Much like how the hooks in “Hellraiser” pull people to their doom, viewers will experience that same drag if they decide to sit through this two-hour film. The story overall isn’t very engaging, regardless if you’re watching it for the gore or the character development. It sadly falls in line with many horror cliches that have plagued the industry ever since horror movies became widely popular. So, here’s what made “Hellraiser” such a pain to get through.
Protagonists
Let’s look at the group of friends in “Hellraiser,” starting off with the main protagonist, Riley. She is a young drug addict who has a poor relationship with everyone around her. It doesn't matter who she is talking to, an argument is going to eventually ensue when she interacts with her friends.
During one of these arguments, she storms off which then leads to her brother’s disappearance. It is up to her to save her brother with the help of a mysterious puzzle box, which holds a terrifying secret.
Then, we have Riley’s brother, Matt. Her brother, alongside all the other side characters, lacks any real character development for the audience to connect with. Riley and Matt had next to no character buildup, but the story tries to make you care about their relationship. It’s especially problematic when the entire story revolves around Riley trying to save Matt. It’s overall a very weak point for the film.
Speaking of weak points, Riley’s boyfriend Trevor and her other friends Nora and Colin are nothing more than people that Riley argues with in order to progress the plot of the film. These interactions can be summed up as, “This is a bad idea, but let’s do it anyway.” It’s a classic horror trope that is sometimes necessary for horror films to build suspense; however, “Hellraiser” does this constantly. Maybe the villains have a chance to make this film interesting?
Villains
To avoid spoilers, this section is going to be light in detail but should provide enough of an overview. The design of the main villains is phenomenal, with creepy and unsettling appearances that can unnerve those who dislike body horror. These villains are called “Cenobites,” pain worshippers who get joy from other people’s suffering. It is their mission to attack anyone who solves the puzzle box with the intention of satisfying their sadomasochistic god.
Apart from being scary looking and murderous, they don’t have any character outside of this. Granted, it is atypical for horror movie killers to get a fully fleshed-out backstory, but earlier installments of “Hellraiser” have given the Cenobites a greater story.
Plot
The plot is without a doubt, the worst part of the film. As mentioned earlier, it features Riley trying to save Matt from the Cenobites. The problem is that it is easy to forget about this plot line since the film makes Matt an incredibly boring character. It’s worsened by the fact that most scenes come across as filler.
Pointless sex scenes and gore-filled scenes are scattered across this movie, which doesn’t add any plot details. It becomes irritating because one catches on quickly that another one of those unnecessary scenes is coming. The plot-relevant scenes aren’t much better; they’re primarily about our heroes finding stuff out and then arguing about what to do with said information. It all becomes highly annoying very fast as this is a common occurrence.
Summary
Despite “Hellraiser” being all about the suffering of the characters, the only person who truly suffers is the viewer. Bloated with unnecessary scenes and grating characters, “Hellraiser” has a hard time creating an interesting story that makes the audience engaged in what’s happening in the story. Save yourself the suffering this Halloween and stick to a horror movie that actually does something with its story.
