So, Hellbound is a British production, but it dubs over the British cops (who are dressed like American cops and carry guns and don't know how to use them--because they're British?) with American accents. It's a lame decision and one of the few gaffs in the film not related to the story itself.
Even with Christopher Young's really overbearing score, the film's at least somewhat successful, if only because half of it plays a little like Tron in hell. It also features a decently plotted story this time, with plot progression and so on.
Unfortunately, it makes absolutely no sense in the context of the first film (and not just because it starts immediately following the first film, which ended with a house burning down, with the house still intact). It's also never clear what happens to the Hellraiser box from the first movie.
Anyway....
The really confusing elements come about halfway through, when resurrected (and strangely top-billed) Clare Higgins has superpowers. Then she reveals she's on a mission from hell to recruit souls but she does a really bad job of it, only getting one and she can't even bring him to hell, she needs mute Imogen Boorman to do it. Kind of.
Boorman's character arc is an example of the best thing about Hellbound. It's implied evil doctor Kenneth Cranham (who apparently is a supervillain out to take over hell) kills Boorman's mother just so he can perform brain surgery on her, but never made clear.
CREDITS
Directed by Tony Randel; screenplay by Peter Atkins, based on a story by Clive Barker; director of photography, Robin Vidgeon; edited by Richard Marden; music by Christopher Young; production designer, Michael Buchanan; produced by Christopher Figg; released by New World Pictures.
Starring Clare Higgins (Julia Cotton), Ashley Laurence (Kirsty Cotton), Kenneth Cranham (Dr. Philip Channard), Imogen Boorman (Tiffany), Sean Chapman (Frank Cotton), William Hope (Kyle MacRae), Doug Bradley (Lead Cenobite), Barbie Wilde (Female Cenobite), Simon Bamford (Butterball Cenobite), Nicholas Vince (Chatterer Cenobite), Oliver Smith (Browning) and Angus MacInnes (Detective Ronson).
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Chip Butty // Oct 27, 2009 at 11:20 am
“‘Tron’ in hell” is the best description of this film I’ve ever heard.