I'm not a huge fan of Pinhead, but that doesn't mean I don't like his stuff: giving his victims pleasure and pain with chains, hooks and soon after equals death. I own a few Hellraiser movies, all but one I have reviewed here. Obviously, the one left out is this one so I decided to go ahead and review it. What hard could it do?

The story to this third sequel is quite different than the first two. A club owner purchases a pillar of seemingly harmless figures of distorted beings(Did you happen to spot a prickly face on the pillar before you bought it?) unknowingly he has welcomed a being of demonic sense of pleasure and pain who will be awakened from his slumber and he has a taste for hell on earth. Meanwhile, a reporter is out to solve a "murder" of a teenager being ripped apart with hooks and chains, which later her clues lead her to the mysterious pillar. The story isn't quite exactly what you would expect from a Hellraiser movie(which this third installment has changed the rest of the series into hit-or-miss projects). It's just not as interesting or disturbing as the previous two just because Pinhead gets released much later in the film. In order to do that though, he has made a deal with his "owner": get him enough souls to devour so he can be set free. Of course, Pinhead will eventually kill his "partner in crime."

So why exactly is part three labeled as not one of the best? Writer, Peter Atkins managed to get out of Clive Barker's intention for the series because now Pinhead is free and willful to roam the Earth. That right there should let the fans know that something is wrong because Pinhead is much scarier when he is not roaming the earth as seen in parts one and two. It's a shame writers want spiritual or outer-worldly killers to come out into the world hoping those killers would make people even more scared of them, but most of the time it backfires(see Nightmare On Elm Street part two). However, the script isn't always bad; Pinhead throws some demonic and interesting one-liners much like Freddy Krueger. Pinhead is definitely a highlight for the film which becomes a hard thing for writers and directors to make Pinhead the attraction in later sequels.

When Pinhead is let out, the movie spins way out of control. Pinhead visits a bar, the streets, a church(good scene actually, but worthless to the story) and eventually a construction site for the seemingly finale of the movie. However, the actual finale(which I will not reveal) takes you back to what Pinhead is made of(the famous walls revealing cracks of light into the darkness), but however, Peter Atkins had to end the movie into a lame fashion of one person being the same person. The acting is quite good, no one from the first two films return, except for Ashley Lawrence who is only seen on a video tape. I didn't have any problem digesting the acting and Doug Bradley of course does an excellent job as Pinhead. Special effects are once again amazing which isn't quite a surprise since every Hellraiser that I have seen is well done in special effects. Did I mention gory?

Hellraiser has had its share of directors and no one can successfully direct a good Hellraiser film like it's creator Clive Barker, Anthony Hickox came in to direct part three. Anthony did keep the film gothic as the previous two with moody lightning and the rare "great angle" capturing Pinhead, it's basically an average accomplishment for Anthony. You won't remember much from his directing, and probably you won't remember much from the movie as a whole.

If you are like many fans of this series, the first two are definitely the best out of all 8 sequels because they weren't watered down with mumbo jumbo; they basically stuck with what works best with Pinhead and his demons. Hellraiser 3 is basically a miss or hit with fans; some like it and some don't. I find it an okay Hellraiser film with a few gems of brilliant stuff, but mainly, it's a very wrong movie. It gets Pinhead out into the world, going places he doesn't belong and overall it's a messed up Hellraiser.


Hellraiser III: Hell On Earth Information:
Genre: Horror
Year: 1992
Running Time: 93 minutes
Rating: Unrated for Strong Violence/Gore, Language and Sexuality

Hellraiser Films I've Reviewed:
Hellraiser
Hellbound: Hellraiser II

Recommended:
No

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age