Hellraiser 6: Hellseeker

...rather gave up on the Hellraiser series after the dreadful Hellraiser 4; but I was tempted back by the return of Kirsty; especially as she was played by the same actress that played her in the Hellraisers of the 1980's. But the fact that she appeared to die in the first 5 minutes left me feeling like I had been lured into a big lie. And to a certain extent I had; because although she returns her presence is very much a secondary one.

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...as bad as the forth Hellraiser movie without a doubt, but its nothing better than the nonsense you'll find on the Horror channel. There are times in the movie that I had to force myself to stay awake because the story was so difficult to follow. But by the last twenty minutes I was wide awake and paying attention.

For those of you unaware about the Hellraiser movies the storyline initially was very good. A box found in a far away country ... more

While driving in their car Kirsty (star of the original Hellraisers) and her husband Trevor have a horrific accident. They collide with another vehicle and in trying to avoid too much damage Trevor drives the car off a bridge into a river. As Trevor struggles to release Kirsty trapped in her seat he realises that the car is filling with water. Despite his best efforts he is forced to watch Kirsty die before his very eyes; before he escapes to the surface.

Almost immediately Trevor begins to have unusual encounters; women throw themselves at him and he keeps meeting strange individuals. Worse still he sees a variety of horrific deaths that may or may not have happened. With each encounter Trevor is on the receiving end of a terrible headache. As his bizarre world intermingles with the real one Trevor loses sight of what is a dream and what is a reality.

As these visions get worse Trevor receives a visit by the one known as Pinhead a creature that has a thirst for the souls of humans. Pinhead informs Trevor that Kirsty is not dead, but in order to get her back he must feed Pinheads thirst for souls.

Cast

Dean Winters .... Trevor Gooden
Ashley Laurence .... Kirsty Cotton
Doug Bradley .... Pinhead/Merchant (as Charles Stead)
Rachel Hayward .... Dr. Allison
Sarah-Jane Redmond .... Gwen
Jody Thompson .... Tawny
Kaaren de Zilva .... Sage
William S. Taylor .... Detective Lange
Michael Rogers .... Detective Givens

I rather gave up on the Hellraiser series after the dreadful Hellraiser 4; but I was tempted back by the return of Kirsty; especially as she was played by the same actress that played her in the Hellraisers of the 1980's. But the fact that she appeared to die in the first 5 minutes left me feeling like I had been lured into a big lie. And to a certain extent I had; because although she returns her presence is very much a secondary one.

Most of the film we are taunted by the rather annoying Trevor whom played by Dean Winters appears a trifle wooden and emotionless the whole way through. However I should not knock the actor in question as later in the movie the wooden quality to his performance is possibly addressed.

The story is very hard to follow and I personally sat through the first hour questioning my sanity of watching it; because despite the little sparks of life that occurs in it, the movie for the first hour is pretty dire. However from about an hour and a minute in it suddenly all starts to make sense and the movie progresses on at a rip roaring speed. With one massive boost to the adrenalin at the end; possibly to do with the fact that the end is so far removed from what you expect.

On the whole Hellraiser: Hellseeker looks very cheap; almost like it's made on a handheld camera. The performances from all the actors is close to diabolical regardless of the excuse of how the movie ends. Its not as bad as the forth Hellraiser movie without a doubt, but its nothing better than the nonsense you'll find on the Horror channel. There are times in the movie that I had to force myself to stay awake because the story was so difficult to follow. But by the last twenty minutes I was wide awake and paying attention.

For those of you unaware about the Hellraiser movies the storyline initially was very good. A box found in a far away country appears to be like a puzzle; the box is very difficult to open but for those who manage it a very different life awaits tham after opening the box. On the inside of the box is what can only be described as hell inhabited by creatures called Cenobites. These creatures led by Pinhead, have a thirst for the souls of the innocent. When Kirsty encountered the Cenobites in the first movie they began a quest for her through three movies. Some are rewarded by the box initially; but ultimately with the exception of Kirsty everyone who has ever encounted the box has died; but will Hellraiser 6 see the end of Kirsty?

Special Features

There are no special features as such just a trailer for Hellraiser 5, 6, and 7. But I must say that Hellraiser 7 looks really interesting and returns the story to England.

I'd not recommend buying Hellseeker, its an undoubted waste of money, however if it turns up on TV or you see it in a video library and you can find nothing better then perhaps you could rent it.

Hellraiser 6: Hellseeker is due out in the UK to buy from October, but available on all all overseas formats at present. Retail price will be £7.99.
 

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