Overview: In the 1980s, Clive Barker changed the face of horror fiction, throwing out the rules to expose new vistas of terror and beauty, expanding the horizons for every genre writer who followed him. With Hellraiser, his first feature film, he did the same for cinema.

Hedonist Frank Cotton (Sean Chapman) thinks he has reached the limits of earthly pleasure. But a mysterious puzzle box will take him further than he can possibly imagine, opening the doors to a dominion where pain and pleasure are indivisible and summoning the Cenobites, whose experiments in the higher reaches of experience will tear his soul apart.

When he manages to escape, Frank returns to the world skinless and in need of help. Now his former lover Julia (Clare Higgins) must kill to make him whole again. But the Cenobites want Frank back, and there’ll be hell to pay when they find him.

Hellbound: Hellraiser II expands on Barker’s original vision as screenwriter Peter Atkins takes Julia Cotton, her step daughter Kirsty (Ashley Laurence) and the sinister Dr. Channard (Kenneth Cranham) into the dominion of the Cenobites themselves. Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth sees Pinhead set loose on the sinful streets of New York City to create chaos with a fresh cadre of Cenobitic kin.

Then, Hellraiser: Bloodline sinks its hooks into past, present and future with the story of Phillip LeMarchand, the 18th-century toymaker who made the lament configuration puzzle box, his descendent John Merchant – a 20th-century architect whose most recent building bears a striking resemblance to the lament configuration – and Dr. Paul Merchant, a 22nd-century engineer and designer of The Minos, a space station which is a great deal more than it seems.

Experience the sublime agony of this quartet of torment like you never have before in all-new 4K restorations from the original camera negatives. Hell has never looked better!

Blu-ray Verdict: Opening on the original Hellraiser (1987), a woman discovers the newly resurrected, partially formed, body of her brother-in-law and lover. She starts killing for him to revitalize his body and escape the demonic beings that are pursuing him after he escaped their underworld.

For me, Hellraiser is a film that manages to disturb viewers in all the right ways. It blurs the already nebulous line between pleasure and pain, mixing love with cruelty in a way that provokes curiosity into the raw vulgarity hidden within our subconscious. It’s a violent and visceral experience, but takes meticulous efforts not to waste a single drop of blood.

Despite the plethora of carnage there is no excess. Every disgusting detail serves to further explore a reality in which sin and vice are unfiltered by societal norms and where people wander endlessly in the pursuit of materialistic satisfaction. Within the tumult of lust and greed exist an order of demons referred to as the Cenobites.

The Cenobites act as the gatekeepers of chaos. They shield us from the harsh realities of human nature and maintain order between the savage beast and rational being that make up the contradiction that is mankind. Through the Cenobites, we are given a glimpse into the darkest corners of the human soul, where fear and desire intersect and become indistinguishable from each other. A place we try to deny and turn away from, but is permanently engraved into our very being.

Along next is Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988), which continues the story of when Kirsty is brought to an institution after the horrible events of Hellraiser, and where the occult-obsessive head doctor resurrects Julia and unleashes the Cenobites and their demonic underworld.

Hours after her family was torn apart by the Cenobites, Kirsty is in an institution, and receives what appears to be a message for help from her dead father, who is apparently in hell. Before long, the head of the institution, with the help of the revived Julia and a puzzle-solving mute patient, is able to open the doorway to hell once again.

This is a first-rate sequel to a great film. Once again, the story and the characters are great. Channard, whether in the form of the scheming, icy doctor or the snarling, bloodthirsty Leviathan, is a genuinely terrifying creation. The institution - a true place of the damned - and the labyrinth give the film a real dark fantasy feel.

This sequel does something unique in horror history ... it actually manages to pull off an explanation of its predecessor successfully. Most horror sequels falter not because they don’t have a plot; rather because they have too much.

The scale of this movie compared to the first is where it really shines, especially in its depiction of Hell. It’s pretty refreshing to see a Hell that’s not just burning coals and flames. Instead it’s cold stone walls and endless hallways leading to a labyrinth-like maze with one of the most impressive matte paintings I’ve ever seen in a film.

