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Hellraiser: Deader - Winter's Lament (2009)
Quality Film full of references for fans!
In 2005 Jonathan S. Kui unleashed "Hellraiser: Prophecy" upon the world, a fan film crossover made with passion, ingenuity and a false beard of pure evil. Now, Jonny Kui has returned with a semi-sequel, semi-prequel that encompasses not only his previous fan work but also Hellraiser: Bloodline and Hellraiser: Deader. Taking advice given after "Hellraiser: Prophecy", Jonny Kui has cast his film with actors, auditioned for the roles, and added an original score but, the key question is, with what results? The first thing that strikes the viewer about Winter's Lament, especially if they saw the previous effort, is just how much more confident this film is. The camera is more free, the lighting more designed, the narrative not straight forward and there's a constant sense that the envelope is being pushed in what can be achieved in a low budget fan movie. The first scene jumps right in with re-enacting the conclusion of "Hellraiser: Deader" from a unique perspective, which ends on a brilliantly freaky reveal, and right away sets the tone for the film.
The movie, as I said above, plays with its narrative, jumping about in Winter's lifetime which may be a little confusing for those who aren't familiar with the material but on screen captions help guide the way in what is essentially a character study. The story incorporates numerous Hellraiser references, and material also from the Prophecy films, including a clever explanation for Winter's powers. Some of the films best scenes are the small, but momentous ones, such as Winter's first dabbling in resurrecting the dead. Even when there are a lot of plot moments and dialogue scenes, Jonny Kui keeps things interesting with tense flashes of imagery, and appearances from familiar characters, often in hallucinatory form.
As a character piece, a lot of importance lies on the casting of Winter and star Pete Mizzo puts in an excellent performance, a somewhat different take than in "Deader" but one that works for the character and almost adds an innocent aspect to him. Certainly, we get to see the development, and evolution of him over time, although it was a shame we didn't get to see any of his early attempts to raise the dead and the consequences of these events. All the same, Mizzo, has a certain energy that's consistently watchable and his scenes with April McCullough as Bobbi Merchant have plenty of energy. The rest of the cast are equally good in their roles, and Jonny Kui gets some good performances all round.
The effects on this film are not as prominent as Jonny Kui's previous film but when they occur they're all of a high standard. There's a lot more visual effects, some of which work well to present some unusual surreal image and a couple of genuine jumps, whereas many of the best moments are almost invisible with the viewer absorbed in the film. The soundtrack to the film is also similar, in that it's never intrusive and always compliments the action on-screen, only drawing attention to itself when its suitable for the film. There's some great tracks, and wonderful sound design which all help build the effectiveness of the film.
"Winter's Lament" is very much a film for fans, chock full of references, visual motifs, re-enactments of classic scenes and even some great references to the comic series. Jonny Kui never shies away from including his own ideas, and original touches, but displays a constant respect and love for the material. Truly a fantastic film, which all Hellraiser fans should take the time to watch and I can only hope that Jonny Kui shall one day return to this material again, as he consistently demonstrates his talent, enthusiasm and affinity for the material.
Hellraiser: Hellworld (2005)
Hellworld destroys the good work of HR5-7 with mindless gore and slasher trappings.
Hellraiser: Hellworld.
And it was all going so well
The direct-to-video Hellraiser films have had a number of weaknesses but one thing they have all done is keep true to the spirit of the original films. The Cenobites have kept to the shadows as we've followed very human characters through decadence, decay, pain and pleasure. That is, until now. Hellworld serves to undone much of the good work, snatching back the credibility the series had manage to reclaim after the awful Bloodline and reducing the Cenobites to nothing more than mindless slashers. But I'm getting ahead of myself, the films use of Pinhead is far from its biggest failure and there's some basics to cover first.
The films main character is Chelsea, played by the surprisingly confident Katheryn Winnick, who was part of a group of friends who played the internet computer-game "Hellworld". However after one of their number, Adam, committed suicide by setting himself on fire they all swore to quite Hellworld
that is until a party throw by the mysterious Host (Lance Henriksen) brings them all back together. The Hellworld party itself is a Hellraiser fans wet dream with memorabilia galore and numerous references made to the series history, such as LeMarchand and the Engineer.
As you may have guessed, things start to go bad quickly as the group of friends are killed off one by one in a series of gruesome set pieces, usually accompanied by a line or two from Doug Bradley as Pinhead. Pinhead may appear more in this film than some others but all he does is utter a couple of lines and vanish. That is apart from one truly-magnificent character-destroying moment when Pinhead appears to do his best Michael Myers impression; this character is fantastic because he's different than your standard slasher, a supernatural presence always at a distance from his victims and this sequence is simply awful and goes against everything the character stood for.
The Host is an interesting character and actually quite a lot of fun but more often than not you get the sense that he's being wasted, only appearing to drive the plot forward. To be honest, some of the time he might as well be either another Cenobite or Pinhead himself, Lance Henriksen may be his usual fantastic self but the film doesn't use him as well as it should.
