Hellraiser

Clive Barker’s Hellraiser is a difficult subject for adaptations. It requires more than just traditional “horror talent” to film it so that it makes sense in the motivations of all of the characters and the intertwining of reality with the hellish dimension, to be gripping in terms of the plot and pleasing with more than just fantasy scenes of suffering and gore. David Bruckner and the screenwriters have done a decent job of developing the revelation of the world of the Cenobites, while adding new, almost mythological dimensions to the famous puzzle box. However, they got a bit lost in the climax with respect to the meaningfulness of the twists and the conclusion of the characters’ stories. One of the surviving characters summed it up nicely: “What just happened there?” (10/21/2022)

Beautiful! If Hulu continues ressurrecting dead horror franchises, I will be nothing but happy. David Bruckner did an even better job in this regard for me than Dan Trachtenberg did in the recent Prey, and from a horror standpoint, the new Hellraiser is considerably more satisfying. However, there could have been a bit more more, it doesn't go to the extreme at all, and Hellraiser on stream could have used something harder. Maybe in a sequel, ideally with some slightly more likeable characters. (10/16/2022)

The reboot of the horror classic Hellraiser for the modern era by the skilled David Bruckner turned out very well for me. Bruckner delivers another decent horror flick after the weaker Dark House and he becomes a very strong guarantee of quality. He showed in both The Ritual and Southbound that he can handle atmosphere and gore and he proves that now, I like his directorial style a lot. I personally consider the original Hellraiser to be an overrated classic. It was definitely an interesting experience at the time it was made, but from today's perspective, I find it to be a mediocre film. The actors, dialogue, script, visuals simply don't impress today and the gore is also laughable. I definitely found the second part better, so this reboot didn't have such a hard time this time and of course it surpassed all the previous entries for me. The first half is a bit slower and not much happens, but I didn't mind it that much. Quite quickly Bruckner won me over to his side and the whole plot and mythology around the puzzle box kept me entertained. The characters are fine, but are definitely not the film’s brighter things. Once the action moves to the castle it starts a proper dense horror hell of a ride like I can't even remember this year. Excellent music and visuals. The Cenobites' arrival on the scene is fucking brilliant. The atmosphere is uncomfortable, their appearance is fucking disturbing and visually stunning (the creativity of the makeup artists is impressive) and the gore is a delight (sure, there could have been more of it, but when it comes down to it, it's TOP quality). There are a lot of interesting and unusual shots that I've never seen anywhere before, so a joy to watch. The final skinning is legendary and quite possibly the most impressive since Martyrs. I also enjoyed the lore and overall got a good feeling from it. I hope Bruckner makes a sequel that will be even wilder, then I'll happily go full on. 8/10. (10/13/2022)

Bruckner continues to maintain his high standards and does not just rip off the cult classics from the 1980s, but sets them in broader and more ambitious meanings. As a result, the new Hellraiser is not a festival of filth and gore with a trivial slasher plot, but a more complex reflection on what we really want from life and what we are willing to do for it. And while we're at it, I also saw it as an effective warning to addicts whose fate is forever sealed by needles and who are left with nothing but pain and woe. The script could do with some tweaking, and the characters initially move towards revelation in a suspiciously languid manner (and their meeting at the mansion reminded me of the funniest moment from the comedy The 40 Year-Old Virgin in its timing), but the narrative is otherwise beautifully fluid and the horror elements tread well – the passage after the escape from the mansion in particular is downright brilliant in its play with the setting. What bothers me most, as in the original, is how the bad guys are only "half-used". They're creepy in their own right, and their ambivalence works even better here (are they evil devils or harshly righteous angels?), but their power hops from bending reality to being unable to walk through doors. But otherwise I wasn't bored, the more serious and narrative execution suited me, and the transcendent motifs touching the human body and mind are surprisingly impressive for a horror reboot, following the creature-feature original. Far from Martyrs, but good enough for a mainstream streaming product. 75 % (10/07/2022)