- Directed by Victor Garcia
- Written by Gary J. Tunnicliffe, Clive Barker
- Stars Steven Brand, Nick Eversman, Tracey Fairaway, Jay Gillespie
- Run Time: 1 Hour, 15 Minutes
- Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63I1ZmGqjXI
- Watch it: https://amzn.to/43zJXQp
Spoiler-Free Judgment Zone
Unlike some of the previous sequels that were a standalone movie with a little Hellraiser stuff barely tacked on, this was made as a Hellraiser movie. Clive Barker wasn’t involved because he no longer held the rights, and he vehemently denounced it, but it does tap into a lot of elements from the first two movies. Doug Bradley isn’t involved either and reportedly said bad things about it. There’s a different and less effective Pinhead actor. All things considered though, it was surprisingly pretty entertaining, and certainly better than some of the previous sequels.
Spoilery Synopsis
We open on a found-footage style camera view of two guys leaving L.A. to get one of the guys some sex. Nico and Steven are going to Tijuana for hookers. Their car gets stolen, and the next thing they know, they’re playing with a cursed puzzle box. Lights blink, bells ring, and the walls glow. Pinhead shows up for his box and Nico’s soul.
We cut to Steven’s mother and sister discussing the video we just watched. Ross, Steven’s father, doesn’t want to talk about Steven, but Emma does. They all argue. Pinhead listens from another dimension. Emma sneaks into the bedroom and watches the rest of Steven’s video. Nico kills a hooker, so that kinda spoils the trip.
Back at home, Steven’s parents, Ross and Sarah, talk to Nico’s parents, Peter and Kate. As far as they know, both boys went missing and were presumed murdered. We see that Emma has the puzzle box. As she plays with the box, Steven suddenly appears, more or less alive.
The phones are dead, and now all of a sudden, everyone’s cars are gone. The parents think some kind of psycho has followed Steven and has cut the phone lines and stolen the cars. They lock all the doors and plan to run for help in the morning.
Emma continues to play with the box, which escalates the weirdness inside the house. When the lights come back on, Steven is gone again. They soon find him outside, “They’re coming. The vagrant called them Cenobites.”
We get another flashback to Mexico, where the boys talk about not getting caught for the hooker’s murder. A vagrant comes over and offers them a puzzle cube; “It’s experience. A form of ultimate arousal.” He gives the box to Nico. Not long after, Nico opens the box and all Hell breaks loose. Pinhead comes and takes Nico away.
Steven hires a hooker and kills her as well, thinking it will help Nico. Her blood brings Nico partially back, but he needs much more.
Back in the present, Steven flashes back to having his skin peeled off. Steven wakes up and makes a move on his own sister before kissing her.
The vagrant shows up outside. “He’s here. The one who escaped. They will have him again.” Peter shoots the guy, but the vagrant then slices up Peter’s face, killing him. Steven then shoots Ross. “This isn’t you talking,” says Ross.
Flashback to Mexico again as Steven hires and starts to kill another hooker. He stops halfway through when he sees she has a baby. Nico comes in and argues with Steven, who finishes the job. Nico wants one more, a man, so he can wear his skin. Steven refuses, so Nico kills him and takes his skin. This has been Nico in the house with his parents all along!
After much monologuing from Steven-skin-Nico, Emma brings him the box. She stabs him as well, but he still forces her to open the box.
Pinhead and the other Cenobites, including Steven as an apprentice Nailhead, come for Nico. Pinhead only wants one thing, and that’s Nico. When Ross shoots Nico, Pinhead needs someone as payment, so he tears Sarah apart. Then they send Emma home with Ross, who dies. Emma looks at the box, maybe she’ll try again.
Brian’s Commentary
This is the first film where Pinhead isn’t played by Doug Bradley. Stephen Smith Collins isn’t a great substitute. Clive Barker refused to have anything at all to do with the film in a very clear way. That said, at least it is clearly a Hellraiser story, unlike a lot of the past half-dozen films in the series. Despite Barker’s opinion, this is not the worst of the series.
Kevin’s Commentary
After the previous sequels, I was bracing myself for the worst. I was pleasantly surprised to find this one wasn’t too bad. It’s not great, certainly not up to par with the first two movies, but it does have some of the elements from them. Trivia says it was a rush job thrown together so the company could maintain their rights. I’d call it watchable with no regret having seen it.
Be the first to comment on "2011 Hellraiser: Revelations"