The ending does have a twist and you'll probably already know what it is but in case you don't I'm giving you a warning to skip this paragraph. The problem with the main twist is that it makes no logical sense what-so-ever. When exactly they were all poisoned is never made clear, we see moments when they could have been but these moments occurred t different parts in the film, some after the hallucinations had already begun. And if they were done at different times how exactly did some characters not notice the others suddenly collapse? Also how did they all interact? How much of the hallucinations were induced by the Host and what was their own minds? You put any thought into it and the whole film falls apart.
Another problem is that the film doesn't even know whether it wants to go the New Nightmare route of being separate form the others or a real part of the franchise. Characters killed by the Cenobites become ghosts, their bodies are left behind, people refer to "Hellraiser" though the game is only called "Hellworld" and numerous film references are made which suggests it doesn't link in but the finale tries to suggest otherwise. All in all this only serves to cause confusion.
I think the biggest disappointment about Hellworld is that there's a good movie here, struggling to get out. The sets look impressive and the idea of the house and the party could work very well. It obviously has a love of the material and has tried to put in a lot of fan pleasing moments but ultimately none of it comes together. Having the main characters being the ultimate Hellraiser fans is a fair enough idea but when they're made to look immature and fairly stupid (in that typical slasher fashion) it almost comes across as insulting its main audience! There is some good stuff here, the fate of the Host is rather nice to look at and the direction is as good as we've come to expect from Rick Bota. Everyone obviously puts in their best possible performance but I'm afraid that, in the end, the script didn't really cut it. If this really is to be the last Hellraiser film it's a sad note to go out on, especially after he wonderful Deader, but hopefully Rick Bota will one day return to the series, hopefully with a decent budget, and show us what he can do with more time, more money and a truly great script.
The Hellraiser Chronicles: A Question of Faith (2005)
Excellent short that defies its low budget to create a superior Hellraiser tale.
The Hellraiser Chronicles: A Question of Faith.
Fan films have been around a long time, the Star Wars saga in particular seems to have spawned numerous fan-made productions. However this has to be the first Hellraiser based film, a shame and surprise considering the richness of the source material. Created by a long time fan of the series "The Hellraiser Chronicles: A Question of Faith" stays faithful to the franchise that inspired it whilst still managing to tell its own unique story.
A Question of Faith opens with some intriguing mystery, setting up the notion of a haunted house as well as connecting it to the past of our lead character, Father Farrell. Right from the start we our asked to begin putting together the pieces of a narrative jigsaw, images and comments briefly reference something that will gain importance later. This automatically gains the viewers attention, drawing us in as we aim to unravel the events presented to us.
Once Father Farrell moves into the house the film gains an unnerving presence, the initial haunting sequences are effective in their simplicity and the fear builds from our awareness of something being there and our uncertainty as to its intentions. This prevalence of fear permeates most of the film, only really dissolving in the flashback sequences and the finale, both of which present their own brand of horror.
The camera work is one of the most notable aspects of this film, there is a surprising amount of movement which allows us to gain an awareness of the space the film takes place in. The various shot movements and angles work well to give an energy to the piece that helps to move it forward at such a pace that the viewer is never bored. Considering the limited space and the lack of time on the production some excellent camera-work was achieved.
This combines well with some stunning cinematography, notably in the flashback sequences that take on a quality not unlike Dario Argento's work. The fact these sequences feature the most blood letting adds another level to it, an otherworldliness that disturbs the viewer. Watching these sequences is almost uncomfortable and combined with some excellent score they come out as some of the films most effective moments.
Of course the film isn't perfect and the low budget becomes obvious at times, notably the CGI segments. That's not to say they aren't impressive given the circumstances and low budget but they are noticeably different from everything surrounding them. However, the strength of the material prevents the viewer being drawn out too much and the compelling storyline distracts you from most budgetary shortcomings.
The talent amongst the cast for the film is varied, Rob Leetham plays the lead very well and brings an element of naive innocence to the character, especially in the flashback sequences. We get the sense that he's tortured by his past and wants to make amends whilst not being entirely confident that he will be successful in his task. The other cast members play their roles well, the group of friends certainly look like they would be drawn together and they do well with their small parts though on occasion some of the dialogue comes across as stilted. The Cenobite is both powerful and dignified and the fantastic make-up effects give him a great aura of fear despite a low budget costume.
In conclusion "A Question of Faith" is a well made and entertaining short film that successfully combines Hellraiser with a traditional haunted house story. Whilst there are some shortcomings they are mainly due to lack of time and budget. The level of creativity on display is welcome and watching this piece makes you wish that the people behind it could be allowed to continue exploring the Hellraiser series with more time and money. Excellent stuff.
Hellraiser: Deader (2005)
Deader returns Hellraiser to its routes of pleasure, pain and supernatural horror!
Hellraiser: Deader.
A long time coming, the sixth sequel in the Hellraiser series not only surpasses the previous entry but also offers up the strongest film in the franchise since Hellbound: Hellraiser II in 1988. Where the previous films have either focused on one characters journey through Hell or taken the slasher route of Pinheads quest for world domination Deader goes back to the original films and presents us with the story that features the Cenobites as a key plot element without actually being about them.
