ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, March 9, 1996 TAG: 9603120031
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: B-7 EDITION: METRO
TYPE: MOVIE REVIEW
SOURCE: MIKE MAYO CORRESPONDENT
In the long and infamous career of Alan Smithee, "Hellraiser: Bloodline" may be his (or her) most despicable film.
Smithee is the pseudonym used by directors when they're so dissatisfied or embarrassed by the fruit of their labors that they choose not to sign their real names.
This film, the fourth in author-producer Clive Barker's series, is a century-hopping tale of torture and mutilation told with a creepy affinity for its subjects. Like last year's "Lord of Illusions," it depends on sharp objects graphically penetrating or slicing flesh for its horror. Some scenes involve a child and though they're not explicit, they add a queasy note to an already distasteful effort.
The thin story revolves around Merchant, played in several generations by Bruce Ramsay, who designs a puzzle box in 18th-century France and sells it to a devil-worshipping magician at the Chateau de l'Oeuf. Merchant pops up again in 1996 New York and on a space station in 2127. Said box calls forth Pinhead (Doug Bradley) and his fellow demons, who are into body-piercing in a big way. They want to open the gates to Hell, etc., etc. You know the drill.
Throughout, the effects are bloody, and the overall atmosphere is rancid. Though the film is only 81 minutes long, it's not nearly short enough.
Hellraiser: BOMB
A Dimension Films release playing at the Crossroads Mall and Salem Valley 8. 81 min. Rated R for graphic violence, gore, strong language, brief nudity, sexual content.
LENGTH: Short : 39 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: (headshot) Pinheadby CNB