Hellraiser: Revelations - 2011

Arcentertainment / Dimension films - 2010

Directed by Victor Garcia

Cast:

• Ross Craven – Steven Brand
• Steven Craven – Nick Eversman
• Emma Craven – Tracey Fairaway
• Nico Bradley – Jay Gillespie
• Pinhead – Stephen Smith Collins
• Kate Bradley – Sanny Van Heteren
• Sarah Kraven - Devon Sorvari

Story: Two spoiled rich boys head to Tiajuana for a night of debauchery and get much more than they bargained for. The Cenobites are out and about, and after Nico kills a Mexican hooker in the bathroom of a cheap bar, the boys are seduced into taking the box to experience the ultimate in sensations of the flesh. Their introduction to the box takes Nico into the dark hell of the Cenobites, and when he causes his friend Steven to kill another whore, her blood brings Nico back into the world of the living. Nico takes Steven's body, returns to the secluded compound of his parents, and begins to subtly terrorize the parents and Steven's sister. One by one, the Cenobites bring the family into the fold, until only the teenage daughter remains with the box her only link to the forbidden pleasures of the Cenobites.

Review: The story is told out of sequence, and the first 30 minutes of this obvious homage to Wes Craven's original series is less than satisfactory. The dialogue is lackluster, and many of the events that occur between the characters lack foundation at first. Perhaps this was the writer's intent, perhaps it was the director's decision, but in either case the delay and confusion of the events is certainly a distraction from the film's theme, the return of the Cenobites. The performances are interesting, although certainly not Oscar worthy, and the casting is good, given the nature of the film. Particularly disappointing is the makeup, which lacks the grisly, visceral nature of the original Cenobites.
All that being said, the film is a treat for those who loved the original Hellraiser. This is a return to the dark, haunting horror that lives within all of us, the mirror to the demonic soul of everyman. No vast horror of nuclear destruction, no international terrorism or weapons of mass destruction. The violence is real, the sins are sins of the flesh, and the Hell of the Cenobites is suffering and torture beyond the mind's imagination. While I doubt this will lead to a sequel or a following as did the original, this is a film the lovers of Wes Craven's characters will appreciate.

Frederick E. Smith