Hellraiser 4: Bloodline
What could be seen as a triumph in itself about the fourth entry in the venerable horror franchise is that despite all of the behind the scenes turmoil that went on with its filming, that they actually managed to put out a pretty watchable, entertaining movie. The problems emerged when director Kevin Yagher (best known as a makeup FX wiz) was fired from production, leading to severe reediting and reshooting of key sequences under the hand of Joe (Halloween 6) Chappelle. Yagher was so disgusted by the final product that he took his name off the picture and had the directorial credit given to the infamous pseudonym âAlan Smitheeâ. The conflict was apparently over the fact that Yagher wanted the story to focus more on the demonic villainess Angelique with the legendary Pinhead being more of a sideline character, while the producers obviously thought otherwise. The story takes almost an anthology format, using a framing device of a space station in the 22nd century whose designer (Bruce Ramsey) is relieved of his command by space soldiers (obviously patterned after the Colonial Marines in Aliens) who are unaware that Ramsey has summoned the Cenobites onto the ship for a final confrontation. Under interrogation, he reveals the history of his family bloodline and his ancestors (played by the same actor), first in the 18th century when he invented the puzzle box that became the basis for the storylines in the previous films as well as in our modern era when he and his family run afoul of the Pope Of Hell and his minions. Ramsey, given the task of playing three (heroic) roles, basically plays them all the same, with almost a passive aggressive intensity, stumbling badly on some bits (like an argument with his wife) but doing the best job in the âfuturisticâ version of his role. As for the villains, itâs interesting to note that their clashing philosophies eerily mirror the offset conflict (as seen by Pinheadâs line, âYou either work with me or for me.â): As Angelique, Hellâs âPrincessâ, whose methods involve temptation and seduction to get her way, Valentina Vargas fits the bill with her alluring sex appeal, a satanic âdream womanâ who seduces the âToymakerâ to do her bidding, though obviously the heavy reediting seems to exclude much of the backstory between the characters, unfortunate since Angelique is definitely someone we wouldnât mind seeing more of, even with the grand entrance almost 40 minutes in of Pinhead himself, who eschews her philosophy due to his own methods of flesh-ripping terror: Doug Bradley has never quite gotten the acclaim of being a horror superstar that Robert Englund (or even Kane Hodder) have received, but there is no doubt that when it comes to the great horror villains, no one is better or more eloquent at talking shit than the man with pins in his cranium, and itâs no surprise that the final confrontation is a one on one game of cat and mouse with the hero, but that brings up another issue. Angelique, despite her great buildup, is virtually forgotten by the finale, and never gets a proper exit scene or denouement of her own. It should be noted that this entry also utilizes some (badly done) CGI as part of the mayhem, though Yagher made sure to include some of the old-fashioned blood and gore aplenty that made the earlier films such a delight. Overall, while the atmosphere and mood that defines Hellraiser is still present, itâs a shame they couldnât find a way to get the two great primary villains to coexistâŚ
7/10