INSIDE THE CASE: Hellbound: Hellraiser II

The following is the full-length essay that accompanied the Anchor Bay Entertainment DVD re-release of HELLBOUND: HELLRAISER II in 2000. This DVD remains in print, though it is due to be supplanted by a new 20th Anniversary DVD in late 2008, which features all new cast & crew interviews produced by Red Shirt Pictures. This essay will not be included in the 20th Anniversary DVD.

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It didn't take long for New World Pictures to decide.

Upon viewing the early footage from the London shoot of Clive Barker's 1987 directorial debut HELLRAISER, it became apparent to New World Pictures' executives that their investment was destined to continue into another picture. The material was strong. There were dozens of potential ideas lying in the hidden corners of Barker's universe that could support a second film. Long before the original HELLRAISER opened to strong theatrical business, the genesis for a sequel had already begun. As a result of these early discussions, HELLBOUND: HELLRAISER II opened in theaters in late 1988, barely a year after its predecessor. Although many of the creative elements (both in front of & behind the cameras) returned for this second cinematic sojourn into Barker's hellish fantasy world, there would be a few crucial changes that would help HELLBOUND achieve a rarity in sequeldom: A film that both respects and elaborates on its source material, while creating its own successfully defined identity.

It was decided early on that the hellish Cenobites (led by the increasingly popular "Pinhead") would be the primary focus of the next film. With Pinhead's nail-encrusted face plastered all over posters and video covers around the world, it was only logical that this character become a more prominent element in any future HELLRAISER installments. Clive Barker was a affirmed proponent of exploring the Cenobites' twisted histories, and expanding into their world, However, Barker decided early on that he would not be returning to write or direct, but instead would serve as Executive Producer. Barker submitted his ideas and outlines to the production, while his longtime friend and fellow writer Peter Atkins shaped the concepts into a new script, which would shed light on the myriad labyrinths and demons of Hell itself.

Selecting a director for such a daunting task was a thankfully easy task. Tony Randel had been a longtime fixture at New World Pictures during both the newly reformed company and during Roger Corman's regime. After working as a special effects assistant, and in various other departments, he graduated to HELLRAISER as an unofficial editor during post-production. With early support from Clive Barker, New World placed in-house production manager Tony Randel at the reigns of HELLBOUND: HELLRAISER II.

HELLBOUND: HELLRAISER II is often a powerful and illuminating expansion of the HELLRAISER universe. Starting with a quick montage of the final moments of the first film, HELLBOUND quickly delves into Pinhead's origins as we see a WWII soldier toying with the dreaded Lament Configuration and suffering the consequences as he is transformed into the infamous Cenobite. The action then shifts to the Channard Mental Institution, in which our heroine Kirsty (Ashley Laurence) has been confined following the events of HELLRAISER. We meet Dr. Channard (Kenneth Cranham), the sinister operator of the hospital who is later revealed to be an obsessed collector of all things Hell, and inmate Tiffany (Imogen Boorman) a young mute girl who has a natural ability at solving complex puzzles. The addition of the Channard character provides HELLBOUND with a delicious opportunity to blur the line between pain and pleasure. Channard, who desperately wants passage into the dark beyond, allows one of his more self-destructive patients to slash himself repeatedly with a straight razor, which provides the necessary carnage to resurrect the slain Julia (Clare Higgins). It is a remarkably intense and unflinching sequence that helps give way to an even more bizarre and twisted romantic pairing between Julia and Channard. The film takes great delight in moving Julia into the role of "skinless seductor" previously held by her former paramour Frank. It's a clever and enjoyable twist that is one of the many novel conceits that this sequel brings to the forefront.

Along with Ashley Laurence and Clare Higgins' reprisals, Pinhead portrayer Doug Bradley is provided with several key opportunities to enrich his character. Near the end of the film, Bradley humanizes a former monster with a simple smile and creates a layer of almost Shakespearean tragedy to his grand messenger of pain. Behind the camera, several important HELLRAISER veterans returned as well. Director of Photography Robin Vidgeon, Editor Richard Marden, and Composer Chirstopher Young all provide invaluable continuity between the two films with a rich visual and aural tapestry that envelopes the viewer immediately. Also returning from the original were Bob Keen and Geoff Portass of Image Animation who were called on not only to provide the gruesome effects for the Cenobites' slaughter scenes but to literally show the creation of one, with Channard's grisly transformation sequence.

HELLBOUND: HELLRAISER II was released in 1988 by New World Pictures to solid business and provided an exemplary amount of elaboration upon Barker's themes while giving fans of the first HELLRAISER something fresh…an expansive new universe to explore, and new pains to be enjoyed!

Trivia Note: A picture of Pinhead and his fellow Cenobites dressed up in surgical scrubs appeared on the back of the box cover of the original video release. This sequence does not appear in any completed version of the film, and was removed by the director prior to release.