paulclaassen The origin of the box is explained as we go back in time, and I found this info very interesting. (Interesting that the original film never told us where the box came from.) Three stories in one: past, present and future, and all interesting in its own right. Only, why is Pinhead killing innocent people (again) who had nothing to do with the box? He appears to be killing for fun and this fact does not make any sense. The film simply becomes a senseless slasher for the sake of special effects and make-up. There's no suspense or scares - just flat-out gore.

Stephen Abell This could be called Pinhead in Space or Death of Pinhead or L'Merchant's Revenge. So I put off watching this one as the thought of Pinhead in Space kinda made me feel nauseous, especially after Jason X - sometimes you shouldn't trust your gut or your precognitive intuition; because I missed probably the best Hellraiser film. Oh, that has to be controversial as it only scored 5.1 on IMDb.It's the story that makes this movie. There are three stories for the price of one, to be exact. We start with the pivotal tale of Dr Paul Merchant, a distant relative to the cube's creator Phillip L'Merchant, who is driven to right the wrongs his ancestor loosed upon man and womankind. This tale is set in the far future (making it so we can still have Pinhead stories and movies up until 2127 - 109 years to go...). We then have the tale of Phillip and his role in the release and creation of the Cenobites. It's this story that introduces us to Hell's princess, Angelique, who is a proper daemon and constricted by rules and commandments, more a puppet than a puppeteer. Then the third story is set at the end of the third movie where the building at the climax is built by architect John Merchant. What is so good is the intrinsicalities within the story that leads to a believable final act, tying all four films together to give a credible ending to the saga.At one point in the late '80's and '90's horror was going orbital. There was a spate of Sci-Fi Horror flicks. The one crucial difference here is space being intrinsic to the plot - it's not just the writer going... what now? Oh, I know - Space!It's also nice that Kevin Yagher (who directed under the pseudonym of Alan Smithee) used such different lighting methods to create the most suitable atmospheres. The story of Phillip is more frightening than the rest as it uses firelight and long shadows to enlighten the scenes of debauchery, violence, and bloodletting. Whereas, the modern day of John uses natural light. Yagher uses silhouettes and dark corners well to build up the tension. Then in Paul's future, there's subdued blue electric lighting as there's no natural lighting in a tin-can. This gives the added feeling of coldness and aloneness. Add to this, some nice segues and camera shots and you have a very well crafted film.Add to that the cast, who are all good in their roles. I didn't even realise that all the Merchant's were played by the same actor, Bruce Ramsey, he was that good at giving them different personas. Though Bradley is just as brilliant as Pinhead, as usual, I have to give credit to Valentina Vargas who is superb as Angelique. In the beginning, she appears cool and calculated as she bides her time until she can free herself from the ties that bind her to her puppeteer, Jacques (Scott). Then when she meets Pinhead, taking a place by his side, she's nearly as fear-inducing as he.For the most part, the special effects are on par with the previous movies, though the CGI has gotten better it still looks dated. And why do all robots have to have an element of a human? Why does this 'bot need a terminator steel skull?Though you could watch this one as a stand-alone film, I would at least recommend having watched Hell On Earth, just so you get a feel for the Cenobites, and you know the story behind Merchant's building.

tomgillespie2002 The fourth instalment of the already-tired Hellraiser franchise signalled the last time that original creator Clive Barker would be involved, and also the final film of the series to be shown on the big screen, with the subsequent sequels heading straight to VHS or DVD. Doug Bradley, who at this point was the only surviving cast member from Barker's terrific 1987 original, described Hellraiser IV: Bloodline as the "shoot from Hell", and its troubled production saw director Kevin Yagher demand his name be removed from the credits, instead opting for the go-to pseudonym Alan Smithee. While things never looked good for the film, Part IV of Miramax's cult franchise isn't actually quite as bad as you would expect.In 2127, engineer Dr. Paul Merchant (Bruce Ramsay) uses a robot to solve the Lament Configuration puzzle box on board space station The Minos. The opening of the box destroys the robot, and Merchant is taken in for questioning by a group of armed guards suspicious of his intentions. Whilst being interrogated by the groups leader, Rimmer (Christine Harnos), Merchant reveals that he is part of a cursed bloodline that stretches back to 18th-century France, where his ancestor, toy-maker Phillip L'Merchant (also Ramsay), builds the box for a rich aristocrat who desires to summon a slave-girl from Hell. While L'Merchant fails to prevent the demon Angelique (Valentina Vargas) arriving in our world, generations later New York architect John Merchant (Ramsay again) is haunted by visions of the box, building a skyscraper resembling the Lament Configuration.After two sequels with little to recommend other than Kenneth Cranham's wonderfully over-the-top thesping, Bloodline at least attempts to inject a fresh take on the Hellraiser universe. The decision to portray the arrival of Hell on Earth over three vastly different time periods is an interesting one, even if it is somewhat clumsily handled and often poorly acted. Yet for the bulk of the film we are stuck in the less-interesting modern day, or 1996, and it is here that Bloodline suffers from formulaic storytelling. The introduction of the demon Angelique offers the chance for some twisted sexual tension between her and Pinhead (Bradley), yet this isn't explored enough, and ultimately fizzles out in favour of more time with the over-exposed, iconic Cenobite, whose role was significantly beefed up by the studio following Yagher's departure. It's certainly one of the best of the series' sequels, yet given how bad the movies that followed are, that's hardly saying much.

