THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, March 13, 1996 TAG: 9603130033
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E5 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Movie Review
SOURCE: BY MAL VINCENT, MOVIE CRITIC
LENGTH: Medium: 67 lines
THE FOURTH installment of the gory and pointlessly violent ``Hellraiser'' series makes a little more sense than the other three, but not much.
This one is both a prequel and a sequel as it flashes across several centuries to deal, yet again, with the little puzzle box that can open the doors of hell. The good guys, who are unmercifully outnumbered, are intent upon keeping the doors closed.
Perhaps the doors to hell are not the only portals that should be closed. There's little excuse for these films. They aren't even scary, just repulsive.
The first film, shot in 1986, was based on Clive Barker's novella ``The Hellbound Heart'' and was the sexy one of the quartet. In it, the evil Julia helped her lover, Frank, come back from hell. This unleashes Pinhead, a being multi-pierced before pierching was common. It was something of a novel creation in the use of sexuality as a part of the horror genre, but the sequels have reverted to nothing but blood.
``Hellbound: Hellraiser II'' was no more than colored lights as the heroine wandered the torture chambers ``down there'' in search of her father, who was murdered in the first film.
``Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth'' undertook to explain the origins of Pinhead and came up with Elliot Spencer, a World War II soldier. He risked everything to see what pains and pleasures were behind the doors of hell. He became Pinhead, which doesn't look like a pleasure to sane folk. A young reporter sent Pinhead back into his box.
Now, ``Hellraiser: Bloodline'' has a title that tries to hide the fact that it is fourth in the fading series - probably because the public may be catching on to paying again to see basically the same movie. This one opens in the 22nd century, flashes back to 18th century France, present-day New York, and finally back to the future.
Bruce Ramsay, an actor who will find it difficult to get respectable work after this, plays all the male ancestors and descendants, with only a change of costume to give us a clue.
Doug Bradley, for the fourth time, plays Pinhead. Unlike Freddy and other horror-camp icons, he's an ultra-serious windbag, who talks a great deal about ``the beauty of suffering'' and such.
There is a new addition here - a devil woman. Pinhead doesn't really get along with the demon Angelique, played by Chilean Valentina Vargas.
Chains pop out from nowhere, spout hooks, and proceed to rip apart flesh. The ``special effects'' are pretty lame - including a hellish dog that snarls and drools.
Miss it if you can. If not, it's your own fault. ILLUSTRATION: MOVIE REVIEW
``Hellraiser: Bloodline''
Cast: Bruce Ramsay, Valentina Vargas, Doug Bradley
Director: Alan Smithee
Screenplay: Peter Atkins
Music: Daniel Licht
MPAA rating: R (senseless gore)
Mal's rating: *
Locations: Movies 10, Greenbrier Mall in Chesapeake; Circle 4,
Main Gate in Norfolk; Columbus, Kemps River, Lynnhaven Mall in
Virginia Beach.
by CNB