Halloween Countdown (Day 8: Time Wasting)

And now we move onto Hellraiser: Bloodline, the fourth in the series, and the last one to be released theatrically.Since the first three films are the most lauded, I have to expect that anything after that is questionable, to say the least. After the last movie, I wasn't sure how the series could get any worse. But then I see that the director of this film used the pseudonym "Alan Smithee", a name a directors give when they don't want to be associated with the finihsed product for whatever reason. Already I was afraid of what sights I'll be shown.

OH YES, THERE WILL BE SPOILERS.

85 minutes later.....

.....it's in space.

While it was bad enough to see the name "Alan Smithee" in the opening credits, this just sinks to a new low. It's almost a rule of thumb were if a sequel is set in space, it's a sign of a franchise killer as it's clear that the writers have nowhere else to go with the series/characters/story. It's even harder to continue the series after being in space, where the next step is scraping the bottom of the barrel story, combining with another franchise, or just reboot the series. It's happened to Friday The 13th, Leprechaun, hell it even did in The Muppets.

But just when I got over the fact that the setting of the film is in space, the character of Paul Merchant, while captured and interrogated by Rimmer (which I can't help think of Red Dwarf when I hear that name) goes into the back story of his ancestor, Philip Lemarchand in the 18th Century. This explains how the puzzle box was first constructed, and introduces us to what I gather is one of the earliest Cenobites, Angelique. At first I thought this was going to be a brief flashback sequence, but after 30 minutes when it cuts to the narrator, I forgot that this was supposed to be in space. Not only that, other than a brief appearance at the beginning, there is no Pinhead.

Then he continues his story to the present day (well, present to the time this film was made) where it makes reference to the last film with the building that was shown where the puzzle box was hidden in the cement. I will give credit to the series that they try to link the films together, no matter how loosely. But what I don't understand is how that puzzle box was located in a pillar in the basement, when I thought it was placed in the foundations of the building.

Anyways it's in this section that we FINALLY get to see Pinhead, who is back to his former self and not following acting like an evil cartoon version of the character. As we go through the story of the next ancestor, John Merchant (I should also point out that all ancestors are played by the same actor) and his encounters with Angelique and Pinhead, and his complete disregard for the safety of his son, the film AGAIN jumps to the future, with about 20 minutes left till the ending.

The film mimics an Aliens scenario with people being picked off one by one by the Cenobites, and Paul Merhant's plan to get rid of them. Because of the film's extreme shifts in time, we see little of the ship and crew in this segment, and as a result there's no build up, knowledge or indeed interest, in the finale. Infact the whole movie is a mess, as if it was three different ideas for a sequel mashed into one, and yet it still came out as dull.

Verdict?

I did have my issues with the silly tone of the third film (and in some cases the second one) and here the film does try to keep with a serious tone (bar the scenes with the twin guards before turning into a single Cenobite), which I'll give it credit for. I will also admit that the acting is pretty acceptable,With the exception of the "Chatter Hound", the Cenobites as always looked pretty cool. And I can't complain about the casting of Angelique.

Which is a shame, as despite the off the wall settings of the movie, there was potential to make a decent enough sequel, with the right direction. But instead the film is a mess, and not even an entertaining one. I can see why the director used the "Alan Smithee" moniker for this one, as apparently there were script issues, cuts and edits he was unhappy with. There is supposed to be four different versions of this floating around, so it would be interesting to see his vision of it someday.

Until then, I have to make do with the fifth film in the series, Hellraiser: Inferno, which I've been told is pretty good, but I won't hold my breath to be on the safe side.

And on a final note.....

This film also stars Adam Scott, who I recognised from Step Brothers, which is a film that everyone I know loves, but I absolutely hate, with the only compliments I can give it was the performance of the Dad (whose name I don't know but also starred in Cabin In The Woods and White House Down), and that it's not as bad as Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. And as bad as Hellraiser: Bloodline was, it's still better than Step Brothers. But I'm sure everyone has their movies that everyone loves but hates, and vice versa.