"Hellbound", the second part of the horror series "Hellraiser" is full with great ideas, which are, sadly, badly portrayed by the poor script. The movie is a direct sequel to the original and is telling the story of a nightmarish voyage in hell. The plot resembles the third movie in the rival "A Nightmare on Elm Street" series because the action is set in a hospital and the main characters travel trough a disgusting netherworld. Although the cenobites are not as funny as Freddy Krueger, the movie vision of hell is very original, especially the evil Leviathan and the gruesome Channard. Sadly, the plot makes little sense and it is quite chaotic; also the film is needlessly gory and deserves an X-rating. SPOILER ALERT: The final of the film is also VERY stupid because it ruins the whole idea of cenobites getting back to humanity in their death - the scene in which Channard killed Pinhead and his band was surprisingly strong and almost touching, exceptionally when the Chattering cenobite was revealed as a teenage boy. All is ruined by the stupid closing scene, though, and - which is worse - more sequels are promised. In conclusion, I must say that the movie has its qualities, strong ideas and great, almost "The Shining"-quality vision, but it is way too gory, very chaotic and with too many cheesy moments. In the hands of a better director, it might have been a classic. It is, however, a mediocre, although bizarre horror film.
Review of Hellbound: Hellraiser II
