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With (most of) the sequels coming to Amazon Prime in May, I have to ask, what’s everyone’s favorite Hellraiser movie? My favorite is Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth, though I know many people think it’s the worst one 😂
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Hellraiser 2. I just love how it further explores the mythos of the cenobites.
This is the real answer.
Meeting Leviathan, the deeper dive into Cenobites and actually getting to witness the creation of a new Cenobite.
Plus my favorite line from any Hellraiser, 'And to think I hesitated......'.
“It is not hands that call us, it is . . . desire.”
Love that they can’t be “tricked”.
"They changed the rules. Last time I was the wicked stepmother, but now I'm the evil queen! So, come on! Give me your best shot, Snow White!"
“Trick us again child, and your suffering will be legendary even in hell” Is without question my favorite line.
Channard was one creepy ass mf. And on top of all thathe becames the damn Cenobite
As much as I love the first one, I'd probably agree. However I usually view 1&2 as a single continuous movie.
Yeah I view the first two as a sort of 3-hour Horror Epic
Same here, I do the same with Halloween ('78) and Halloween II
Hellraiser 2 was the first ever hellraiser movie I watched a few nights ago. Loved it!
I still think the first one is a better movie, but the second one is a great sequel.
The rest…
The scarlet gospels gets a lot of hate, but it's a worthy read if you like mythos of the cenobites. It doesn't really follow the movies but I really enjoyed how it dived into the hell aspect.
I enjoyed Gospels until the last couple of chapters, which suddenly began to read like a first draft.
It’s my favourite for the soundtrack, beautiful score
The original easily.
Then the second one.
This. Nothing can top the first.
Hellraiser inferno: Direct to dvd. I think it's 5th in the franchise. I liked the idea that cenobites are actually back to a neutral party in this movie, and the demons torturing him are, in fact, his own creations.
Love that movie!
The only part that bothers me in that flick is the random kung fu fight 😆
It's pretty cool that it was Scott Derricksons first movie. Having Dr. Strange and a dtv Hellraiser flick on your resume is badass.
Definitely my favorite. Also helped launch the career of Scott Derrickson. Who would go on to bring us Sinister and The Black Phone!
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I know the others are so cheesy but I have a special place in my heart for the camp!
My favorite cheese is the one in the house. It seems like a Robit Chicken Parody.
I kinda love how a lot of the sequels seem like regular movies and then someone came along and was like "what if this had cenobites and a tenuous connection to the hellraiser universe"
Anything after 3 would have come across a lot better if they wasn’t done just too keep the rights 😔. I thought I would love the latest “remake/reimagining” but I felt it was just ok. I think hellraiser suffers a lot from “what could have been….”
The same thing in a way is happening with jeepers creepers, the last one of that was possible the worst film I have ever seen and it’s such a shame because like hellraiser they have this unique monster/creature and they could do ANYTHING with it and they choose too fuck it right up. There are YouTube shorts better than the last 2 jeepers creepers lol.
I would love to see a really dark and low budget body horror hellraiser but I doubt that will ever come 🙁🙁
That's more or less where my rankings go (though Hellraiser 2022 and Hellbound: Hellraiser II could share second place as far as I'm concerned). I do kind of respect Hellraiser: Bloodline for its sheer ambition in being both a prequel and capper to the series but it's a case where it's just too much for its own good and even fan restorations haven't been able to cover up that it is kind of a mess.
It takes place both in the e 1700s AND in space! And Adam Scott is in it!
The Arrow 4K has the workprint that is the movie in chronological order.
3, 4, and 5 aren't bad! They're not good, but I watch up to 5 + the 22 reboot.
I would switch 3 and 2 … but completely agree. I will tolerate Bloodline for nostalgia / camp sake.
I agree, these are the best. My favorite is Hellraiser II. I watched about 5 other Hellraiser movies and they’re terribly bad but I don’t regret watching them haha
I’m glad I’m not the only one that liked the new one. I hope they make more.
This is my top 3 as well.. in that order
I'd go Hellraiser II, Hellraiser, and then the remake, but I agree that the rest are no good.
I do respect the ambition of Bloodline though, even if I don't actually like the movie.
Technically speaking, the reboot can exist in the same continuity as the original two.
The shape of “Pinhead” can just be one of many different forms used in the creation of a Cenobite. The forms may even differentiate ranks.
That’s my head cannon anyway.
I REALLY enjoyed the remake, and while the original is ofc faithful to the story I loved the looks of the cenobites so much better.
This is probably my take too. I tried watching Hellraiser III and couldn’t handle the tremendous quality drop from the first two, and I’ve heard the sequels largely get worse, so I haven’t seen them.
Hellraiser (2022) rocked, and I think in some ways it might be an overall better movie than the first one, but the first one is too classic and my gut bias is too strong to go against it.
Agreed. 👍🏼
I hated the new one. So much wasted potential. I hated the cenobite redesign, I hated how they junked the mythology, I hated the characters, pretty much all of it.
I agree. Extremely bland. I hated how polished the cenobites looked. I was so pumped for it too, so disappointing!
Agreed. Came to put down the same order lol
I have a place in my heart for all of them (even Revelations to a certain degree), but aside from the original and Hellbound, my personal favorite is Inferno. I think it’s severely underrated. Sure, it could have used more Pinhead, but despite the rumors, this one was actually written as a legitimate Hellraiser sequel, not a spec script with Cenobites shoehorned into it. I think it introduced some really solid ideas and additions to the lore and, considering it was a straight-to-video flick, had great direction and fairly decent performances.
Alright, hear me out. Hellraiser 1 and 2 are goat. The 2022 one was really good, too. But let's not pretend hell on Earth isn't a campy, fun ride.
The one with the CDs in its head was awesome!
Hellbound. Really good story but also expands on the lore in really interesting ways.
The original
Hellraiser 2022 for sure. Really fun movie
Really hope we get a follow-on using the same continuity, cast, and crew.
I hope so too.
Yh that was surprisingly not terrible!
I’m hoping for a continuation of this story with the same writers/director
I so wish The Scarlet Gospels would become a film..It's such a visual book, probably would be hard to translate it into film though.
I just want more Clive Barker adaptions in general. Weaveworld was such a good read.
Yes!!! Love that book.
Also LOVED Imajica. What an amazing book.
Totally agree. Coincidentally just re-read Weaveworld a few weeks ago, still love it.
I’d say miniseries. It seems like too much to put in one film.
I really need to read this. The Hellbound Heart was really good.
I think it's a bit better than Hellbound Heart
Ah, really? It's longer too, right?
Yeah, longer for sure. The book takes you on a journey into hell trying to get to Pinhead and Lucifer.
The usual— but will add Judgement
Judgement was decent, I like the play of good vs evil in it. It reminds me of The Scarlet Gospels and the fight between heaven and hell
I’d love to see The Scarlet Gospels get a mini series.
Was that the last one? With theangel
I've only seen 1987. I started the new one, but haven't finished it. I should get back to that.
If you like the first one, the second one is really good too. It's basically what Dream Warriors is to the first Elm Street.
My favorite is the original, always. Half of rest of them are so unmemorable that I can't tell them apart. I will admit that I also like III because it's so cheesy and weird. (Hell yes, CD Cenobite!)
I am also going to admit liking Hellraiser: Hellworld just because of Lance Henriksen, even though it's basically just a misplaced Saw movie.
1 and 2 are my faves. The remake is also really good. I also liked Hellworld (idr which number it is) even though it’s really not that great lol.
Inferno. The theme that hell is all about repetition has flavored many films.
I may have to agree and go with Hell on Earth though 2022 is right on its heels.
Hellraiser is one of my favorite movies but my goodness is the franchise just terrible. Please please I need another seedy detective story with Pinhead tacked on the end! Just so painfully dull.
Mine would go 1, 2, 3.
CD Cenobite just wants to put a song in your head..
Tricky...
