Hellraiser: Judgment

I am a HUGE fan of the Hellraiser mythos. The aesthetics, the lore, the characters. After watching the original as a teenager the lead character 'Pinhead' needled his way into my consciousness as the primary 'horror character' of my dreams/nightmares. He left such an impression that it wasn't long before i chased down his original appearance in Clive Barker's (master of the macabre) novella 'The Hellbound Heart' and became absolutely smitten for life.

Armed with such impressive enthusiasm i devoured every Hellraiser movie as soon as it became available. My infatuation notwithstanding i couldn't help but notice the gradual decline in quality as each subsequent effort was released. Apart from 'Hellraiser 4 - Bloodline' there was a clear degradation in the caliber of film being presented. It was getting beyond embarrassing.

Understandably my expectations for the 10th film were about as high as my expectations of answering the door to a scantily clad Drew Barrymore offering me a cigar made from rolled up $100 notes, as she ushered me onto her private jet for a life of pool-side tickle-fighting.

My impression from having JUST finished watching the movie is,... relief. The people who made this film DIDN'T just churn out the product and slap the 'Hellraiser' name on it like the last 5 movies. There was some actual THOUGHT put into the script and i was grateful to not be able to predict the plot at every turn.

This is in no way the BEST film in the world, or even the best film in the series, but easily in MY top 3 of the series. If you're in to Hellraiser like I am, then im sure you'll enjoy it. If you're NOT into Hellraiser,.. then i hereby forbid you to watch it. lol

Thanks to whoever made this movie, i really enjoyed the ending and i'd love it if you made more.

Hellraiser: Judgment saved the franchise, it establishes new character and expand the lore. The Auditor is very interesting and I found Gary Tunnicliffe interpretation sublime. The Hell world was always left behind since the second movie, but in this chapter we finally discover more about the mechanics of this dark world. We get to see more Pinhead and we learn to know him al little bit better. This chapter establishes good bases for possible sequels, creators should definitely follow this narrative path. I was very surprised to finally see a decent movie of the series. Unfortunately after Inferno, this saga suffered a lot.

Photography is good, I really appreciated the color grading that sets perfectly the tone of the plot, both special and practical effects are on point. There are a lot of graphic scenes, but I feel that first movies were more violent and gruesome. However there are some pretty amazing killings. The pace of the movie is perfect, but the plot is very predictable and you can clearly see that there are a lot of ideas recycled from Hellraiser: Inferno. Maybe next time try not to pick a detective as main character.

After Revelations, my expectations were really low. I am just happy that the director managed to create something good and that could have save the franchise from the retirement. I really hope that Dimension Films will take seriously in consideration to create an extended narrative universe. Please, make it happen.

Please for the love of the fans, release the rights to a real writer, director and producers who loves the horror movies....this is just ridiculous....

Seen every movie in this franchise, my fun ended with the third part for obvious reasons. With every following sequal i had my hopes up, just to be dissapointed again and again.

When i saw this trailer my hope started to flicker again. The trailer was what i was hoping for. So i started watching this one while being curious and eager.

The bottomline is that this is not the entry we hope it is. But it isnt as bad as some of the entries either. Basiclly its those last 20 minutes you want and for that youll have to go through 60 minutes of scenes full with nonsense, boring set pieces and a lot of typing. If you find yourself at the end of that boring, long road youll get to experience just a little of the old vibe. And although not the strongest bits in the series, satisfying nonetheless.

The end creates chances for another weak entry or even a reboot. All in all i would hope they would for once invested a big budget in this franchise. All those little snacks here and there doesnt make for the meal we are so hungry for.

...originally based on works by Clive Barker, from Dimension Films and writer-director Gary J. Tunnicliffe. Cops Sean (Damon Carney) and David (Randy Wayne) search for a serial killer known as the Preceptor, but their investigation takes them to the very gates of Hell.

When it comes to these long-running horror franchises, the rights-holding studios have to make at least one new film every few years or risk losing the rights. This results in some truly awful films, cheaply made and rushed through production just to beat a deadline and meet a legal requirement. This is just such a movie, as have been the last several in this once-groundbreaking series. The first two films rank among the best horror films of all time, but starting with the third (when Dimension Films starting producing them) they've gotten progressively worse.

This newest film may be a tiny bit better than the atrocious previous entry (2011's Hellraiser: Revelations), but it's still terrible, with vague characterizations, bored performances, and a distinct cheapness to the production that undercuts some of the attempts at world-building. This story attempts to expand a bit on the bureaucracy of Hell as hinted at in the second film, namely with new character The Auditor, played by the director. He actually gets more screentime than series hallmark Pinhead, although he's not as impressive, and looks like the hell-cops from Highway to Hell (1991). In summary, all but the most die-hard fans should avoid this often dull and pretentious latest movie in the series.