Hellraiser IV: Bloodline (Road to Halloween)

The Hellraiser series has been in motion for nearly 20 years. From the original trilogy spawned numerous sequels, and numerous attempts to find that magic seen in the earlier three films. The one that comes closest to it in my mind is "Bloodlines". Ironically, stylistically this film could not be further away from the earlier movies. However, it does provide a lot of background information on the Cenobites and on the creation of the puzzle box.

The story starts out in space; I know this is normally where film series go because they have nothing left, but hear me out. A future member of the Merchant family bloodline is attempting to summon the Cenobites and their leader Pinhead to have one final showdown. However, he is interrupted by a team of soldiers who knock him out and take him for interrogation. From here on, the movie is explained through a series of stories ranging from the creating of the puzzle box 400 years ago, to the present day at the time of filming, and finally back into space.

In terms of plot the film actually fairs quite well. Despite my reservations prior to watching it, due to it being in space. Brilliantly though, the story does not take place there for too long. It makes use of the history of the puzzle box and keeps you entertained. The acting is a little hammy, but what is to be expected from a Hellraiser film; more so, a Hellraiser film that is produced on a fairly low budget. It doesn't quite have the same wow factor that the original had, but as I said it is very informative. Outside of the film being a good effort at filling in the banks in the history of the Cenobites, it isn't particularly great. The death scenes are not as shocking as they once were and the dialog can be a little crummy at times. There are some flourishes of the typical arrogance from Pinhead though:

"What you think of as pain is a shadow. Pain has a face. Allow me to show it to you. Gentlemen, I... Am... Pain"

All in all, I would suggest you watch this film if you like the Hellraiser series. Others would still be able to watch it due to the large amount of exposition in the script, but I feel they just wouldn't be entertained. If you want to get into it, start at the beginning of the series. My rating for this film is low due to it being pale in comparison to the first three, and due to the actual movie part being not so good. The marks it does pick up are purely from a fan of the series perspective, but I would still say it is worth a watch.

Rating 2 out of 5

See it if you liked:
Hellraiser
Hellbound: Hellraiser II
Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth

What does IMDB say?

Review by Stephen King