On Hellraiser II: Hellbound

While I am a fan of horror movies, the number I have seen is relatively low compared to what I would refer to as the Horror aficionado. Perhaps that may change as I take a more focused interest in the genre.

Anyway, as someone unfamiliar with the Hellraiser series, I recently watched Hellraiser II: Hellbound because it was the only one available on Amazon Prime Instant Video. I think I may have seen part of a cable tv version of the fourth one when I was a youth, but I hardly recall it. As it is, Hellraiser II left a lasting impression on my memory and I am glad I watched it.

There is something exquisite about the special effects of the eighties that remains poignant to this day, and the special effects that were employed in Hellraiser II were marvelous. I think what most impressed me about the film was how creatively the demented horror of Hell was presented in the movie. The grotesque macabre of the genre is one of the qualities that I am most interested in when it comes to horror, and Hellraiser II did not disappoint.

The plot seemed to be loosely strung together leaving much to the audience's imagination as to the hows and whys that certain scenes occurred, but I think it works out in favor of the movie overall. There was a kind of logical consistency between plot gaps that did not disappoint, and having to leap through darkness from horror to horror is part of the fun. So, even though certain matters were not explicitly explained in the film, it seemed clear to me that the creator had thought about the connections that were being made, lending it a sense of genuine creation.

It not only delighted my morbid interest in hellish gore, but it made me feel somewhat uneasy about my own fascination, which is one of the most valuable parts of the horror viewing experience. Not only that, but it left me with a lingering interest to know more about the Hellraiser universe, and I want to better understand the lore and inner workings of the system of malevolence that seems to exist in Hellraiser Hell. Perhaps that topic is further explored in the subsequent films.

If you are in the mood for a wholesome horror film that challenges the borders of the imagination with representations of the grotesque, I recommend this movie. I use the word wholesome, because this movie was not gravely offensive, despite it’s exceedingly twisted imagery. It maintained a sense of dark integrity that does not betray the audience’s sensibilities, and seemed to illustrate a higher truth that was worth considering. There was meaning buried underneath the blood and violence, which redeems it from the seeming senselessness of pure sensationalism.

It is no wonder that it had such a positive review written about it as a worthy sequel to an original film, and I hope to add my own words of praise into the vast galaxy of writing that circulates the internet, whether it find a reader or not.

Merry horror watching, friends.