Amy Klein is the hero of the story as she is instantly likable, she may seem some what edgy but she is very easy to identify with and determined nature and very real reactions to the events she finds herself involved in allow us to easily sympathise her. Her journey is a hard one and the slow reveal of her history is interesting and helps us understand how she has developed into the women she is; her character does change during the story and by the time the film comes to its dramatic conclusion you can't help but feel for her plight.
Winter makes an excellent villain following on from Frank and Channard, he's both charming and also edgy allowing us to be scared of him whilst understanding the power he holds over the Deader cult. His motives and history are very interesting and help to fix the story securely in the Hellraiser mythos and brings up a vital point that's often be forgotten; not everyone is able to open the box however much they might want to.
This brings me to the touches made to the past, with old lines reappearing and dialogue taken straight from The Hellbound Heart, this film truly seems to understand the original concept far more than any sequel after the first. The grand finale where the Cenobites are seen in force is a fans dream and the chaining of the misguided Winter is by far the best the series has offered since Frank and the production team should feel proud for pulling it off so well.
In the end, the story runs along at a good pace with nowhere near as many strange surrealist elements as the last two films; this is firmly grounded in reality with only a quarter of the film taken up with a false reality which is clearly explained and makes sense for the characters journey and Winters plan. All in all, if this is the standard of Hellraiser now, the fans have nothing to worry about and if the writers can take what worked form this for future sequels then there are good times ahead.
Hellraiser: Hellseeker (2002)
Visually stunning, a return to form
Hellraiser: Hellseeker. In directing Hellseeker, the sixth film in the series, Rick Bota returns to Barker's original for inspiration; something that is evident throughout this surreal and brilliantly twisted piece.
Much has been made about Ashley Lawrence's return as Kirsty Cotton and some may be disappointed in the small amount of screen time she actually has; however by the films end you can fully appreciate her importance and the final twist should rectify any misgivings you may have had.
As with the first two and Inferno this is a movie about ideas and not gore or monsters. The shocks and 'gory' moments that do occur have a reason behind them; often one that has a moment of clarity towards the end (for instance the scene with the eel). Also, the images of blood are portrayed in such a way as to show a beauty in the contrasting reds and its illumination; all things that help connect this to Barker's original.
A great deal of love was put into its direction and cinematography; Pinhead once again appears amongst blue, slat lighting and a room decorated with chains. However, this isn't simply a rehash or indeed a vague attempt to emulate the past; the story looks forward and develops Kirsty's character and her relationship with the Cenobites. This is a women whose been held on to by her father, lusted after by her uncle and manipulated by her step-mother; this may be in the past but it all plays into her actions within this film. Kirsty Cotton aside, the real star is Dean Winters who plays her husband Trevor. At first appearing loving and devoted his true colours soon start to show as he undergoes horrific dreams and startling visions; however this isn't the same path Joseph took in Inferno. Whilst the detective knew of his 'infidelities', Trevor's amnesia allows us to learn his real personality as he does himself thus giving us much more sympathy for him, especially in the end where he fully understands who he is. Whilst still not quite up to the heights of the original two films it does maintain the advancing high standards set by Inferno. Once again the human characters are the story and the Cenobites are there simply as a means to an end. Surreal, dark and manipulative, this film is a superior piece of modern day horror. 8 / 10.
Hellraiser (1987)
Masterpiece of film making
Hellraiser.
Sick, twisted and brilliant. Those are the three words I would use to describe this masterpiece of dark horror by Clive Barker, the man who Stephen King calls `the future of horror'.
Those of a faint heart should keep away but those of us who can stand intense and horrific gore and gut-churning effects will be rewarded by a film that explores the very depths of human depravity. This isn't a movie about monsters, about a puzzle box or even about a guy with nails in his head; its about debauchery, incest and sex. The story, at its core, is a family saga and the puzzle box, named the Lament Configuration, is only a tool.
When Frank Cotton escapes the clutches of the Cenobites, explorers in pleasure and pain, he seeks the help of his brothers wife (and his ex-lover) to bring him the blood he needs to be brought back to life. She uses sex to entice men to the house where she feeds them to Frank so that she can be with him again, towards the end of the film she sleeps with him whilst he wears his brothers skin! It is the relationships that drive this film.
Still, the hero is around in the form of Kirsty Cotton, son of Larry and niece to Frank. She doesn't trust Julia, her step-mother which leads her to uncover Frank and meet the Cenobites. She gives the audience someone to root for and is well portrayed by Ashley Lawrence; her chemistry with Andrew Robinson as her father is readily apparent.
The Cenobites, when they do appear, have a strong and terrifying image and the Lead Cenobite (later named Pinhead) is the ultimate in father figures; stern and to the point. The Cenobites aren't evil, they simply do there job and this is where the fear comes from; they are completely indifferent to you or your pleas.
At the end of the day this is a well directed, excellently acted and all round intelligent horror film. 10 / 10.