Hellraiser III: Hell On Earth (1992) *** [Hellathon Pt. 3]

Hellraiser III: Hell On Earth (1992) brought the franchise into the '90s and with it every cliche of that decade's horror films (the fashion, the performances, the hyper-stylized camerawork, the music). Gone is the cold blue look of the first two films (my reviews of those here and here), gone are the tragic familial elements, and gone is the old school gothic flavor. While it ups the action, it also ups the silliness, particularly when it comes to the Cenobites (and even Pinhead is a bit too pristine). Hellraiser III does attempt to deepen the series' lore and, though its plot and logic are pretty muddled, I like that it didn't simply try to replicate the first two films (plus Doug Bradley gets much more screen time and he's a lot of fun here). HIII works best as a slice of horror entertainment—don't expect the same thought-provoking themes of the first two films and have a good time.

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