor who played him Doug Bradley, who would emerge as the only actor ever to appear in all 8 films in the Hellraiser series. my advice to fans, however, is that if you only watch one of the sequels in the series, make it this one!

Hellbound: Hellraiser II fmovies. Hellraiser 2 is a startling film. Clive Barkers imagery of hell is profane, violent, and an oddly erotic movie from the off. The sequel continues the fantastic story, and builds on the characters we saw, whilst adding some new ones to the mix. As well as re-introducing the dead ones! As foul and degrading as newer gore porn flicks are today, Hellbound walks all over them with style and substance which has been unmatched ever since. For 1988, Hellraiser 2 is nothing short of breathtaking, and has not dated one bit. The storyline is intelligent and despite the incredible sights of hell and its inhabitants, Hellbound justifies the fantasy with thoughtful dialogue and logic and a powerful story. It also benefits that the cast in this film are mostly great actors who do a great job of suspending the viewers disbelief.

Barker gives credibility to the monster in the movie. Every beast in this film has a human side and you may even feel warmed to them when they are faced with dilemmas and dramas which question even their beliefs. There is a powerful scene in which Pinhead and his minions learn of their own past from Kirsty, the heroin of the story who is pursued by the cenobites for opening the puzzle box. Pinhead even begins to look human at this point showing the "bad guys" in a different light. Before long the demons actually become the "good guys", and temporarily co-exist with Kirsty to counter the evil Doctor's hand over hell.

The violence and gore offered by Hellbound is excessive and delivered to the viewer in such horrific, profane ways it has definitely had an impact on its viewing demographic. Barker made a great job of communicating to the director his view of the film from a novel and it's a gruesome one. So gruesome it will immediately turn away many within the opening minutes.

I recommend this movie for anyone who's into horror or those who think the genre is just Hostel and Saw. Hellbound, as indeed the original, breathes new life into the horror movie and for every pint of spilled blood, brings intelligence and style in buckets.

9/10

Thus far and no further is how I view this film - while 'Hellraiser' was a smooth and well-handled interpretation of 'The Hellbound Heart', this serves as an interesting extension to that story. OK, the acting is largly dire - but is this not a horror movie tradition? The film excels in its MENTAL imagery, not physical: Tiffany's disturbing visions of babies with their mouth's sewn shut as Leviathan plays with her fears; Channards violent, acid flashback-style memories... they are all insightful and well-thought out as they deal with that which cannot be tamed easily - the human psyche. Director Tony Randall has a lot to live up to following Clive Barker's '87 epic, but he takes the reigns of the story with good grace and presents a slick and progressive tale - although I do agree with the general consensus that the Cenobites should NOT have been humanised.

All in all though a great film, fantastic visuals - the fall of Leviathan at the climax has to be one of the most gripping and explosive deaths of a movie monster in horror film history - and one which should have ended the tale.

After the strange events of the first movie,Kirsty is sent to a Institution for the Mentally Sick, commanded by the mysterious Dr. Channard,a crazed psychologist who is willing to open the doors of hell by manipulating the Puzzle Box.In doing so,Channard brings Kirsty's perverse stepmother Julia back to life,and consequently he provokes the rage of the dreadful cenobites,the cruel and evil creatures that give pleasure and pain in the same measure.Hellbound Hellraiser 2 is an extremely well-done film,thanks to the generous budget given to newcomer filmmaker Tony Randel and a first-rate production.The special effects are simply terrific (specially considering the time in which the movie was done,1988) and they create a bombastic,scary visual.I never saw a movie with such an incredible scenery and imagery,except maybe for Dark City.Clive Barker's vision of hell is brought to life with mastery through the work of Randel and Director of Photography Robin Vidgeon. The plot sustains the tension and keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish,though the first half hour of Hellbound: Hellraiser II is a little bit slow and descriptive (but never boring); a great portion of the action and the terror is concentrated in the last minutes. The last thirty ones are a realistic and gutsy "tour de force" through fear,violence and suffering.This is definitively a masterpiece, but not for the squeamish.Hellbound: Hellraiser II is rated R for extreme violence and sex scenes,it runs 99 minutes(uncut version released by Anchor Bay).It stars Clare Higgins as Julia, Ashley Laurence as Kirsty, Imogen Boorman as Tiffany,William Hope as Kyle McRae and Kenneth Cranham as Dr. Channard.If you like this movie, you might also enjoy Phenomena and Suspiria.