Hellraiser

Looking back at what made the original so good was how off putting it was , dark and very original. The source material being the same we wouldn't expect much new . Where this outing fails is to raise the bar on what made the original so good. The tension and build up is ok but I felt disappointed with the costumes. To me the heavy layered latex looked like heavy layered latex. The original was a darker filmed movie and the Cenobites were so disturbing the first time you see them . In this newer version we have a wider field of view shot further away and it looses its claustrophobic feel . Escaping seems easier and that drives the tension down. So different cinematography and poor customers and such take away . The good is the protagonist the actor does a good job portraying seemly troubled youth . Act 3 has a bit of a twist but comes too late in the film to save it.

This entry expands the mythology in a really compelling way with a touch of the monkey's paw/wishmaster with desires being fulfilled in twisted ways. There is also an expanded mythology around 6 distinct configurations of the box and 6 different wishes one can be granted after 6 different sacrifices. The acting was good all around. The lead was particularly good. This may have some of the best acting in any Hellraiser film. I wasn't thrilled with the new cenobite designs. They're not bad. But they're not an improvement either. Also, there's too much CGI for my liking. That being said, I liked the set designs and the clever ways they created interdimensional doorways... that was a nice touch! At the end of the day, this is best installment in this series in over 2 decades even if I didn't care for the cenobites' designs or the cgi.