Gamerpool ..
My personal favorite Hellraiser movie that yes has issues but also improves on the first movie in all the ways I want. The first movie is primarily a darkly erotic slowburn horror film where this one is a bit faster paced, more primarily dark fantasy, but still keeps that dark erotic nature of the series that makes it what it is. I watched this series (the first 3 at least) for the first time in middle school and adores it and even then I knew I loved this one more than the original but the real test is if I end up enjoying the 3rd one as much as I originally did which we will see. I also didn't pick up on how much of this movie uses phallic imagery (like the doctor's cenobite form) and I didn't notice a lot of the symbolism in general until this watch which I really love. I will say there's obviously a lot cut out of the movie to do with the Cenobites (pinhead's backstory being extremely brief kinda brings that part down) and Chatterer having eyes only halfway through the movie (which in my opinion is ugly looking and I much prefer the eyeless design). Even with those gripes aside I adore this movie still and will say it's one of my favorites.
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
10/20/25
Full Review
Becky A
This is one of those rare films where the sequel is as good as the original, if not better. I loved learning the background story of the main cenobite & his crew, seeing Pinhead follow the rules of the Puzzle World & witnessing a boss battle between the originals & the crazed doctor cenobite!
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
10/07/25
Full Review
Ash P
So, we now enter the sequels of the Hellraiser franchise. I have been reading various reports and others' reviews that the sequels are some of the worst. Well, the later ones, actually. This one was just decent. I agree, I think this was okay. It's a step back from the first movie, but I do tolerate it. The funny thing is that this movie came out a year after the first movie. Yes, Hellraiser came out in 1987, and this came out in 1988. I'll give it credit for trying despite some issues I have with this movie. Just a heads up, there will be some spoilers. You have been warned.
They've upped the ante with the effects, despite some of them being silly. The most of the effects that were upped was when Julia, played again by Claire Higgins, came back to the real world thanks to Doctor Phillip Channard, played by Kenneth Cranham, as he's trying to learn the secrets about the boxes and the dimension it leads to once solved. It's kinda sick when you see Dr. Channard kissing a skinless Julia. However, it's creative when they would wrap her up in bandages and make her a little more interactive through touch. The scenery is interesting since they go into a different dimension for exposition instead of just taking place inside of the psychiatric hospital. It's impressive for what it was budgeted for.
Got a little distracted just for explaining the effects for a second. What's the story? Kristy Cotten, played again by Ashley Laurence, wakes up to a psychiatric hospital where she explained yet not believed by the homicide detective and the police that were there. She was even interviewed by Dr. Channard about the events that had happened with the house she, her father, and Julia moved to where the previous movie took place. It turns out that Dr. Channard is obsessed with the puzzle box, which is called the Lament Configuration, according to Wikipedia as I did a little research about the puzzle box, and looked into the bloody mattress that Julia was hooked into by the Cenobites. Why was the mattress and her body not burned when the house was on fire? I'm at a loss. That aside, Dr. Channard uses some of the most demented mentally ill patients to feed Julia until she becomes whole again.
One night, Kristy dreams about her father writing on the wall, "I'm in Hell. Help me." She has much curiosity that she would get the Lament Configuration to save him from that dimension he may be there after being killed by his brother. While that was going on, another doctor named Kyle MacRae, played by William Hope, took Kristy out of her room and sneaks into Dr. Channard's home to find the Lament Configuration. One thing that I don't get is why there are three of them. They sadly do not explain that because I am curious if there were more than one of these laying around throughout the world. As they snuck around, Julia, who now has flesh of her own after feeding, confronts Dr. MacRae and kills him. I don't like it when you feel that some folks are someone who is gonna be of good help and they get axed off too soon.
Meanwhile, as Kisty was unconscious, Dr. Channard tasks Tiffany, played by Imogen Boorman, who is speaking impaired, to solve the Lament Configuration and solves it because she loves to solve puzzles at a young age. Therefore, the portal opens, and the Cenobites have arrived. They didn't have an interest in Tiffany. Rather, they have noticed Dr. Channard and Julia are also within the otherworldly dimension. Julia wakes up and takes notice, takes the box while Tiffany wanders off, I would have to guess, so she would find her father. We get some exposition throughout this labyrinthine world as well as discovering a little more about Tiffany, who was admitted by her mother. Remember in the last movie involving that scene that was turning red with blood and a baby screams? Kristy arrives in an area where we have discovered that it was her biological mother.
