Helraiser III: Hell on Earth (1992).

Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth again continues where Hellraiser II: Hellbound left off. In my opinion, this film is great. I loved the inclusion of the new Cenobites, the massacre inside the club and the blasphemy which Pinhead partakes in. All of these things make one hell of an entertaining horror movie. So much so, that if you don't compare it to the original movie, I am sure it would get so much more praise than it does. Pinhead is now a being of pure evil after his human side, Elliot Spencer, was separated from his demonic side at the end of Hellraiser II: Hellbound. He has no balance from his human side, so is free to reign suffering on horror without anyone opening the box. This happens to give the movie a new lease of life (at least in my opinion).

A reporter begins to learn about the secrets of the Lament Configuration (the box) and Pinhead, after witnessing a young man die covered in chains that tear him apart. She manages to track down the box, and a young girl to a fammous club called The Boiler Room, owned by a local playboy who happens to own the pillar which contains the now purely evil Pinhead, who he releases by providing victims to the Cenobite. As time runs out for humanity, the reporter must figure out a way of sending Pinhead and his newly crated army of Cenobites back to where they came from, or let humanity succumb to an eternity of suffering.

I really must be one of the only people out there who actually like the third installment of the Hellraiser franchise. The moment I saw a head explode within the first ten minutes, I was sold (bearing in mind I was twelve when I first saw this film). It is undoubtedly the goriest film in the franchise, and also blends an action element with the horror, as Anthony Hickox (the director of Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth) did in Waxwork and Waxwork II: Lost in Time, which makes the film movie move along a lot faster. The story may be weaker than the previous two movies, not featuring any of the tension or suspense, but it moves along at such a brisk pace, you barely have time to notice any of the negatives.

I really do enjoy Hellraiser III. I don't know what it is about the film. It certainly moves away from the claustrophobic horror of the original film, and the fantastical element of the second. This movie is pure entertainment though, featuring explosions, a lot of gore, and some truly impressive speeches from Pinhead. While not a serious horror film by any stretch of the imagination, Hellraiser III certainly is an entertaining and gory ride, and one that the majority of horror movie reviewers feel they can put down when comparing it to the original. I myself feel that the movie stands alone, and should be seen as the next chapter in the Hellraiser saga, which begins with this movie, and ends with Hellraiser IV: Bloodline.

Darkest regards......Dani.