18. Hellbound: Hellraiser II dir. by Tony Randell (1988)
“Your suffering will be legendary, even in hell!”
Hellbound: Hellraiser II had the honor of nabbing an X rating back in 1988.
Hellbound picks up where the first Hellraiser left off. Kirsty Cotton is in an insane asylum after her family was murdered by Julia Cotton and the Cenobites. Thinking that the nightmare is finally over, Kirsty confides in Dr. Channard, who just so happens to have been trying to find a doorway to hell for years now. Conveniant!
Channard manages to open the gates and release the Cenobites from the first film: Pinhead, Chatterer, Butterball, and Female Cenobite. Kirsty realizes that her father is suffering in hell and she’s the only one that can save him, battling against the four legacy Cenobites, and one new one - Dr. Channard.
If there’s anything to say about the Hellraiser series, it’s that these movies are gory. Hellbound features a skinless folks crawling around small rooms, bloodying up the place and Dr. Channard’s phallic case of Cenobite puts a good hurting on some unsuspecting victims as well.
I like the Hellraiser series, but it’s probably my least favorite of the major horror franchises. It’s probably best to start off with the first Hellraiser film before watching Hellbound, as this is a direct tie-in - but if you’re just looking for a gore-fest, the film opens with a quick 30-second recap on the Hellraiser of old.
