Hellraiser: Hellworld (2005)

Directed by Rick Bota [Other horror films: Hellraiser: Hellseeker (2002), Hellraiser: Deader (2005)]

When it comes to the various Hellraiser sequels, I have to admit that I have a tad of a soft spot for Hellworld. It’s not a return to classic form whatsoever, but at least it’s marginally different than what Inferno, Hellseeker, and Deader went for, so that’s a good start.

In truth, I do like the story of this one. It takes a somewhat meta view of things – players of a game called Hellworld (which is based on the myth behind the Hellraiser films #questionmark?) are invited to a Hellworld-themed party, and it’s not quite the festivities they were hoping for.

This was filmed back-to-back with Deader, which is why it feels far more like a film from the early 2000’s than it does one from the mid-2000’s, but I think it’s a hell of a lot more coherent than Deader ever was, and though the story sort of takes even a further divergent path from the original than do many of the other sequels, I think by this point in the franchise, they needed a little something to shake things up.

I love seeing a few familiar faces here. Henry Cavill (who later goes on to play Superman in Man of Steel and related DCEU movies, not to mention Blood Creek) made some quality facial expressions, and Khary Payton (the guy who voiced Cyborg on Teen Titans) appeared too, which was fun. I’ve seen Katheryn Winnick in a handful of things (Satan’s Little Helper, Amusement), and while her performance was a bit weak at times, it’s always nice to see a friendly face.

Anna Tolputt hasn’t been in many things, but her character’s reasonably fun, at least with the screentime she gets, and Christopher Jacot had some solid moments too. Of course, Doug Bradley as Pinhead is always fun, and he even comes with a decent quote in this one (“Oh, what wonders we have to show you,”), which have been lacking from recent sequels. Oh, and horror veteran Lance Henriksen (Pumpkinhead, Mansion of the Doomed, The Mangler 2, Gehenna: Where Death Lives, In the Spider’s Web) pops up too, and he does bring some charm to this one.

I think what sets Hellworld apart from many of the other sequels is the finale. True, a decent amount of the film feels disjointed and confusing, as Inferno through Deader felt, but the finale ties many aspects of the movie together. It’s possible that it could be the case that the idea outshone the execution, but even so, ever since I first saw this one many years ago, I’ve found it decently enjoyable.

As far as the special effects go, it’s up and down. Some sequences look decent, such as a simple decapitation. Others – well, not so much. There was an okay sequence with someone strapped to a chair and getting Saw-esque treatment, but there was also some disfigured corpses chasing after someone, so like I said, it had its ups and downs. I can gladly say, though, that my favorite Cenobite, Chatterer, pops up here, and it is nice to see his delightful face once more.

I know there are some out there who find this one of the weakest sequels (well, at least until Revelations came out), and I just never saw Hellworld that way. I don’t think it’s a great movie or anything but I think it tries something a bit different, and certainly stands out in the lineup of the franchise. It won’t do it for everyone – no movie does – but I’m a fan of this one, flaws and all.

7/10