tonyband We start out in the year 2127 on the space station Minos with Dr. Paul Merchant (Bruce Ramsay) using a remote controlled droid to open the Lament Configuration in a sealed chamber. The droid succeeds only to be blown to pieces as "a most unsatisfying victim," as Pinhead puts it. Meanwhile, the station is stormed by a small group of Marines sent to capture Dr. Merchant for hijacking the very station he designed. He's captured before he can put his potential plan into action, and thus, pleads with them to allow him to finish his work. After enough pleading, he convinces the female marine to hear his story. Merchant tells of how his ancestor, Phillip L'Marchant (also played by Bruce Ramsay), created the puzzle box in the eighteenth century based on the specific instructions of the most famous magician in France, Duc De L'Isle (Mickey Cottrel). Phillip never could've imagined what it would unlock. De L'Isle used the box to bring forth a demon in a woman's skin, and named her Angelique (Valentina Vargas). Paul says that Phillip witnessed this devilry and attempted to undo it by designing the Elysium Configuration - something he would be incapable of implementing as it had to do with the reflecting of light beams to be a counteracting prison for these demons...the Cenobites. The design was passed down through the family's bloodline (hence, the subtitle), and eventually, the twentieith century descendant, John Merchant (Ramsay, again), a achitect / computer designer, had potentially built what could become the Elysium Configuration, but Pinhead states that it could be a very large doorway (the office bulding featured at the conclusion of the previous film). Angelique attempts to seduce its secrets from John, but Pinhead states that seduction is useless as pain and suffering are the way of hell now. Pinhead attempts to trap John by holding his family prisoner, but in the end, both sides lose. In the twenty-second century, Dr. Paul Merchant believes that he can destroy the Cenobites once and for all, but the marines' untimely arrival have prevented that. Naturally, no one believes his elaborate story, but he must find a way to destroy the Cenobites or else the bloodline will end with him.Barker's original vision was something far more grisly and seedy than what was shot. Still, the film holds together with a decent story. The scenes in eighteenth century France are probably the best in the film as they are the most Hellraiser-like. It also has the richest art direction, and actually contains no Pinhead. To me, it is the most fascinating segment of the film. Though, as the film goes on, we see the further divergence from the original, established mythology. Pinhead once again creates his own Cenobites despite not having the power to do so. Performance wise, Doug Bradley seems quite comfortable here, playing bringing back the coldness of the character.Bruce Ramsay shows a great flexiblity as he portrays Phillip, John, and Paul. Each one is a different type of character. Phillip being the niave "little man," John being the protective father, and Paul being the intelligent and cunning one of the lot. I hand it to him for showing the diversity of his acting abilities.The overall style and look of the film is very slick and smooth. There's less artistry and more commercial sensibilities in place with the cinematography and direction.There are several cut scenes including "Angelique's Party" in the first time period, and in fact, the story was to be totally chronological instead of starting with Paul's narration from the future. More things were undoubtedly cut, and it would be wonderful to see a Director's Cut someday, but it seems highly unlikely. Also, these marines are idiots, and it would've been better if they were more like the Marines out of Aliens or the team from Predator. Capable, intelligent, believable, and highly aware. These marines are just meat ready to be ripped apart by Pinhead's chains. Even the grunts from Jason X would've been greatly better than these slaughtered lambs. Anyway, it had potential, and probably still does in that aforementioned, yet unseen director's cut. All that I will mention about Clive Barker's vision, if it had been adhered to, is it woulve' been a far more visceral and nasty film with Phillip L'Merchant being a highly disturbed serial killer obsessed with creating dozens of puzzle boxes, and a deeper, more textured backstory overall being explored. As it stands now, Hellraiser: Bloodline fails in some places, has some shining moments, but all in all, still delivers some chilling scenes with a good story, great makeup work, and good visual effects.