Well finally "Hellraiser: Deader" has arrived after a few years gathering dust on the shelf.
I agree with other members that it does seem to breathe some life in to this once outstanding franchise, but as with the other sequels it just lacks what the earlier films had in abundance. My personal view is that you can really tell that this wasn't written as a "Hellraiser" film.
For the first half hour or so except with the odd reference to "The Box" this could have been any other horror film and it kind of remains that way throughout.
The one thing really missing for me as with "Hellraiser: Inferno" and "Hellraiser: Hellseaker" is we just don't see enough of the "Cenobites".
I don't just mean "Pinhead" I mean all of them. You see a few glancing shots of them, but I'm sorry its just not enough. Its does seem a waste not giving them screen time. There are 6 "Cenobites" in this movie ("Pinhead", "Chatterer", "Bound", "Stitch", "Little Sister") & ("Spike" in the bonus material!) why are all these needed for 5 minutes of screen time? To be fair they did seem to play a bigger part in this than Parts V or VI, however they have almost become extras or cameos these days.
I have read a few comments from other users saying that these films are not about "Pinhead" but there is a reason he has been in all of the franchise to date.
I agree that one of the strengths of "Hellraiser" is they are stand alone stories, but in any franchise you need a recurring factor and the "Cenobites" and in particular "Pinhead" is it.
The "Cenobites" are "Hellraiser", which is why the later films don't feel like "Hellraiser" movies at all.
"Hellraiser: Deader" is a good and one of the better sequels to date and should give all fans hope for "Hellraiser: Hellworld" but as I remarked with "Hellraiser: Hellseaker" the fleeting glimpses of the "Cenobites" just are not enough.
Get back to the essence of the movies and set the story around them or let them play a major part again. The later films in this series sadly, could have been so much more.
I agree with other members that it does seem to breathe some life in to this once outstanding franchise, but as with the other sequels it just lacks what the earlier films had in abundance. My personal view is that you can really tell that this wasn't written as a "Hellraiser" film.
For the first half hour or so except with the odd reference to "The Box" this could have been any other horror film and it kind of remains that way throughout.
The one thing really missing for me as with "Hellraiser: Inferno" and "Hellraiser: Hellseaker" is we just don't see enough of the "Cenobites".
I don't just mean "Pinhead" I mean all of them. You see a few glancing shots of them, but I'm sorry its just not enough. Its does seem a waste not giving them screen time. There are 6 "Cenobites" in this movie ("Pinhead", "Chatterer", "Bound", "Stitch", "Little Sister") & ("Spike" in the bonus material!) why are all these needed for 5 minutes of screen time? To be fair they did seem to play a bigger part in this than Parts V or VI, however they have almost become extras or cameos these days.
I have read a few comments from other users saying that these films are not about "Pinhead" but there is a reason he has been in all of the franchise to date.
I agree that one of the strengths of "Hellraiser" is they are stand alone stories, but in any franchise you need a recurring factor and the "Cenobites" and in particular "Pinhead" is it.
The "Cenobites" are "Hellraiser", which is why the later films don't feel like "Hellraiser" movies at all.
"Hellraiser: Deader" is a good and one of the better sequels to date and should give all fans hope for "Hellraiser: Hellworld" but as I remarked with "Hellraiser: Hellseaker" the fleeting glimpses of the "Cenobites" just are not enough.
Get back to the essence of the movies and set the story around them or let them play a major part again. The later films in this series sadly, could have been so much more.