Hellraiser Quartet of Torment: Limited Edition – Arrow Video (4k UHD)

Theatrical Release Dates: UK, 1987 (Hellraiser), UK, 1988 (Hellbound: Hellraiser II), USA/UK, 1992 (Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth), USA/UK, 1996 (Hellraiser: Bloodline)
Directors: Clive Barker (Hellraiser), Tony Randel (Hellbound: Hellraiser II), Anthony Hickox (Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth), Kevin Yagher (Hellraiser: Bloodline)
Cast: Andrew Robinson, Clare Higgins, Ashley Laurence, Sean Chapman, Doug Bradley (Hellraiser), Clare Higgins, Ashley Laurence, Kenneth Cranham, Imogen Boorman, Sean Chapman, William Hope, Doug Bradley (Hellbound: Hellraiser II), Kevin Bernhardt, Terry Farrell, Ken Carpenter, Paula Marshall, Doug Bradley, Ashley Laurence (Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth), Bruce Ramsay, Valentina Vargas, Doug Bradley, Charlotte Chatton, Adam Scott, Kim Myers, Mickey Cottrell, Louis Turenne, Courtland Mead, Louis Mustillo (Hellraiser: Bloodline)

Release Date: October 23rd, 2023
Approximate Running Times: 93 Minutes 21 Seconds (Hellraiser), 99 Minutes 2 Seconds (Hellbound: Hellraiser II), 93 Minutes 11 Seconds (Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth - Theatrical Cut), 96 Minutes 21 Seconds (Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth - Unrated Cut), 84 Minutes 44 Seconds (Hellraiser: Bloodline)
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / Dolby Vision HDR10 (All Films)
Rating: 18 (UK)
Sound: DTS-HD 5.1 English, DTS-HD Stereo English (All Films)
Subtitles: English SDH (All Films)
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: OOP

"We Have Such Sights To Show You...

In the 1980s, Clive Barker changed the face of horror fiction, throwing out the rules to expose new vistas of terror and beauty, expanding the horizons for every genre writer who followed him. With Hellraiser, his first feature film, he did the same for cinema.

Hedonist Frank Cotton (Sean Chapman) thinks he has reached the limits of earthly pleasure. But a mysterious puzzle box will take him further than he can possibly imagine, opening the doors to a dominion where pain and pleasure are indivisible and summoning the Cenobites, whose experiments in the higher reaches of experience will tear his soul apart. When he manages to escape, Frank returns to the world skinless and in need of help. Now his former lover Julia (Clare Higgins) must kill to make him whole again. But the Cenobites want Frank back, and there'll be hell to pay when they find him.

Hellbound: Hellraiser Ii expands on Barker's original vision as screenwriter Peter Atkins takes Julia Cotton, her step daughter Kirsty (Ashley Laurence) and the sinister Dr. Channard (Kenneth Cranham) into the dominion of the Cenobites themselves. Hellraiser Iii: Hell on Earth sees Pinhead set loose on the sinful streets of New York City to create chaos with a fresh cadre of Cenobitic kin. Then, Hellraiser: Bloodline sinks its hooks into past, present and future with the story of Phillip LeMarchand, the 18th-century toymaker who made the lament configuration puzzle box, his descendent John Merchant - a 20th-century architect whose most recent building bears a striking resemblance to the lament configuration - and Dr. Paul Merchant, a 22nd-century engineer and designer of The Minos, a space station which is a great deal more than it seems." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5 (Hellraiser, Hellbound: Hellraiser II, Hellraiser: Bloodline), 4.25/5 (Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth)

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "Brand new 4K restorations of all four films from the original camera negatives by Arrow Films."

Here’s additional information about the transfers, "The original materials for Hellraiser, Hellbound: Hellraiser II and Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth supplied for this restoration were made available by Lakeshore Entertainment via Technicolor UK. The original materials for Hellraiser: Bloodline were made available by Lakeshore Entertainment via Paramount Pictures."

Hellraiser comes on a 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD

Disc Size: 83.9 GB

Feature: 65.2 GB

The transfer looks excellent; any source imperfections have been cleaned up. Flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated, image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image always looks organic.

Hellbound: Hellraiser II comes on a 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD

Disc Size: 91 GB

Feature: 70.6 GB

The transfer looks excellent; any source imperfections have been cleaned up. Flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated, image clarity, contrast, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image always looks organic.

Hellraiser III: Hell On Earth comes on a 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD

Disc Size: 77.4 GB

Feature: 66.5 GB

This transfer is in great shape; any source imperfections have been cleaned up. That said, when it comes to the footage exclusive to the unrated cut, it comes from a lesser source, and there is a noticeable drop in quality. Flesh tones and colors look correct, image clarity and black levels are strong, compression is solid, and the image retains an organic look. This release uses seamless branching for the two versions.