Then we get Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth (1992), which tells the story of an investigative reporter who must send the newly unbound Pinhead and his legions back to Hell.

OK, let’s get this out in the open immediately: This movie has been hailed by many as the worst of the series! A lot of people were extremely upset that Pinhead was moved to the foreground of the series when he had been in a supporting role previously. Mind you, these were the very same people that complained when he was moved back into that very role, of course!.

And so, from my humble point of view, that is exactly what makes this movie such an extremely underrated gem. Does it have it’s flaws? Sure. Is it the piece of crap people claim it to be? Far from it. So allow me to continue.

I could also complain about Pinhead becoming the main villain if Doug Bradley did a poor job playing him, or if the script gave him really cheesy lines (like they did with Freddy many times), but Pinhead is never made into a joke. They still make him an evil bastard and so he works here!

While not as memorable, he does have some good lines here (Down the dark decades of your pain, this will seem like a memory of Heaven) and some great moments, in general. I particularly loved the whole church scene which was so blasphemous and evil that my mind was blown that they got away with it!

Pinhead escapes from Hell and now he’s enjoying his newfound freedom. So Pinhead wasn’t ruined after all. What else is good? How about the fact there is some continuity from the previous two movies? When Pinhead was freed, so was his good version, Captain Elliot Spencer, who serves as a spiritual guide for our heroine and the anti-Pinhead.

So Doug Bradley manages to play two roles here. Not only that, but Ashley Laurence makes a cameo here as Kirsty too. Finally, Terry Farrell does a credible job as Joey, even if it does indeed seem like she’s trying too hard to follow in the footsteps of Ashley Laurence.

Again, Hellraiser III is underrated. Sure they made Pinhead the lead character, and yes this does feel more like a slasher flick than a typical Hellraiser movie, but it’s a FUN slasher flick! Highly recommended, although it’s not required viewing like the others.

Lastly we get treated to Hellraiser: Bloodline (1996), where in the 22nd century, a scientist attempts to right the wrong his ancestor created: the puzzle box that opens the gates of Hell and unleashes Pinhead and his Cenobite legions.

Now this is Alan Smithee’s best film by far! Simply put, Hellraiser: Bloodline is a picture that spans centuries and brings the series to a logical conclusion while setting something of a trend in plopping Horror icons into the vacuum of space. Both the Leprechaun and Friday the 13th series’s would follow suit in the years to come, but Bloodline at least makes sense of the setting and smartly works it into the plot, rather than haphazardly building some ten-cent story around the idea of Horror figure in space.

It’s never as goofy as it sounds, but as the fourth picture in the series, it’s a misunderstood genre masterpiece. Bloodline is good enough to satisfy fans while bringing to light some of the history that’s heretofore gone unseen and unknown in the diabolical world of Pinhead and the grossly disfigured Cenobites. Hellraiser: Bloodline sees the franchise come full circle and it is a right royal gem of a movie, trust me!

4-DISC ULTRA HD LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS:
Brand new 4K restorations of all four films from the original camera negatives by Arrow Films
Ultra High Definition (2160p) presentations of all four films in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
Original lossless stereo and DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround audio for all four films
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Ages of Desire, an exclusive 200-page hardback book with new writing from Clive Barker archivists Phil and Sarah Stokes
Limited edition layered packaging featuring brand new Pinhead artwork

