In this sequel to Hellraiser, Kirsty (Ashley Laurence) receives a message from her father, written in blood on a wall, asking her to free him from hell. Obsessed Doctor Channard also wants to open the gates of hell, and an autistic puzzle-solving girl is the solution for both of them. But opening that gate is as bad an idea as it was before, and Frank, Julia, and the Cenobites are waiting to tear their souls apart.
A sequel as good as, if not better than, the original, Hellbound expands on the Hellraiser mythology, taking you into a maze-like hell. Everything that made the first work is still here: creepy atmosphere, startling imagery, poetic lines, hooks and chains, Pin Head and the cenobites, and Young’s musical score. But this one brings a more interesting theme. All the great evils, the demons, devils, and nightmares that we all fear are nothing compared to the evil of men. This is a common theme in Barker’s work. For all his violence, Pin Head follows rules; he does only what he is asked to do, although those who ask rarely understand their requests. And he understands the difference between words and intent. But not men, who lack honor and understanding. Channard is the real fiend and hell does little to change him except cosmetically.
In general, the make-up and FX are excellent, though in a few scenes, the low budget is noticeable. One of the best make-up scenes involves an insane man and a straight razor. It is unsettling and may be too much for the overly sensitive. The R-rated version saps some of the punch from the film, so get the unrated one.
The other films in the series are: Hellraiser, Hellbound: Hellraiser II, Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth, Hellraiser: Bloodline, Hellraiser: Inferno, Hellraiser: Hellseeker, Hellraiser: Deader, Hellraiser: Hellworld.