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The perfect example here (though there are seemingly dozens) comes courtesy of the Hellraiser series. The original is a sinfully goopy and dizzyingly grim modern horror fable. Part 2 is not all that hot but at least it tries to remain true to its predecessor. Part 3? Watchable enough for fans of the series, though that’s not saying all that much. Parts 4, 5 and 6... Direct-to-video, which generally means “it sucks”.

I’ve seen my share of DTV movies that are fine pieces of entertainment. They’re rare and none of them come emblazoned with the word "Hellraiser" on the cover. To try and encapsulate the later entries would be a pointless exercise, as the films have no connective tissue and each one is as dreary and plodding as they are massive teases. (We’re now at Part 6 in this series and I’m still astonished at how rarely Pinhead and his minions actually SHOW UP in these movies!)

Though a marked improvement over its two immediate forefathers, Hellseeker suffers from the same maladies as the cheapies that came before: muddled storytelling, turgid pacing, unconvincing acting performances, and an overall sense of filmmakers simply not trying all that hard. The plot once again deals with the devilish puzzle box known as the Lament Configuration and all the evil nastiness that it houses.

Chock full of flashbacks and meandering dream sequences, the actual plot is hidden beneath a system of hoary old gimmicks – not the least of which is a finale culled directly from cult-fave Jacob’s Ladder. ("Did my wife die in that horrible car wreck, the one that also gave me (wait for it) AMNESIA? Yes... she IS dead. Whoops it’s a dream. Or maybe it’s a flashback of an earlier dream." Damn, these lazy screenwriting chestnuts can pile up, can’t they?)

One of the "selling points" here is the presence of Ashley Laurence, an actress making her first appearance in the series since way back in Part 2. Unfortunately, Laurence A) isn’t in the film very much, and B) isn’t a very good actor. Nice to see the gal’s earning a paycheck again but her presence here is hardly notable beyond a cursory mention.

About 65 minutes into the film, Pinhead shows up. Now, I realize that a horror movie should often be more than just popular villains doing bloody things, but surely the loyal gorehounds deserve a little more payoff than THIS! Calling this a Pinhead flick is like calling The Muppet Movie a Steve Martin vehicle. The end credits of Hellseeker have more screen-time than does poor Pinhead.

So on this seemingly endless series lurches and with each passing sequel the original film seems both farther away and also more of a classic. One can’t blame a canny studio for churning out sequel after sequel (they make money, people) but maybe for Part 7 (already in production and headed to your DVD player later this year) we could get a little more horror and a little less lazy plagiarism.

I’m not holding my breath.

link directly to this review at http://www.efilmcritic.com/review.php?movie=9102&reviewer=128
originally posted: 05/01/04 22:04:32
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