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Post by kingstownted on Aug 27, 2012 21:59:21 GMT -5
You downloaded the podcast, we came. Now you must come with us, taste our pleasures. We conclude our Hellraiser franchise retrospective with a look at the post-canon sequels starting with Inferno and moving through Hellseeker, Deader, Hellworld and finally Revelations. It's a long and troubling road to travel but we tried our best to avoid falling into the potholes of complaining. A string of adapted screenplays led to what many consider to be an ultimately disapointing franchise but we must never lose sight of those elements that captivated us in the beginning. So it's a bit of a different wind up, particularly when we reach the ultimate insult to Hellraiser fans - Revelations. An obligation film shot to retain property rights and foisted on an unsuspecting audience in a blatant cash grab. Things may have gotten a bit heated there at the end but we do hope you join us for the ride. One thing is certain, there is an attraction to the further regions of experience the cenobites come from that will have us always hoping for a return to Leviathan. Huge thanks to special guests Tom and Doug Bradley! The Hellraiser retrospective may have come to and end but... no tears, please. It's a waste of good suffering. As always we welcome your comments: horroretc@gmail.com Voicemail (206) 337-5324 |
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Post by rotteninbirth on Aug 28, 2012 0:45:19 GMT -5
did u mention the hellraiser prophecy crossover fan film?
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jwn
Fresh Meat
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Post by jwn on Aug 28, 2012 19:16:13 GMT -5
Great trilogy of episodes. I've always thought the Hellraiser films had one of the best mythologies of the genre. Just watching Pinhead walk through the room of hanging chains and dismembered body parts, before sorting through the slush and gristle of human remains is a brilliant visual and insight into Pinheads behaviour and actions after the gruesome event.
As a kid I only saw part of the film which was where Pinhead lays out Franks face like a macabre jigsaw puzzle, and knowing Pinhead from the vhs cover art I always thought he then pieced Franks face over his own securing it with the pins.
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Post by xtrialbyfirex on Aug 29, 2012 22:15:37 GMT -5
I really enjoyed these episodes, and I appreciate the dedication they took b/c I know this topic took a lot of prodding from fans of the podcast.
Personally I have to say after Hellbound, I found Inferno to be by far the most enjoyable sequel. I thought it was really fascinating to make a detective noir story where Pinhead is only a tertiary character. It's been almost a decade since I've seen it, but I really enjoyed how surreal it was.
It might make sense if Inferno was directed by a devout Christian, as was mentioned on the show. The Hellraiser universe really does not make sense, in any way, or fit into a Christian worldview whatsoever. I know they are a bit confusing to me personally b/c the morality seems so ambiguous. I love the series, but the story is something I really can't quite wrap my head around.
So maybe that is part of why I enjoyed Inferno so much? Can't say for sure b/c it has been a while...But I do know I really hated part 4 so it may have lowered my expectations.
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Post by Stuart on Aug 30, 2012 3:58:50 GMT -5
Another great episode. My take on the direct-to-video batch:
HR 5 Inferno: An OK film in its own right, albeit slightly depressing as it’s the first sign that the franchise is veering off-canon and (as Ted says) into Jacob’s Ladder territory. Presumably, that was the theme of these scripts before they had small patches of HR grafted on? HR 6 Hellseeker: Boring. At some point they forgot that this is a horror movie franchise. HR 7 Deader: Garbled nonsense. Redeemed a little by some top notch acting and the presence of Marc Warren. HR8 Hellworld: Jesus wept. A complete travesty.
In my opinion sequels 5 to 8 don’t sit well alongside 1 to 4. They are fundamentally flawed because of the clumsily adapted second-hand scripts and are arguably not even Hellraiser films at all.
HR 9 Revelations is a different kind of wrong. Doug Bradley’s stand-in is abysmal (how difficult is it to be bald and English? Very difficult apparently), the acting generally is poor and there isn’t much of a plot. The knowledge that this is a place-holder production, cynically released to recoup the measly budget spent on it, also casts a shadow over the proceedings. Nevertheless it has an original script which to some extent returns the derailed franchise to its original themes. I’ll go so far as to say that it is the only “true” Hellraiser movie since Bloodline. If you hold your nose and think of it as a low budget fan film you can get something out of this. Speaking of fan films, No More Souls is worth a watch. I think the two go together quite well.
