THE DANMAN CAN

I've always liked how  Hellbound: Hellraiser II  (1988) picks up right where the first film ( review ) left off, but I've always enjoyed the first hour more than the remainder of the film. The buildup, in this case, is much more interesting than the payoff. Once the characters actually  go  to Hell,  Hellbound  begins to gradually lose steam.  I appreciate the special effects artistry that went into  Hellraiser II ,   it's nice to get more Cenobite action, and the brief Frank sequence is great. But the presentation and the performances veer a bit too much into horror tropes and cliches at times in the last 20 minutes.  Kenneth Cranham   as Doctor Channard is a much more menacing presence before he becomes a Cenobite, where he proceeds to do nothing but spout one-liners. And, as much as I like matte paintings and, occasionally, artificiality in movies, some of the sets/design are a bit cheesy and the editing a bit sloppy in the...

Hellraiser   (1987)— Clive Barker 's  Faustian  micro-budget horror classic of obsession and eroticism—holds up very well thanks to excellent, gooey special effects, strong lead performances by  Andrew Robinson  and  Claire Higgins , touches of surrealism, a brilliant, sumptuous score by  Christopher Young , and an iconic "villain" portrayed by  Doug Bradley . Clive Barker Feature Films Ranked Hellraiser Franchise Fims Ranked

It's funny that the last two films I watched were direct-to-video titles because both belie the stigma that that distinction entails. As much as  Drive   (1997) ( review ) is better than any DTV action film I've seen before, Ticks (1993) is a really strong DTV horror movie. Films like this disprove the commonly held belief that there weren't a lot of good horror movies in the '90s. While there was certainly a downturn in mainstream horror and a glut of films that quickly became stale, there are some great outliers like  Ticks that feel more like a remnant of the '80s. While the character development isn't the best and there is some wonky editing at times, Ticks  is honestly just ridiculously fun. There are some great practical f/x by Doug Beswick and cool gore via  KNB . I love the miniatures and stop-motion. There's a really strong orchestral score by Christopher L. Stone and Daniel Licht  that is reminiscent of John Williams . You can tell in many...

I've always loved the first hour of Hellbound: Hellraiser II  (1988) more than the rest of the film. The buildup in this case is much more interesting than the payoff. Once the characters actually go to Hell, Hellbound  starts to gradually lose steam. I do appreciate the special f/x artistry that went into Hellraiser II and it's nice to get more Cenobite action but the delivery and the performances veer a bit too much into horror tropes and cliches at times in the last 40 minutes.  Kenneth Cranham   as Doctor Channard is a much more menacing presence before he becomes a Cenobite, where he proceeds to do nothing but spout one-liners. Not to mention that some of the sets/design are a bit cheesy and the editing a bit sloppy in the Hell segments. Still, it's good grotesque gothic entertainment.

Hellraiser   (1987)— Clive Barker 's micro-budget horror classic of obsession and eroticism—holds up very well after 30 years thanks to excellent, gooey special f/x, strong lead performances by  Andrew Robinson  and  Claire Higgins , touches of surrealism, a brilliant score by  Christopher Young , and an iconic "villain" portrayed by  Doug Bradley .

Hellbound: Hellraiser II  (1988) has so much potential.  There are so many great moments, but so many bad, cheesy ones as well. The first film (which I love) is kind of the same, though most of the weak moments are within the film's last 10 minutes.  Hellbound has an excellent first half, and then a very mixed second half. I think a lot of horror fans hold this one up a little too high. I was hesitant to even give it the extra half star, but overall it deserves it. I know a remake has been in the works for some time (supposedly with Clive Barker's involvement at one point), but it's been stagnant for just as long now. I truly think that if handled correctly and not CGI'd to hell (bad pun) that a remake/re-imagining/whatever could be really great for this series, particularly since most of the sequels are pretty bad (from what I hear—I only own and have seen the first three). "They promise forever and never deliver." "Nothing p...