Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988) Movie Review

Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988) IMDB

Hellbound Hellraiser II (1988) movie poster

Hellraiser is a horror franchise that has over a dozen movies to its credit. Most of the films went straight to video and are poorly reviewed. But this sequel to the original horror classic Hellraiser was released in theaters.

The first thing we need to discuss. How many horror films do you know that revolve around an evil mattress ? I don’t think we can count The Exorcist because it takes place in bed, I mean the mattress is evil. One. This one. And that leads to someone coming back from another dimension through the mattress (with the minor inconvenience of not having any skin). In order to regenerate some skin they feed on mentally ill patients (high vitamin D maybe ?). Then the real fun starts, because halfway thru the movie the characters open the gateway to hell (they are hell-bound just like the title!).

So what does hell look like ? Is it fire and brimstone ? No, it is more of a huge stone maze with a a bit of an MC Escher feel to it. It also looks a bit cold and damp. I mean we get some fire later…but just the overall feeling is dark and dingy like the basement of a house you don’t want to live in. I notice that there are low safety standards in hell. High walkways with no bannisters or barriers to stop you from falling off the edge. But maybe that’s ok. I mean you are already dead….so if you fall…do you die again ago go to second hell ? I have questions.

Here is a screenshot to give you an idea of what hell looks like:

Hellraiser 2 Maze scene

Looks pretty cool.

Unfortunately this movie is poorly written and acted. I give it a 5/10.

If you decide to watch it, then go ahead and watch Hellraiser 3, but then stop and skip every other version unless you like to watch very bad movies.

Check out the trailer:

Tales from the Crypt (1972) Movie Review

Tales from the Crypt (1972) IMDB

Tales from the Crypt (1972) movie poster

I like horror films from the 1970’s. They aren’t as formulaic as the horror movies of today. Older horror films are more about the story and not the special effects. I think this British horror film is especially good at storytelling. This particular movie is based on a set of comics of the same name from the early 1950’s, but you wouldn’t know it from the content.

The opening credits begin with some really good pipe organ music while showing scenes in a cemetery. The movie starts with a group of people on a sightseeing tour under the cemetery in the catacombs where a tour guide says, please keep up with me and do not get lost. But of course this means that 5 from the group get separated, and lost in the maze-like catacombs. Eventually the 5 enter a room and find the Crypt Keeper who tells 5 stories about how each of them might die.

We then see each character get their own story before returning for a final scene and resolution to the movie. Without spoiling anything Story 1 is about a Christmas gift gone wrong and a Santa sighting. Story 2 takes a family man on a late night drive with a friend. Story 3 centers around Valentine’s Day and a bit of neighborly love. Story 4 gives us the classic 3 wish scenario where you need to be careful what you wish for ! and finally Story 5 gives us a new superintendent at a home for the blind who causes enough trouble that a razorblade walled maze is constructed for him to traverse. The ensemble cast includes Peter Cushing and Joan Collins.

Overall these were some really good stories. The 92 minute run time split into multiple stories works well for this.

I give it a solid 7/10.

Check out the trailer:

Or maybe just watch the full movie !

Thir13een Ghosts (2001) Movie Review

Thir13een Ghosts (2001) IMDB

Thir13en Ghosts (2001) movie poster

Let’s start this review with the premise of the movie - Your rich uncle dies and he leaves you his house. Who wouldn’t be excited to see your new mansion !! Oh, by the way it has glass walls on the inside. That is a bit weird. Hmmm. Glass walls sound a bit like a mirror maze, and as the story unfolds the walls shift in the house, making it an actual maze for the occupants to move through. Did I mention the house has been sealed and they are trapped inside? I didn’t. Oh, well they are trapped inside with 12 ghosts who can only be seen by wearing special glasses. So, if 12 ghosts are chasing them around a glass walled mazelike house why is the movie called Thir13een ghosts ? And that is the story. Can the group escape the locked house and what do the ghosts want ?

The good of the movie is an interesting story concept and an unfolding mystery. The bad is the cartoonlike visuals of the 12 ghosts. I would prefer a more menacing group than one that kids could watch (with exceptions for The Jackal and the Juggernaut which are both excellent baddies). Despite that, this film is still rated R for violence and gore, and a bit more.

This is actually remake of the 1960 film 13 Ghosts by William Castle and starring Charles Herbert. That version had much different special effects. I think I prefer the 1960 version which can be found for free streaming typically.

There was a lot of potential in the modern version, but it didn’t deliver. The reviews were poor for it when it was released and I have to agree. I give it a 5/10.

Check out the trailer:

Wrath of the Titans (2012) Movie Review

Wrath of the Titans (2012) IMDB

Wrath of the Titans 2012 movie poster

How do you feel about watching a big budget adventure fantasy movie that did over $300M in worldwide box office ? What if it was also the sequel to Clash of the Titans which did almost $500M ? Lets see how this big budget sequel, Wrath of the Titans stacks up. We get the return of Liam Neeson as Zeus and Ralph Fiennes as Hades from Clash, but this story focuses on the main character Perseus, played by Sam Worthington.

Tens years after the close of our first film, the gods have a problem because mankind has stopped worshipping the gods like they had in the past and they are losing their power as a result. Part of that power they gain is used to hold together the walls of the underworld prison Tartarus. Eventually, as the power wains, we have a large prison break and monsters (titans) are released on the world. Zeus is betrayed and imprisoned in the Underworld. Now we have some action taking place, with Perseus needing to defeat a series of monsters. We get fights with some fun mythical features like a Chimera and a Cyclopes (see the video thumbnail blow for a glimpse).

The story eventually becomes a fantasy quest to defeat the “final boss” (Kronos) and save Zeus from the Underworld. Perseus needs to make his way through a shifting labyrinth in Tartarus and eventually encounters the mythical Minotaur. The story unfolds in a typical big budget fashion. The monsters are good and the special effects are also. I didn’t expect much from this film and that is what it delivered.

I would say 6/10. Worth seeing if you like this kind of film. Unfortunately this film did not do well enough at the box office to greenlight the last part of the trilogy, Revenge of the Titans.

Check out the trailer: