Hellraiser: Revelations

In 1987, Clive Barker unleashed the first film in the "Hellraiser" saga onto the masses, from his literary work "The Hellbound Heart." The first film was, and still is in many ways, an iconic, classic entry in the horror genre. The rest is history. At the time I am writing this review, the series has spanned nine films (with rumors of a TV-show possibly in the works), and countless spin-off media including a popular line of graphic novels and comics.

"Hellraiser" is a staple in horror, which is what makes this latest film so infuriating and heart-wrenching.

"Hellraiser: Revelations" is the latest in the series (beginning with the fifth film, all releases have skipped theaters and been plagued with lower budgets and even lower-grade actors and crews). Directed by Victor Garcia (from a script he also co-wrote), this mess of a film is DOA, with lame-brained acting, penny-pinching special effects, and a horrid plot that is essentially a lazy re-imagining of the original film. This is a slap-in-the-face to fans of the series, who have stuck by it even as the later sequels got worse and worse following the surprisingly strong second film. (Which is one of the rare horror sequels that had any thought to it, and is arguably almost as good as the original, despite obvious differences in tone and scope.) Beginning with the third film, the series took a nose-dive, although one or two entries, notably the fifth film, were watchable and enjoyable. This one, however, is the worst of the bunch.

Two spoiled young men, Nico and Steven, vanished sometime ago during a wretched trip to Mexico where they partook in prostitutes and copious partying. After murdering a prostitute, and after being given the mysterious puzzle box by a vagrant, Nico solved it, summoning "Pinhead" (played by a new actor... more on that later), whom dragged him to hell. Steven brings Nico back from hell via sacrifices, and later shows up to a house where he and Nico's family are having dinner.

At the house, Emma, Steven's sister, finds the box, and eventually the families begin to experiences strange and bizarre things over the film's anemic 75-minute running time, before a series of lame-brained twists that I won't spoil ends the film in an abrupt and very anti-climactic climax.

First the acting. I haven't really seen any of the actors in this film before (which I'm guessing is due to the almost non-existent budget preventing us from getting any name-actors), so I don't have anything to compare them to. But the acting was uniformly foul. All emotions by all parties seem forced, and our two leads (Jay Gillespie and Nick Eversman) are about as believable in their performances as a sheep wearing a dollar-store werewolf mask trying to blend into a pack of wolves. They simply cannot act.

Technically, the film is a mess. Garcia's shot-choices are bland, boring, and scream "inexperienced film-school student", and the lighting is atrocious. I was shocked to learn the cinematographer was David Armstrong, whom proved himself to be a capable DP on numerous other films, including six of the seven "Saw" films. Here, all of the lighting and shots seem hastily thrown together, and you could tell Mr. Armstrong didn't have enough time or motivation to work with. I study film and video production at college, and I've seen student-films shot on standard-def camcorders that look better than this from a technical standpoint.

The effects are also lousy. The cenobites looks soul-lessly designed, and their costumes looks like cheap rental-store robes. Pinhead's new design doesn't work and has too much shadow-work around his needles and creases/cuts, making him look a bit goofier than the eerie paper-white look of past films. Gore effects are phoned-in, with cheap, obvious prosthetics. The few CG-type effects are hilariously cheap looking. The set-design is bland and uninspired as well. Especially in the Hell scenes, which haven't been updated since the original film. Hell's still just a mass of swinging chains and pillars, which worked in the original film due to some excellent shots by Barker and the fact we hadn't seen anything like it before, but looks silly and cheap nowadays.

And onto the biggest complaint most people have... and a very justifiable complaint it is. Doug Bradley, whom portrayed Pinhead in all eight previous films skipped out on this one. He wasn't pleased by the script or the next-to-nothing paycheck, so he bailed. Our new Pinhead is portrayed by Stephen Smith Collins, with voice-over work by Fred Tatasciore. And good-lord, is the performance(s) bad!

I already mentioned the new makeup for the character's head didn't work as well as in previous films. But I could forgive that if the performances for the role were good. They aren't. First of all, Collins, who does the on-screen acting just doesn't look the part. He looks more like a light-weight professional wrestler with his head-shape. And his body language doesn't have any of the poetry or art of Bradley. He performs the role as though he had no rehearsals or prep-time, and is timidly being told what to do by the director off-screen. He seems in over his head. And Tatasciore's voice-over work is laughable. Gone is the booming voice of past films, which was dripping with darkness and emotion. Now, Pinhead sounds kinda like Don LaFontaine (the man known for providing voice-over work as the narrator of just about every movie trailer before his untimely death) trying to whisper with a bad Eurpoeon accent while suffering a sore-throat. It's just... awful.

This film is undoubtedly a career-killer for most involved, and it may just kill the franchise. It's beyond awful, and I give it a 1 out of 10, not just for being a bad film, but for being a tarnish on the classic original's legacy. Avoid this, I saw it for free on Netflix, and I still feel like the studio owes me a refund!

None of the films have been as good as the first three in this series. This one is no different.

Most of the acting, especially by the lead antagonist, Nick Eversman, is terrible. The effects and gore are nothing more than copies of scenes from the other movies with nothing new added to make it any more interesting.

I love the original Pinhead character, played by Doug Bradley in all of the other films. Stephan Smith Collins who portrays Pinhead in this sequel tries to recreate him but manages doing a poor man's imitation, instead of bringing anything new to the screen.