Hellraiser: Bloodline comes on a 100 GB triple layer 4K UHD

Disc Size: 81.9 GB

Feature: 59.8 GB

The transfer looks excellent, any source imperfections have been cleaned up. Flesh tones look correct, colors are nicely saturated (blues and reds really stand out), image clarity, black levels, and compression are solid, and the image retains an organic look.

Audio: 4.5/5

Each film comes with two audio options, a DTS-HD 5.1 mix in English and a DTS-HD stereo mix in English. All of these audio tracks sound excellent. Dialog always comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and ambient sounds are well represented. Range-wise, these tracks do a great job exploiting the sound spectrum, and their scores sound robust. Each film comes with a removable English SDH.

Extras:

Extras for Hellraiser include first draft screenplay (116 images), final draft screenplay (97 images), an image gallery (51 images - stills/posters/other promotional materials), four TV spots (2 minutes 13 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a theatrical trailer (1 minute 37 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), Red band theatrical trailer (1 minute 36 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), International theatrical trailer (1 minute 37 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with actor Sean Chapman titled Being Frank (26 minutes 22 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with actor Doug Bradley titled Under the Skin (12 minutes 32 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with Coil band member Stephen Thrower titled Soundtrack Hell: The Story of the Abandoned Coil Score (18 minutes 9 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), original 1987 electronic press kit (6 minutes, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), extended EPK interview director Clive Barker (4 minutes 49 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), extended EPK interview actor Andrew Robinson (4 minutes 24 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), extended EPK interview actress Clare Higgins (3 minutes 18 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), extended EPK interview actress Ashley Laurence (3 minutes 7 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), extended EPK interview effects artist Bob Keen (9 minutes 28 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival featurette titled Hellraiser:Resurection (24 minutes 27 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an introduction by genre historian (and unit publicist of Hellraiser) Stephen Jones with author and film critic Kim Newman (10 minutes 36 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a video essay by author Guy Adams titled Flesh is a Trap (18 minutes 19 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a video essay by author Alexandra Benedict titled Unboxing Hellraiser (21 minutes 53 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a discussion between acclaimed horror authors Paula D. Ashe and Eric LaRocca titled The Pursuit of Possibilities (40 minutes 57 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a discussion about Hellraiser and the work of Clive Barker by film scholars Sorcha Ní Fhlainn and Karmel Kniprath titled Power of Imagination (58 minutes 14 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival audio commentary with Clive Barker, an archival audio commentary with Clive Barker, Ashley Laurence, and moderated by Peter Atkins, and an audio commentary with Stephen Jones and Kim Newman.

Extras for Hellbound: Hellraiser II include image galleries: alternate ending storyboards (10 images), storyboards (117 images), stills and promo materials (152 images), and draft screenplay (97 images), TV spot 1 (33 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), TV spot 3 (33 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), TV spot 3 (33 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), theatrical trailer 1 (1 minute 55 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), theatrical trailer 2 (1 minute 19 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), theatrical trailer 3 (1 minute 32 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), Red band theatrical trailer (1 minute 41 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with Sean Chapman titled Being Frank (11 minutes 35 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with Doug Bradley titled Under the Skin (10 minutes 52 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival featurette titled Lost in the Labyrinth (17 minutes 3 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), deleted surgeon scene (4 minutes 51 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), Clive Barker on set interview (3 minutes 18 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), cast & crew on set interview (4 minutes 45 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival extra titled behind the scenes footage (1 minute 51 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an appreciation of composer Christopher Young's scores for Hellraiser and Hellbound: Hellraiser Ii by Guy Adams tilted (11 minutes 54 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an appreciation of Hellbound, the Hellraiser mythos and the work of Clive Barker by horror authors George Daniel Lea and Kit Power titled Hell Was What They Wanted! (85 minutes 17 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival audio commentary with director Tony Randel, screenwriter Peter Atkins and Ashley Laurence, an archival audio commentary with Tony Randel and Peter Atkins, and an audio commentary with Stephen Jones and Kim Newman.

Extras for Hellraiser III: Hell On Earth include an image gallery (25 images - stills/drawings), a theatrical trailer (1 minute 52 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with actress Paula Marshall titled Time with Terri (14 minutes 53 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with director Anthony Hickox titled Raising Hell on Earth (13 minutes 59 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with Doug Bradley titled Under the Skin (13 minutes 46 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), electronic press kit (12 minutes 15 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), Fx dailies (23 minutes 49 seconds, no sound), an archival audio commentary with Anthony Hickox and Doug Bradley for unrated cut, an archival audio commentary with Peter Atkins for theatrical cut, and an audio commentary with Stephen Jones and Kim Newman for unrated cut.