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mdoc
Creeping Corpse
Posts: 36
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Post by mdoc on Aug 30, 2012 8:45:41 GMT -5
Fun stuff. I love the first two Hellraiser movies and I'm a huge fan of the cenobites and the puzzle box concept. The first Hellraiser blew my mind when I watched it in 7th grade. I had thought I had seen it all, Hellraiser showed me I could still be unsettled and shocked by a film.
I rewatched Hellraiser three to get ready for the podcasts and boy did that movie suck eggs. I remember giving it a pass when I was 17, but today it was just weak. The pinhead in the church stuff was just obnoxious and the Cenobites in the street with the explosions are just ridiculous. Were the Cenobites in Hellraiser 3 supposed to be demons from hell, or robots from the future sent back in time to kill Sarah Connor?
Part 4 is just a mess, I love what Ted said about Pinhead kidnapping Merchant's kid. I never thought about it, and apparently neither did the screenwriters. Let's assume Pinhead can drive like Michael Myers.
5 and 6 are the same movie, 7 gets a pass in many geek circles, but I was bored to tears with it. 8 is just stupid.
9 was interesting. Yeah I know it sucked but at least it tried to be a Hellraiser movie, the person that wrote it probably saw the first one, can you say that about 5-8?
I cant see Hellraiser ever being successfully rebooted
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cdb
Creeping Corpse
Posts: 31
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Post by cdb on Aug 30, 2012 11:11:15 GMT -5
I cant see Hellraiser ever being successfully rebooted I can. You just have to make it applicable to modern sensibilities and realize different things shock people these days. I think you could reboot it, or carry on from where Hellbound left off. |
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Post by xtrialbyfirex on Aug 30, 2012 18:21:31 GMT -5
I cant see Hellraiser ever being successfully rebooted I can. You just have to make it applicable to modern sensibilities and realize different things shock people these days. I think you could reboot it, or carry on from where Hellbound left off. I agree, you could do either successfully. It depends on talent, dedication, and resources. |
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mdoc
Creeping Corpse
Posts: 36
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Post by mdoc on Sept 1, 2012 9:28:52 GMT -5
[/quote] I agree, you could do either successfully. It depends on talent, dedication, and resources. [/quote] And the odds of that happening are 0.0. There was an interview with Pascal Laugier who was briefly attached to the Hellraiser remake this week on AICN. He essentially said he parted ways with the project because the producers wanted to make a teenage slasher out of the property. Don't think for one second this isn't what we will ultimately get. It's beyond depressing but just reality. www.aintitcool.com/node/58023 |
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mdoc
Creeping Corpse
Posts: 36
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Post by mdoc on Sept 1, 2012 9:47:48 GMT -5
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Post by xtrialbyfirex on Sept 2, 2012 16:21:10 GMT -5
A pg-13 slasher? that seems like the worst possible thing you could do with Hellraiser. Ted's idea of giving Anthony 250k to make a Hellraiser movie sounds better and better  |
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maarow
Ghost in the Graveyard
Posts: 509
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Post by maarow on Sept 2, 2012 23:28:26 GMT -5
It's been forever and a day since I saw the first Hellraiser. I don't recall liking it at the time, but my tastes in horror were rather undeveloped at the time. I'm definitely due for a rewatch.
Listening to these episodes made me realize just how rich the mythology is for the mining. It would be cool to have a compendium of short films set in the Hellraiser universe, a la The Animatrix (though not necessarily animated of course), to have different filmmakers exploring various avenues of storytelling opened by the Lament configuration. The sequel that sounded most intriguing to me was the fifth (or sixth, I don't even remember at this point), the neo-noir with the hardboiled cop. Even if the lukewarm discussion implied that it was a wasted opportunity, I like the idea of coming at a franchise sideways, instead of merely retreading the same ground over and over again.
There are amazing possibilities with a reboot, but I think the studio's demand for a marketable teen-friendly flick, along with hardcore fans' unwillingness to see a filmmaker deviate from the familiar formula, sinks it before it even begins. For those reasons perhaps comic books remain the best medium for further exploration of the series.
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cdb
Creeping Corpse
Posts: 31
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Post by cdb on Sept 4, 2012 13:23:03 GMT -5
And the odds of that happening are 0.0. Agreed. If they try it, they will fail because of the reasons mentioned here. The sad part is, it could be done well. |
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