Connect with us

News

Review: ‘Hellraiser: Judgement’ Verdict, a Step Up in the Franchise

Published

on

Hellraiser as a franchise seems to be as immortal as the Cenobites themselves, especially the iconic Pinhead. We’ve gone to Hell and back, to outer space and the world wide web, and needless to say, there have been dips in quality. After all these years, we find ourselves at entry number ten with Hellraiser: Judgement, and surprisingly, a return to form of sorts.

Image via Youtube

The story follows police detectives and brothers, the religious but quick-tempered Sean Carter (Damon Carney) and the more grounded and analytical David Carter (Randy Wayne) as they investigate a series of brutal serial murders perpetrated by a figure known only as The Preceptor, who kills based on violations of the Ten Commandments IE cutting off the hands of young thieves and leaving them on display. They are joined by the level-headed Christine Edgerton (Alexandra Harris) as they seek out the Preceptor, ending up snared by a concurrent plot by Pinhead and his new Cenobite crew to entrap and capture sinful souls.

The project was written and directed by FX veteran Gary J. Tunnicliffe, who also stars as one of the lead Cenobites. The German accented Auditor that calculates a captive’s sins. Tunnicliffe shows his love and appreciation for the roots of the franchise while also attempting to expand on the lore. Even setting the Cenobite’s base of operations at the familiar location of 55 Ludovico Place. As well, there’s The Assessor (John Gulager), who devours and regurgitates the written sins to a Jury of naked women, who then send the accused to the Butcher (Joel Decker) and Surgeon (Jillyan Blundell), a grotesque giant hunchback with a baby-mask and a gas masked gimp with twin blades. These Cenobites stand on their own, though their aesthetic is a little different from the usual types with leather and disfigurement. Standing out from returning Cenobites like Pinhead and even Chatterer.

Image via Youtube

After so many DTV entries, Hellraiser: Judgment is a breath of fresh air as it truly feels effort was put into the writing and production. And major kudos for doing so on a rather limited budget. The detective storyline is rather hit-or-miss, but the Cenobite scenes are on point. Now, for the pale white, nail encrusted elephant in the room: Pinhead. Sadly, Doug Bradley left the franchise with Hellraiser: Revelations but the Pinhead of this film, Paul T. Taylor makes a solid effort. Capturing the Cenobite leader’s presence an sense of forboding, acting as more of a calculating figure from behind the shadows.

This isn’t just Pinhead going around killing people as some of the sequels sadly reduced the character to. He has a philosophy and commands his Cenobites to do his bidding. The addition of an angelic seeming character, Jophiel (Helena Grace Donald) attempting to sway Pinhead did feel a bit out of place, bring the mythos to more Biblical terms rather than cosmic sado-masochistic horror.

Overall, Hellraiser: Judgment is a step in the right direction. It’s been compared to being a fan-film, but if anything, that’s a badge of honor at this point. Who knows the roots of the franchise better than fans? If you’re a fan of the more subdued original Hellraiser films, this is definitely worth checking out, and making judgement for yourself.

Hellraiser: Judgment is now out on Blu-ray and DVD.

Image via Movieweb

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

News

Watch ‘The Burning’ At The Location Where It Was Filmed

Published

on

Fangoria is reporting that fans of the 1981 slasher The Burning will be able to have a screening of the film at the location where it was filmed. The movie is set at Camp Blackfoot which is actually the Stonehaven Nature Preserve in Ransomville, New York.

This ticketed event will take place on August 3. Guests will be able to take a tour of the grounds as well as enjoy some campfire snacks along with the screening of The Burning.

The Burning

The film came out in the early ’80s when teen slashers were being churned out in magnum force. Thanks to Sean S. Cunningham’s Friday the 13th, filmmakers wanted to get in on the low-budget, high-profit movie market and a casket load of these types of films were produced, some better than others.

The Burning is one of the good ones, mostly because of the special effects from Tom Savini who had just come off of his groundbreaking work on Dawn of the Dead and Friday the 13th. He declined to do the sequel because of its illogical premise and instead signed on to do this movie. Also, a young Jason Alexander who would later go on to play George in Seinfeld is a featured player.

Because of its practical gore, The Burning had to be heavily edited before it received an R-rating. The MPAA was under the thumb of protest groups and political bigwigs to censor violent films at the time because slashers were just so graphic and detailed in their gore.

Tickets are $50, and if you want a special t-shirt, that will cost you another $25, You can get all the information by visiting the On Set Cinema webpage.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Continue Reading

Movies

‘Longlegs’ Creepy “Part 2” Teaser Appears on Instagram

Published

on

Longlegs

Neon Films released an Insta-teaser for their horror film Longlegs today. Titled Dirty: Part 2, the clip only furthers the mystery of what we are in for when this movie is finally released on July 12.

The official logline is: FBI Agent Lee Harker is assigned to an unsolved serial killer case that takes unexpected turns, revealing evidence of the occult. Harker discovers a personal connection to the killer and must stop him before he strikes again.

Directed by former actor Oz Perkins who also gave us The Blackcoat’s Daughter and Gretel & Hansel, Longlegs is already creating buzz with its moody images and cryptic hints. The film is rated R for bloody violence, and disturbing images.

Longlegs stars Nicolas Cage, Maika Monroe, and Alicia Witt.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Continue Reading

News

Exclusive Sneak Peek: Eli Roth and Crypt TV’s VR Series ‘The Faceless Lady’ Episode Five

Published

on

Eli Roth (Cabin Fever) and Crypt TV are knocking it out of the park with their new VR show, The Faceless Lady. For those unaware, this is the first fully scripted VR horror show on the market.

Even for masters of horror like Eli Roth and Crypt TV, this is a monumental undertaking. However, if I trust anyone to change the way that we experience horror, it would be these two legends.

The Faceless Lady

Ripped from the pages of Irish folklore, The Faceless Lady tells the story of a tragic spirit cursed to wander the halls of her castle for all of eternity. However, when three young couples are invited to the castle for a series of games, their fates may soon change.

So far, the story has provided horror fans with a gripping game of life or death that doesn’t look as if it will slow down in episode five. Luckily, we have an exclusive clip that may be able to satiate your appetites until the new premiere.

Airing on 4/25 at 5pmPT/8pmET, episode five follows our final three contestants in this wicked game. As the stakes are raised ever higher, will Ella be able to fully awaken her connection with Lady Margaret?

The faceless lady

The newest episode can be found on Meta Quest TV. If you haven’t already, follow this link to subscribe to the series. Make sure to check out the new clip below.

Eli Roth Present’s THE FACELESS LADY S1E5 Clip: THE DUEL – YouTube

To view in the highest resolution, adjust the quality settings in the bottom right corner of the clip.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Continue Reading