Extras for Hellraiser: Bloodline include an image gallery (12 images - stills/posters), a theatrical trailer (1 minute 14 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival appreciation by horror author David Gatwalk titled Books of Blood and Beyond: The Literary Works of Clive Barker (19 minutes 23 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival documentary on the evolution of the franchise and its enduring legacy titled Hellraiser Evolutions (48 minutes 15 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a featurette exploring the Cenobites' connection to goth, fetish cultures and Bdsm titled The Beauty of Suffering (27 minutes 48 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a workprint version of the film, providing a fascinating insight into how it changed during post production (82 minutes 11 seconds, standard definition, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), more alternate footage (5 minutes 51 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), and an audio commentary with Peter Atkins, Stephen Jones and Kim Newman. This disc also has an Easter egg, which is a fax that director Kevin Yagher sent in response to the changes made to the film.

Other extras are limited edition layered packaging featuring brand new Chatterer artwork, and a 200-page hardback book with cast & crew information for each film, a text piece titled Surgeons of God: Steps on the Forbidden Path to Hellraiser written by Phil and Sarah Stokes, Hellraiser presskit, a text piece titled Hellraiser: Faustus Endures written by Phil and Sarah Stokes, Hellbound: Hellraiser II press kit, a text piece titled Hellbound: Another Underworld written by Phil and Sarah Stokes, Hellraiser III: Hell On Earth press kit, a text piece titled Hell on Earth: Pinhead Unbound written by Phil and Sarah Stokes, Hellraiser: Bloodline press kit, a text piece titled Bloodline: Tracing a Troubled Heritage written by Phil and Sarah Stokes, a text piece titled Pinhead: A Study in Scarlet written by Phil and Sarah Stokes, and information about the restorations.

Summary:

Out of all the genres of cinema, the horror film genre is the one that most often gets looked down upon. With the majority of its naysayers getting caught up in the blood and guts on display and all but forgetting anything of substance that does rise to the surface, fortunately, every now and then comes along an innovative filmmaker who gives the genre a much-needed shot in the arm.

This brings us to Hellraiser and 1980’s horror cinema. Though the boom for horror cinema started much earlier in the decade, it is safe to say that by the time Hellraiser came around, the number of truly iconic horror films from the 1980s could be counted on one hand.

Hellraiser: An unfaithful wife resurrects her deceased lover by luring in victims, whom he feeds off their flesh and blood. Unfortunately, their new-found bliss is cut short when demons known as the Cenobites, who previously consumed his soul, come looking for him.

Hellraiser was adapted from Clive Barker’s novella The Hellbound Heart. And with Hellraiser, Clive Barker would make his feature film debut. Unfortunately, after Hellraiser, he would only go on to direct two more films, Nightbreed and Lord of the Illusions.

What is it about Hellraiser and, to a lesser extent, its sequels that continues to draw us into its perverse web of pleasure and pain? The answer is simple: everything begins and ends with the characters that populate Hellraiser. And though they are well-defined entities whose motivations are never in doubt, another strength of Hellraiser is that there is no balance in regards to good and evil, as the overwhelming majority of characters are generally up to no good.

At the dark heart of every great horror film is an iconic villain with whom the audience forms an odd bond. And though these creatures that go bump in the night are meant to be feared, it is hard to root against many of them due to their inability to not fall prey to familiar trappings. That said, what was originally intended to be little more than a background character, the Cenobites, and more specifically, their leader, Pinhead, quickly took on a larger presence that thrust them past the character who was originally intended to be Hellraiser's villain.

Performance-wise, the entire cast is exceptional in their respective roles. The standout role is Clare Higgins in the role of Julia, the wife whose resurrection of her deceased lover sets everything in motion. Also, though the Pinhead character is now known as the main villain of the Hellraiser series, originally the Julia character was to have been the main villain. Another performance of note is Doug Bradley in the role of Pinhead.

For the first time, filmmaker Clive Barker does not disappoint, as he creates an utterly tangible world that perfectly captures the essence of the original written source. And when it comes to pacing, there are no issues, as the narrative is constantly moving forward at breakneck momentum. Ultimately, Hellraiser is a perfect fusion of horror and sadism that stands out as one of horror cinema’s greatest films.

Hellbound: Hellraiser II: After the death of her family, a young woman named Christy is put in a mental institute that is run by a doctor obsessed with the occult. Her sanctuary is short-lived as the doctors’ obsession with the occult reunites Christy and the Cenobites.

Hellbound: Hellraiser II was directed by Tony Randel, whose other notable films include Ticks and a live-action adaptation of The Fist of the North Star. This time around, the screenplay for this sequel was written by Peter Atkins. He would go on to write the screenplays for the next two Hellraiser films, Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth and Hellraiser: Bloodline.

Hellbound: Hellraiser II literally picks up right where its predecessor left off and though the majority of the key talent behind Hellraiser return for this sequel. The major change creatively would be Tony Randall taking over the directing duties from Clive Barker.

Content-wise, Hellbound: Hellraiser II contains all of the ingredients that made its predecessor so successful. And yet it also falls into the bigger-is-better trap that countless other sequels have succumbed to too. And though there are a handful of areas in Hellbound: Hellraiser II where this approach does succeed, Hellbound: Hellraiser II’s lack of intimacy that its predecessor had is its greatest failing. That said, there is one area where this sequel outdoes its predecessor, and that is in its execution of gore-related moments.

From a production standpoint, the visuals are consistently strong, especially when it comes to their depiction of hell. As mentioned before, Hellbound: Hellraiser II often excels during gore-related moments, and this is also true in regards to its use of sadism. Also, when it comes to pacing, there are no issues as things move along briskly from one shocking moment to the next. And when it comes to the performances, the cast is once again excellent in their respective roles. Ultimately, Hellbound: Hellraiser II is a solid sequel that makes a perfect companion piece to its predecessor.

Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth: An investigative reporter gets the story of a lifetime when a victim of the Cenobites arrives in the middle of the night at the emergency room. Will she find the answers she is looking for, or will her soul be consumed by the Cenobites?

Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth was directed by Anthony Hickox, whose other notable films include Waxwork and Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat. The screenplay for Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth was written by Peter Atkins, who also wrote screenplays for two other Hellraiser films, Hellbound: Hellraiser II and Hellraiser: Bloodline.

As the series progressed, the focus shifted more towards the exploits of its villain, Pinhead. And with Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth, we are finally given a chance to see the man before he became the monster. Unfortunately, this is one of those rare times where more backstory does not enhance the story at hand. That said, this is just a minor blimp in a series of things that went wrong with Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth.

For the first two Hellraiser films, there had always been a good balance between melodrama and horror. Then, with Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth, someone decided to take an abrupt turn that went against all the things that made the first two Hellraiser films so endearing. With no change more glaring than transforming Pinhead into a caricature of his former self, gone are the nuances that made his character so memorable, and now he is nothing more than a blood- and flesh-dosing entity who says clever one-liners.

From a production standpoint, the visuals in this one are at their strongest during moments of gore. In other areas of this production, the narrative is predicable, the characters are one-dimensional, and when it comes to pacing, there are a few lulls that slow momentum down. And performance-wise, the cast is best described as adequate. Ultimately, despite not being as good as its two predecessors, Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth is a very good horror film.

Hellraiser: Bloodline: An evil connected to a puzzle box that opens the gates of hell has plagued three generations of a family whose descendant made the box.

Hellraiser: Bloodline was the first and only film directed by Kevin Yagher, who is most known for his work in makeup effects. He would have his name removed from Hellraiser: Bloodline when producers made changes to the film behind his back.

With the new Hellraiser film, it feels like they drift further away from the elements that made Clive Barker's film adaptation of his novella stand out as one of horror cinema's greatest horror films. And though Hollywood is to blame for this since they have a history of exploiting something successful for all of its worth and then some, the other thing that changed as the Hellraiser series evolved was Pinhead and how he became a caricature.

Based solely on premise, Hellraiser: Bloodline had all of the elements to be a great film. It was to serve as a prequel that would further explore the origins of the puzzle box and the horrors that it unleashed. Unfortunately, somewhere from concept to screen, something went greatly awry.

The narrative is set in three time periods: 1796, 1996, and the 22nd century. The narrative opens and closes in the latter, while a good portion of the narrative is spent in the other two time periods. Though the narrative does a decent job moving things forward, it suffers too much from predictability.

Outside of its gory set pieces, there is no other area where Hellraiser: Bloodline delivers. The CGI effects look dated, the performances are best described as adequate, and placing Pinhead in a future setting is poorly executed. Ultimately, Hellraiser: Bloodline continues the trend of Hellraiser sequels that are worse than their predecessors.

Arrow Video’s limited edition release for Hellraiser Quartet of Torment is an exceptional release in which the films have never looked or sounded better, and there is a wealth of insightful extras, highly recommended.

Note: Arrow Video is releasing a standard edition of Hellraiser Quartet of Torment in February 2023.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a VLC player and lossless PNGs.

 

                                            An example of unrated insert footage.

Written by Michael Den Boer