User reviews

'Hellraiser: Evolutions (2015)' is a documentary which focuses on the 'Hellraiser' franchise, with particular focus on the impact of the series. Featuring talking-head interviews with various people involved with the production of these movies (as well as some journalists and famous fans), most of the piece is dedicated to different interpretations of why the movies are so liked by so many different people. The problem is that none of this is insightful in the slightest. After all, I know why I like (some of) these films. I know that they centre on sadomasochism, that they include iconic imagery, that they play on the push-pull dynamic of pleasure and pain, that they hint at a darkness that's desired by all of us deep down, that Pinhead has pins in his head. Pretty much everyone who enjoys these films knows all that, too. Most of the people involved give very basic responses to these types of question and they all tend to repeat one another. There's very little in the way of interesting analysis, let's put it that way. There's not all that much actual behind-the-scenes content, either. Even though the documentary is mainly about the post-'Hellraiser: Bloodline (1996)' pictures, it only uses footage from the first three films (save for a few brief stills) and it doesn't really give you a sense of anything specific about any of those efforts. It all just feels a bit odd, really, and it borders on being boring on occasion due to its rudimentary and somewhat repetitive nature. It doesn't include enough insight to justify its runtime. However, it's not all bad. There are a few interviews, mainly towards the beginning, that are rather interesting. A few moments delve into the reasoning behind some choices made in certain entries, such as the decision to redub most dialogue in the first film or to recast Pinhead in the most recent one at the time of recording (Doug Bradley basically turned the script down because he didn't think it was particularly good and he didn't like the fact that the flick was being made mainly to keep hold of the franchise rights). While it may seem like faint praise, snippets such as these make the piece worthwhile if you're a fan. Plus, the people involved all talk with a fair amount of passion and it's nice to hear from people usually not given the spotlight in these kinds of thing. The range of interviewees is suitably eclectic and includes some relatively big names, and the documentary is well put together on the whole. It's somewhat disappointing and it gets less compelling as it goes on, but it's a fairly enjoyable effort that includes a couple of stand-out moments.

This was a documentary that I decided to watch late in my workday. It sounded interesting since this is a franchise that I've seen every canon movie that's come out. Learning a bit more about the series since it takes an odd turn as it goes one intrigued me as well.

Now if you don't know, Hellraiser is based off the Clive Barker short, The Hellbound Heart. Barker directed the first movie and then from there they started to build on the mythology. This documentary starts with the origins and then later in the series, there started to be movies that were shoehorned in so Dimension studios didn't lose the rights. I will say, despite the lesser efforts, I still enjoy the franchise. It's been a while since I've run through them and never with a critical eye. It is on my docket though.

What works here is interviewing important people for these movies. They have Doug Bradley who plays the iconic role of Pinhead. What is interesting there is that he wasn't even supposed to be the main drawer, but marketing saw an opportunity. This also Rick Bota and Scott Derrickson who have directed. Stuart Gordon is a voice that I enjoy so hearing him was good. There are also others in front and behind the camera to give their insight as well.

I'd also say that Arrow did a great job here. This was informative just going through how this caught lighting in a bottle. How it shouldn't have worked as well as it did. The legacy and why it continues on like it does. This is well-made as well. It is put together in chapters that make sense. I rather enjoyed my time here as a fan of the franchise. I'd recommend if you are one as well to just potentially learn more about why this worked as it did.

My Rating: 7 out of 10.

Hellraiser: Evolutions (2015)

*** (out of 4)

This documentary is the closing to Arrow Video's massive HELLRAISER boxset, which included countless documentaries and featurettes. This documentary clocks in at 48-minutes and features a great number of people including Tony Randel, Christopher Young, Stuart Gordon, Tim Day, Doug Bradley, Peter Atkins and many more. Basically this closing chapter talks about the lasting legacy of the series and why it has became so popular with so many movies. As with the other documentaries in the set, this one here is a rather mixed bag. If you're a die-hard fan who wants to know everything then there's a lot of information and discussions here that you're going to enjoy. The problem I had is that there's really no clear direction and there's no real story being told here. Quite a few times subjects are just there and then go into another direction without a real connection. Again, if you're a fan, it's certainly entertaining but I wouldn't say it was the greatest thing ever made.