Forgetting the original films, Doug Bradley, etc and trying to take this incarnation of Hellraiser on it's own merit, I found it hugely disappointing. It was almost like nothing happened in 2 hours. It dragged on and on and I found myself actually hoping for it it just be over and it was a chore to get to the end. I think this film generally equates to "Horror for the new breed" as there is no horror here for this 44 yr old.
One positive from the film was that I liked the idea of the different configurations of the box. The fact that the Cenobites took anyone that was cut by the box was just ridiculous. Changing one of the very fundamental traits of the Cenobites was not a good thing in my opinion. Their summoning was all about desire and exploration. This film turned them into pointless killers of anybody.
I didn't find the Cenobites alluring nor revolting as they should be. (Hell, even the cast never found them scary. Literally no one freaked out when they saw people with skin ripped from them wandering around.) The skin suits was a good idea but they didn't look good on the screen. The blood dripping through the leather of the originals had a more powerful effect. As for the ridiculous shiny pin heads, they made everything look cheap and tacky. Rusty old nails would have looked better.
The story, as predictable as it was, was dull. I couldn't identify with any of them or feel any empathy what-so-ever. In the hour or so before anything happened in the film, there was literally no build up or character between the cast to make you want to root for a winner, so to speak. I wanted to see them all die!
The cast for me were forgettable. I'd never heard of Jamie Clayton before the hype for this. She wasn't a good Pinhead for me but I don't think the costume helped and the dialogue she had was rubbish. Odessa A'zion was OK but spent way too much time screaming. Drew Starkey did a pretty good job in the circumstances. The cast could have literally been anybody else, nothing memorable here.
For me, in the end, the only thing this Hellraiser got right was the font in the title. 2/10.
One positive from the film was that I liked the idea of the different configurations of the box. The fact that the Cenobites took anyone that was cut by the box was just ridiculous. Changing one of the very fundamental traits of the Cenobites was not a good thing in my opinion. Their summoning was all about desire and exploration. This film turned them into pointless killers of anybody.
I didn't find the Cenobites alluring nor revolting as they should be. (Hell, even the cast never found them scary. Literally no one freaked out when they saw people with skin ripped from them wandering around.) The skin suits was a good idea but they didn't look good on the screen. The blood dripping through the leather of the originals had a more powerful effect. As for the ridiculous shiny pin heads, they made everything look cheap and tacky. Rusty old nails would have looked better.
The story, as predictable as it was, was dull. I couldn't identify with any of them or feel any empathy what-so-ever. In the hour or so before anything happened in the film, there was literally no build up or character between the cast to make you want to root for a winner, so to speak. I wanted to see them all die!
The cast for me were forgettable. I'd never heard of Jamie Clayton before the hype for this. She wasn't a good Pinhead for me but I don't think the costume helped and the dialogue she had was rubbish. Odessa A'zion was OK but spent way too much time screaming. Drew Starkey did a pretty good job in the circumstances. The cast could have literally been anybody else, nothing memorable here.
For me, in the end, the only thing this Hellraiser got right was the font in the title. 2/10.
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