DISC 1 - HELLRAISER
Brand new audio commentary featuring genre historian (and unit publicist of Hellraiser) Stephen Jones with author and film critic Kim Newman
Archival audio commentary with writer/director Clive Barker and actor Ashley Laurence, moderated by Peter Atkins
Archival audio commentary with writer/director Clive Barker
Power of Imagination – brand new 60-minute discussion about Hellraiser and the work of Clive Barker by film scholars Sorcha Ní Fhlainn (editor of Clive Barker: Dark Imaginer) and Karmel Kniprath
Unboxing Hellraiser – brand new visual essay celebrating the Lament Configuration by genre author Alexandra Benedict (The Beauty of Murder)
The Pursuit of Possibilities – brand new 60-minute discussion between acclaimed horror authors Paula D. Ashe (We Are Here To Hurt Each Other) and Eric LaRocca (Everything the Dark Eats) celebrating the queerness of Hellraiser and the importance of Clive Barker as a queer writer
Flesh is a Trap – brand new visual essay exploring body horror and transcendence in the work of Clive Barker by genre author Guy Adams (The World House)
Newly uncovered extended EPK interviews with Clive Barker and stars Andrew Robinson, Clare Higgins, Ashley Laurence, and effects artist Bob Keen, shot during the making of Hellraiser, with a new introduction by Stephen Jones and Kim Newman
Original 1987 Electronic Press Kit
Being Frank: Sean Chapman on Hellraiser – archival interview with the actor
Under the Skin: Doug Bradley on Hellraiser – archival interview with the iconic actor about his first appearance as ‘Pinhead’
Soundtrack Hell: The Story of the Abandoned Coil Score – archival interview with Coil member Stephen Thrower
Trailers and TV spots
Image gallery
Draft screenplays

DISC 2 - HELLBOUND: HELLRAISER II
Brand new audio commentary featuring Stephen Jones and Kim Newman
Archival audio commentary with director Tony Randel, writer Peter Atkins and actor Ashley Laurence
Audio commentary with director Tony Randel and writer Peter Atkins
Hell Was What They Wanted! – brand new 80-minute appreciation of Hellbound, the Hellraiser mythos and the work of Clive Barker by horror authors George Daniel Lea (Born in Blood) and Kit Power (The Finite)
That Rat-Slice Sound – brand new appreciation of composer Christopher Young’s scores for Hellraiser and Hellbound: Hellraiser II by Guy Adams
Archival on-set interview with Clive Barker
Archival on-set interview with cast and crew
Behind the scenes footage
Being Frank: Sean Chapman on Hellbound – archival interview about the actor’s return to the role of Frank Cotton
Under the Skin: Doug Bradley on Hellbound – archival interview with the iconic actor about his second appearance as ‘Pinhead’
Lost in the Labyrinth – archival featurette featuring interviews with Barker, Randel, Keen, Atkins and others
Trailers and TV spots
Image gallery

DISC 3 - HELLRAISER III: HELL ON EARTH
Alternative Unrated version (contains standard definition inserts)
Brand new audio commentary featuring Stephen Jones and Kim Newman
Archival audio commentary with screenwriter Peter Atkins (Theatrical Cut only)
Archival audio commentary with director Anthony Hickox and actor Doug Bradley (Unrated Version only)
Previously unseen extended EPK featuring interviews with Clive Barker and Doug Bradley
FX dailies
Time with Terri – archival interview with actor Paula Marshall
Raising Hell on Earth – archival interview with director Anthony Hickox
Under the Skin: Doug Bradley on Hellraiser III – archival interview with the iconic actor about his third appearance as ‘Pinhead’
Theatrical trailer
Image gallery

DISC 4 - HELLRAISER: BLOODLINE
Brand new audio commentary featuring screenwriter Peter Atkins, with Stephen Jones and Kim Newman
The Beauty of Suffering – brand new featurette exploring the Cenobites’ connection to goth, fetish cultures and BDSM
Newly uncovered workprint version of the film, providing a fascinating insight into how it changed during post production
Hellraiser Evolutions – archival documentary on the evolution of the franchise and its enduring legacy, featuring interviews with Scott Derrickson (director, Hellraiser: Inferno), Rick Bota (director, Hellraiser: Hellseeker, Deader and Hellworld), Stuart Gordon (director, Re-Animator, From Beyond) and others
Books of Blood and Beyond: The Literary Works of Clive Barker – archival appreciation by horror author David Gatwalk of Barker’s written work, from The Books of Blood to The Scarlet Gospels
Theatrical trailer
Image gallery
Easter egg

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