Hellbound: Hellraiser II 20th Anniversary Edition

I’ve read a lot of Clive Barker’s fiction over the years, and I’ve always found his shorter fiction superior to his longer works. Restraining his wild imagination to a limited amount of words, Barker is a master of the macabre; but when given free reign and a thousand pages, his novels become complicated, convoluted and confusing. The reason the first Hellraiser worked so brilliantly was that Barker based it on his novella, The Hellbound Heart. Hellbound: Hellraiser II has no literary basis, but shares many of the problems present in his long novels.

The plot of Hellbound is so confounding that it’s actually beyond my understanding, so it’s much easier to list some of it’s elements. Julia’s back; as is Kirsty, joined by a psychic teenager; there’s a mental institution that I think transforms into some literal version of Hell; the Cenobites, all powerful demons in the first film, are here, and get beaten pretty handily. And then there’s Dr. Chanard. I defy you to watch this movie, and tell me with a straight face that his Cenobite self isn’t being carried around by a giant penis. If only all these could play nice together. Bloated and confusing, the further the script goes, the less sense it makes. The Lament Configuration itself would be easier to solve than the film. Much of the blame falls on Peter Atkins, who wrote the script in Barker’s stead, but at least part responsible is Barker, who was constantly on the set in his role as executive producer. Because the plot is such a mess, there’s no way I could ever like this film, even if the Cenobites are still among the best monsters in all of film.

As with the reissue of Hellraiser, the new Hellraiser II disc has a multitude of extras, many of which carry over from Anchor Bay’s previous release of the film. I’ll cover them separately below:

Repeat: Commentary with director Tony Randel and Ashley Laurence, moderated by Peter Atkins. Missed greatly is Clive Barker’s presence, which gives me the idea that this film isn’t so much Barker’s vision. It’s a decent commentary, though listening to Randel isn’t really enchanting.

Repeat: Lost in the Labyrinth: A 17 minute featurette, it’s a companion piece to “Resurrection” on the first film. It’s got some good insights, but it’s too brief.

New: “The Soul Patrol.” 22 minutes of interviews with the three other actors behind the Cenobites. Nicholas Vince, Barbie Wilde and Simon Bamford are all affable, and provide some cool insights and background stories. Definitely worth a watch.

New: “Outside the Box.” A 15 minute interview with Randel. He discusses his earlier career under Roger Corman, his work on Hellbound, and the problems with its release. Interestingly, the director himself describes his film as “marginally successful” and states, “there’s a lot about the film I can’t watch.”

New: “The Doctor Is In.” A 14 minute interview with Kenneth Cranham, which appears to have taken in a piano bar. His comments on Gary Oldman’s envy and Randel’s ignorance of Lady Macbeth are precious.

New: “Under the Skin, Part II.” Doug Bradley’s observations on the film. I love listening to this man. You should too.

Some trailers, television spots and a stills gallery round out the package.

So, should you buy this if you have Anchor Bay’s original release of the film? I had a conversation with Rob G, my boss and editor at Icons, and he said the upgrades made the purchase worth it for him. In honesty, I went back and forth as to whether they did the trick for me. When I realized I still had my old copies of Hellraiser and Hellbound, the answer was clear. If another 45 minutes of interviews are enough to sway you, go for it.

Hellbound: Hellraiser II would have benefitted had Barker devised a story that was stark and streamlined, as the first film was. Instead, unfettered by the other hands involved, he, Atkins and Randel created a distended, unfocused mess that many fans nevertheless love. It’s not for me, but if you like the first film, you may enjoy this continuation of Pinhead’s saga.

--Phil Fasso