A shady businessman attempts to piece together the details of the car crash that killed his wife and rendered him an amnesiac, and left him in possession of a sinister puzzle box that summons monster.
After watching “Hellraiser: Inferno” I had high hopes going into this film and I was highly surprised that I wasn’t let down. It stuck to the same style as the previous film which is no bad thing.
One thing that I truly enjoyed was the push back of the Cenobites, especially Pinhead. Now don’t get me wrong I love the Cenobites but as I’ve stated before I think they’re more effective when used sparingly. Another reason I enjoyed their lack of screen time is we get given a more rounded story and see that the Cenobites don’t even need to inflict physical pain to get to someone, they’re just as good, if not better, at messing with somebodies mental state.
I also loved seeing Ashley Laurence’s character, Kirsty, back on screen. She’s the ultimate heroine of the series and it was great to see what happened to her after her run ins with the Cenobites. Kudos also goes to Director Rick Bota (yes another new Director), he created a visually stunning film that’s packed with atmosphere, not a bad achievement for an amateur Director who was making a straight to DVD release.
Like “Hellraiser: Inferno” before it, “Hellseeker” was originally a non-Hellraiser related horror script owned by Dimension. To save money on writing a completely original Hellraiser story, the script was quickly edited to insert the Cenobites and references to Kirsty’s past with them. A scene written specifically to try and bring the largely unrelated plot in line with the canon of the first two “Hellraiser” films was subsequently cut, but is available on the DVD as a special feature.
Dimension films actuallyplaced the cast and crew under a gag order, hindering Rick Bota’s opportunity to promote the film when Fangoria magazine attempted to do a cover story on the film. Star Ashley Laurence, however, broke the gag order to speak about the film, claiming that she had only been paid enough money to make a payment towards a new refrigerator.
One way I’d describe this film is “Jacobs Ladder” meets “Hellraiser” so off that you guess the type of film you’re in for. I really enjoyed this entry and don’t think it deserves the bad reputation it seems to have, if you stop expecting Pinhead to turn up and rip peoples skin off then you might just find yourself enjoying the story.
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