Hellraiser (2022) #488

Watch the trailer here!

    After all of the fanfare, the buildup, excitement, and naysayers full of doubt, the long-awaited revival of "Hellraiser" has arrived! Now that it has had some time to be seen by the masses and picked apart by those who didn't care for it for one reason or another, I'm here to share my thoughts about the eleventh film of this beloved franchise. I enjoyed the movie and recognize that it is not a direct sequel to any of the films but rather a clever reimagining of the powers of the puzzle box and its wicked guardians.

While the original narrative is about a degenerate rake seeking supreme pleasure obtained by solving a mysterious puzzle box, this outing offers additional "prizes" to choose from if you can solve the puzzle. Replacing Frank, we have Voight, an ultra-rich entrepreneur who is collecting victims to solve the puzzle box in order to achieve the final configuration. The film begins with his latest victim, Joey, being ripped apart by the chains and hooks after he solves the puzzle while attending a lavish party. 

The story then refocuses on Riley, a struggling former drug addict who is trying to balance life between her new bad influence boyfriend Trevor and her estranged brother Matt and his circle of friends. Trevor convinces Riley to help him with a heist but all they find is the strange and unassuming puzzle box within a safe. When Riley returns home, she has an argument with Matt who accuses her of using again. She leaves to a park and solves the puzzle, barely missing getting cut by a blade that springs forth from the box. Matt comes looking for her, is cut by the box, and accidently becomes the next victim and is taken as a sacrifice by the Cenobites. Matt's boyfriend Colin and his roommate Nora help Riley and Trevor search for Matt and try to solve the mystery around the puzzle box.

Riely and her friends are eventually led to Voight's abandoned mansion, itself a puzzle box of sorts that very reminiscent of the house from "Thir13en Ghosts". As they come closer to finding out the truth about the box, the Cenobites make their presence further known and try to regain the puzzle box by whatever means necessary. They demand sacrifices, even at the expense of sacrificing one of their own, and if enough tributes are offered, who will receive the "gift" and what will they choose?

I appreciate the risks they took narratively and I feel it stays true to both the original "Hellraiser" film and the novella "The Hellbound Heart". Yes, the story is about the demonic Cenobites but it's more focused on desire from those tempted by the puzzle box. The make-up for the Cenobites is creative and clean, and that might be the only real low point of the film; for so many open wounds, they tend to be extremely dry.

The Ritual (2017) #457

 

A Netflix original movie, "The Ritual" would have been fun to see on a large screen in a proper theater. The novel by Adam Nevill was adapted by Joe Barton and directed by David Bruckner, who is known for "Southbound" and "V/H/S", and Andy Serkis holds an executive producer credit. The film follows four friends who go out of country on a hiking trip to honor a fifth friend who was killed by a thug in a botched convenience store robbery. 

A group of five long time friends are gathered to plan their next yearly trip. Rob suggests hiking in Sweden but his plan is mocked and laughed at as the others would prefer something more urban. As the friends head home, Rob and Luke stop by a convenience store, unaware that there is a robbery in progress. Rob is seen by the robbers, and when he refuses to hand over his sentimental possessions, he is shot dead. The next year, in honor of his death, the friends go on the hiking trip that Rob had suggested. 

The mood is dark and somber as Luke, Dom, Hutch, and Phil begin there hiking trip in Northern Sweden. On the second day of the hike, Dom seriously injures his knee. Hutch recommends cutting through the forest so the trip time can be reduced for Dom. The group agrees and enters the forest proper, but they quickly become lost and begin to see haunting signs that something isn't quite right. That night they find an old cabin to take shelter from a sudden storm, only to find more haunting and terrifying relics that have been left behind. Things quickly spiral out of control as they continue to head deeper in to the woods...

"The Ritual" is full of wonderfully creepy moments and includes one of the most original and horrifying creatures to ever grace the screen. The friends breakdown of trust, security, and sanity grabs the viewers attention and never lets go. It gives the viewer with enough unanswered questions to leave them wanting more. I'm inspired to read the novel just to see if I can gleam anything new that I may have missed. This is one film that I can not recommend enough.

Southbound (2015) #452

I love a well made horror anthology and “Southbound” was a delightful joyride. The strength of this film is how graceful the five segments are connected and flow from one to the next. Running at 89 minutes, the five separate segments don’t feel rushed and are given enough space to develop narratively. 

Each of the five segments had their own director and cast. I honestly couldn’t tell the difference in direction styles between the segments because it really did flow that smoothly. The director collective Radio Silence helmed “The Way Out” and “The Way In”. Roxanne Benjamin, best known for “V/H/S” directed “The Siren”, while fellow “V/H/S” director David Bruckner helmed “The Accident”. Patrick Horvath, who directed the segment “Jailbreak”, is the only director I who I was not previously familiar with.

 

I did enjoy one or two more than the others but I felt that was due to the story than any other factor. Each story is cleverly crafted to carry on from the previous segment and then transition into the next. This is impressive because each segment is also written by a different writer. There’s not much to say about the actors because the performances were all well throughout. Makeup was the main form of effects throughout “Southbound” although other practical effects as well as CGI were utilized. There isn’t too much outright gore or violence but this fact doesn’t water down the horror in the film.

“Southbound” could refer to travelling south as the stories are all interwoven by their shared theme of horror and terror on the open road of a desert highway. Or it could refer to the various characters entering their own personal hell, as in south of heaven. You, as the viewer, get to decide….