To future writers of any more sequels: STOP! Either come up with a new lead so we don't miss Bradley's performance so much or reboot the series from the start and try to come up with something new. Maybe consult with Clive Barker to see where he would go with it. Or better yet, put together some real money and have him write it instead.

Having grown up with horror movies and been exposed to the numerous big horror franchises, I am no stranger to the "Hellraiser" movies, and must admit that I have been watching them ever since the first one came out. However, I am sad to say that since the third movie or so, the franchise has been on a steady declining spiral, and the stories have progressively strayed from the original idea.

This ninth movie was a bit of a surprise to me, as I came upon it by sheer luck. I hadn't even heard about it, and honestly, I thought they had finally put the franchise to rest after a number of disappointing movies. But I was wrong.

So I sat down to watch this movie, and I must admit that I was appalled to see that Doug Bradley wasn't in the role as Pinhead. That was an insult to us fans of the movies (or fans of the first handful of proper "Hellraiser" movies, at least). But still, I gave it a go.

That being said, I have got to be blunt honest. Doug Bradley was (and always will be) Pinhead. Stephan Smith Collins is a really bad substitute. I am not saying that he is a bad actor, as I am not familiar with his work outside this one movie, but he didn't have that diabolic charm and wit that Bradley brought to the Pinhead character. Nor did he have that iconic voice that we all have come to love (or fear, whichever you prefer). So the Pinhead portrayed in "Hellraiser: Revelations" was a mere cheap imitation of the original Pinhead.

As for the story in "Hellraiser: Revelations", one thing only has to be said: "are you kidding?" The story in this ninth installment was a rude insult and a downright copy of the storyline from the first movie. Sure the setting was changed and small adjustments made, but the overall storyline and plot was the exact same thing. Which leads me to ponder on whether or not this movie was necessary? Wouldn't it had been better to just let the franchise lie dormant? Surely this wasn't the best they could come up with. And also, just why did Doug Bradley pass on this? Leaves you with something to think about, doesn't it? And leaves you with a somewhat vile aftertaste in your mouth.

"Hellraiser: Revelations" dragged on forever, just retelling the story that we were introduced to in the first "Hellraiser" movie, so it was basically just pointless repetition. A way to introduce the franchise to new viewers? I don't know, but for us who have followed the growth and decline of the franchise, it was a rude slap on the face.

The movie leaves little room for the characters to develop and grow, despite the actors/actresses doing their best with their given parts. You just never really buy into the characters, and they are lacking depth and credibility.

Having seen every single "Hellraiser" movie since the very first, this one is without a doubt the most boring, pointless and far-strayed from the original plot. It is worth a watch if you want to see it just to have watched all of the movies, but that is about it. There is nothing new here; everything is just a re-write of old material. It is like brewing coffee on an old and already used coffee filter. It was horrible.

One of the things "Hellraiser: Revelations" had working for it, was the effects. There weren't a lot of special effects, though whatever little they did use worked out well enough. Personally, I could have used a lot more of the traditional wicked torture and torment that is associated with the Cenobytes and the "Hellraiser" series.

I have seen "Hellraiser: Revelations" now, and I can honestly say, despite being a "Hellraiser" fan, that I will not be making a second return to this movie ever!

This was the worst film in the series by far. I understand it was rushed out but the script seems to have been written by a 10 year old.

The characters were cardboard cut-outs. Actually I think I would have had more of an emotional connection to cardboard than the cast.

The storyline and I use the term in the loosest possible sense was so jumbled it was nigh on impossible to keep track of what was happening and when it was happening.

I am so glad Doug Bradley refused to appear in the film as he would have shone so brightly among the others the screen would have just been a white light.

So Revelations. Well if the word is translated as Apocalypse I think I was a valid title.

Don't bother to see this film unless you enjoy staring at wet paint.

The best friends Steven Craven (Nick Eversman) and Nico Bradley (Jay Gillespie) travel to Mexico to have fun. They meet a vagrant (Daniel Buran) in a bar that gives a puzzle box to Nico. When he opens the device, he finds that it is a key to hell. Nico brings Pinhead (Stephan Smith Collins) that inflicts pain to him and Steven and the youngsters vanish.

Later, in Los Angeles, Dr. Ross Craven (Steven Brand), his wife Sarah (Devon Sorvari) and their daughter Emma (Tracey Fairaway) receive Peter (Sebastien Roberts) and Kate Bradley(Sanny Van Heteren) to have dinner. Both families miss Steven and Nico and they hired a private detective to seek them out, but he only finds Nico's backpack. When Emma snoops around the backpack, she finds the puzzle box and out of the blue, Steven returns covered of blood. But soon they discover that it is not Steven's soul that is inside his body.

"Hellraiser: Revelations" is a very bad sequel, actually the ninth movie of this franchise. It shows the terrible fate of the classic Clive Baker's horror story "Hellraiser" (1987) and its great sequel "Hellbound: Hellraiser II" (1988).

"Hellraiser: Revelations" has a messy screenplay that does not show anything new. Indeed, Doug Bradley has probably given up of performing Pinhead and Stephan Smith Collins is very weak in this role. The worst thing is that the conclusion gives the sensation that the author intends to make another sequel that should be released straight to garbage instead of to video. My vote is three.

Title (Brazil): "Hellraiser: Revelações" ("Hellraiser: Revelations")