Hellraiser (1987) + Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988)
I think the first and second one are a bit dated. I don't really like the Kirsty character in them. The Leviathan plot could have worked but the effects are really bad. I can respect them for starting the Hellraiser franchise, and I've seen them many times... but I don't think they are very good, even if the story is good. A lot of it is borderline cheesy; and even if the practical effects are impressive, it's very clear that they are practical effects. And the Leviathan CGI... just horrible... but once again, I love the concept of the maze, it's just not very convincing due to bad effects. (And yes, I know that many would disagree because the movies are iconic, but iconic or not, they're not that great, I will die on this hill). That said... anyone who claims to be a horror fan needs to have seen them both at least 3 times, probably more
Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth (1992)
I really liked what this one tried to do, a lot of good cenobytes. The entire pillar of pain approach is lovely. And one cannot but respect the disco mayhem.
Hellraiser: Bloodline (1996)
I like this one. I know the ending suffers from a bit of bad CGI, but I like the approach of 3 separate stories in the bloodline. The origin story of the Lament Configuration. There's a lot to like here.
Hellraiser: Inferno (2000) + Hellraiser: Hellseeker (2002) + Hellraiser: Deader (2005)
In a way I think of these in the same way... they all have the same element of reality breaking apart. All show a world deeper and darker existing just beneath the real world. Sure, there are elements of that in all movies, but I think these three does it the best. The effects are overall good, and the stories are solid. I think I've watched these three the most.
Hellraiser: Hellworld (2005)
There are good things in this one, but it could just as easily not have been set in the Hellraiser universe. It's as if Hellraiser was added as an afterthought. In terms of being a horror movie I mostly find it entertaining but in terms of being a hellraiser movie I think it's lacking. The entire game approach is simply cringe; and I die a bit inside every time I see it.
Hellraiser: Revelations (2011)
I think this one is mediocre at best. It has the elements of the world breaking, but the family drama doesn't hit home with me. I don't think this is a very good entry.
Hellraiser: Judgement (2018)
I'm a bit torn on whether it's a good Hellraiser movie... it tries to explore the lore, but whether it succeeds or not is a bit questionable. While Paul Taylor didn't do a bad job portraying Pinhead he wasn't Doug Bradley, and I suspect that the movie gets its overall rating reduced because of this.
Hellraiser (2022)
I don't think this one stayed true to the mythos and for that I can't give it a very high score. I think it was a smart move to have Jamie Clayton as a new Pinhead, not only is it somewhat lore accurate to have a female pinhead, she is quite good in the role. I think they story isn't really a Hellraiser story, it's more a common horror story stealing from the Hellraiser franchise, and because of that they rewrite how the box works, how the cenobites work and who gets hunted by them.
#
So in short... I have to raise Inferno, Hellseeker and Deader to the skies, because I think they depict the breaking down of reality the best.
Hellraiser
Hellraiser 5
Hellraiser 2
Hellraiser (2022)
Wow that's exactly my ranking as well.
Inferno love
LOL
While 1&2 are classics and rise above the rest of the movies by miles, 5-8 are interesting little movies that I often put on during late nights when I just want to fall asleep watching something. They aren’t great, but for direct-to-video movies from the 90s, they are pretty good.
Nothing comes close to 1 and 2. Three is good and I was pleasantly surprised with the 2022 offering.
Inferno, without a doubt
2, 1, 5, 6, 11, 4, 7, 3, (8, 9, 10 - these were so bad I didn't finish them)
my favorite is inferno, im not gonna lie. but i really enjoy all of them. literally all of them.
1 and 2 easy.
Inferno
Directed by Scott Derickson (Dr. Strange, Black Phone)
The guy is already collected and being tortured the whole time. Great take on the mythology.
2, 1, 4, 3, judgment and the rest
The original is still my favourite because I remember watching it with my grandad when I was a kid and it brings back nostalgic memories of a really good time in my life. It was one of the films that kickstarted my love for horror and I look forward to it every time I rewatch the films. There's something about that house that's so foreboding.
However, I will say that Hellraiser 2 is the bigger and better film. They really expanded the lore and improved on nearly every aspect of the original. It's the more "fun" watch and is more impressive on a technical level.