HELLRAISER: BLOODLINE

We are in the year 2127. On the Minos space station, a lonely scientist, Paul Merchant, tries to break the curse forever locked in the cubic puzzle called Lament Configuration. But he is interrupted by the unexpected arrival of soldiers. Their commander interrogates the scientist and learns that the puzzle was created four centuries earlier by an ancestor of the scientist on commission from a vicious nobleman, Duc de l'Isle. And so, starting in the 18th century, begins the long history of atrocities caused by the insatiable lust for souls predestined from birth to evil and the resulting damnation. We discover the first beautiful cenobite, named Angelique, and how she creates the charismatic Pinhead, the torturer whose purpose is to satisfy the sadomasochistic desires of the victims seduced by her most revered creator. The inventor of the puzzle dies in his attempt to destroy the key to hell, and the same fate befalls all his successors until the year 2127, when the scientist was finally putting in place a system to get rid of the cenobites forever. Commander Rimmer and his soldiers obviously do not believe the story, but soon after, the sudden appearance of Pinhead and his demonic followers drowns their disbelief in blood... The only survivors, Rimmer and Merchant, devise a plan that may perhaps eliminate the cenobites and close the hell portal once and for all. The film is the result of a long and controversial labor during which, due to excessive mutilations suffered by censorship, director Yagher decides not to appear in the credits, and the successor Joe Chappelle, shooting only a few extra scenes, decides to use a pseudonym (Smithee). The film reveals new aspects about the genesis of Pinhead and unveils the mystery of the creation of the "Lament Configuration". Unfortunately, the film is not free from defects related to an excessive use of censorship and the lack of a timeline consistent with the facts narrated in the previous films. The set design and costumes, and unfortunately also the beautiful Angelique, do not hold up to the eerie atmosphere of the first Hellraiser. But if you have never seen the first and want to approach Barker's cenobite world without excessive trauma, perhaps this is the film for you. To fans, I recommend the uncensored version available on DVD.