The first half takes place within the psychiatric hospital while the second half of the movie takes place within the labyrinthine world where the Cenobites reside. I give this movie credit for exploring more than one area. Although it's certainly more show and less tell, as far as I can be honest with this movie. You know what's interesting? But before I say it, it's a major spoiler. In the beginning, there was this guy before we saw the events that had happened in the first Hellraiser movie, who have solved the Lament Configuration and became one of the main Cenobites. It goes back to when they show off the Cenobites who they were before they became the main ones while we see the doctor becoming one. I guess too much pleasure and pain can make you one. Maybe. Kinda laughing a little at the thought of it, to be honest.
The acting is still good on its own for a soap opera gone wrong yet in a more twisted version when it comes to how this horror movie pays out. The best way that I can describe this soap opera gone wrong is that there are a little more gruesome moments with its carnage candy. I do not blame you for not getting into this or the franchise because it can get sickening at times. To be fair, it is my first time getting into this franchise, and I got a bit disgusted with some parts that were displayed. Doesn't offend me or threw up on it since I'm used to it. I've watched plenty of the Saw movies to get used to these kinds of movies. Same with how I love me some body horror like The Thing or Dead Space or Parasyte.
Overall, yes, it is a step backward from the first movie. I think it's an okay sequel. I do feel bad for how Tiffany was used in this, yet I appreciate her payoff at the end. Speaking of the end, I have no idea what had just happened with that ending when we ended on a good note for Kristy and Tiffany. But I digress. That's one sequel down. Eight more to go. For now, I'm gonna give Hellbound six doctor kissing a skinless lady out of ten. 6/10.
Rated 3/5 Stars •
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
10/03/25
Full Review
Eddie K
Great sequel like Halloween 2 1981 9/10
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
09/05/25
Full Review
Dave W
Hellraiser 2 is one of the sequels that is as good as the original if not a bit better. The negative reviews on rotten tomatoes are not indicative of the actual fanbase opinion.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
09/01/25
Full Review
chris m
the continuation of shortcomings
the sequel broadens its universe, taking us to a setting that blends the oneiric with the disturbing, with production design that effectively conveys the institutional coldness and the uncanny atmosphere of a psychiatric facility. makeup remains one of the saga’s strongest pillars, and the gore retains its usual rawness.
however, the script lacks the kind of development that could truly explore the possibilities opened up by the first installment. the narrative moves forward with overly simplistic dialogue and sequences that, through visual omission, dilute the impact of key moments. even in the alternate dimension—where fascinating rules and hierarchies are hinted at—the introduction of many of its inhabitants remains so elusive that one is left with more questions than answers.
some characters who initially seem expendable manage, over time, to earn a degree of affection, which brings at least a small success in the construction of secondary arcs. the greater exposure of settings and atmospheres compared to the first film is welcome, although the most alluring elements remain shrouded in a veil of mystery that occasionally borders on frustrating.
the climax improves in intensity over its predecessor, though some narrative resolutions feel unconvincing and disrupt the internal logic. there are pauses and gestures that interrupt the tension at decisive moments, weakening the overall rhythm.
in this sequel, i expected to find the narrative expansion that the first part only hinted at. while the focus on the alternate dimension and its settings is broader, the contextualization of those who inhabit it remains minimal—something particularly frustrating when it is precisely this aspect that most draws my interest. the film ends up caught halfway between hinting and revealing, leaving the viewer with the feeling that the world it depicts holds secrets far more compelling than what ultimately reaches the screen.
in the end, 'hellbound: hellraiser II' is an exercise in mythological expansion that succeeds visually and conceptually, but by failing to delve deeply into the most intriguing aspects of its world, leaves a sense of missed opportunity. it respects part of the original spirit but confirms that continuing someone else’s work does not always guarantee a solid narrative evolution.
Rated 1.5/5 Stars •
Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars
08/10/25
Full Review
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