5.7 | / 10 |
Users | 3.7 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.7 |
Spanning three generations, this horrifying story chronicles the struggle of one family who unknowingly created the puzzle box that opened the doors of Hell - setting the diabolical Pinhead free to spread evil here on earth! Now, the family must fight to slam those doors shut again...but not before Pinhead wages one of his fiercest and most frightening battles ever!
Starring: Bruce Ramsay, Valentina Vargas, Doug Bradley, Kim Myers, Christine HarnosHorror | 100% |
Thriller | 42% |
Supernatural | 20% |
Sci-Fi | 2% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
None
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 0.0 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
This is a holocaust waiting to wake itself.
Space may be the final frontier, but it's becoming just another leg in the long, drawn-out, and sometimes even arduous journeys of Horror icons as
scriptwriters try to squeeze out some semi-novel plot line to drive another picture in some already overlong Horror franchise that's seen its day,
come close
to empty, but that still isn't quite running on fumes. In an effort to breathe new
life
into
the series, the powers-that-be behind the successful but dwindling Hellraiser franchise chose in 1996 to set the then-latest installment
in...outer space? From the depths of hell to the furthest reaches of the heavens, Pinhead has
come full
circle in both place and time in Hellraiser: Bloodline, a picture that spans centuries and brings the series to a logical conclusion* while setting
something of a trend in plopping Horror icons into the vacuum of space. Both the Leprechaun and Friday the 13th series's would
follow suit in the years to come, but Bloodline at least makes sense of the setting and smartly works it into the plot rather than haphazardly
building some ten-cent story around the idea of "Horror figure in space." It's never as goofy as it
sounds, but as the fourth picture in the series, it's not surprising that it's not exactly a genre masterpiece, either. No matter, Bloodline is
good enough to satisfy fans while bringing to light some of the history that's heretofore gone unseen and unknown in the diabolical world of Pinhead
and the grossly disfigured Cenobites.
Smile! You're on candid camera!
Hellraiser: Bloodline materializes on Blu-ray with a halfway decent 1080p, 1.78:1-framed transfer. A fairly heavy grain/noise combination dusts up the background, but fortunately, the transfer doesn't appear to be the victim of noise reduction. Detail ranges from fair to good, with close-up shots often revealing fine skin textures, the intricacies of the puzzle box, or the general cheapness of the space station set. Clarity is quite good, depth is average, and colors are adequate, if not a bit dull. Black crush is evident, but not to any debilitating excess. The image doesn't hold up too well in the darkest scenes, though, but blocking and banding are generally kept to tolerable levels. This is by no means a killer transfer, but it's certainly satisfactory given all the peripherals.
Likewise, Hellraiser: Bloodline's DTS-HD MA 2.0 lossless soundtrack suffices, but it won't rock out even modest sound systems. The track would clearly benefit from a wider and fuller 5.1 presentation. Music sounds far too cramped and lacking superior clarity, but there's no denying it plays with a passion and that the track squeezes out about all the energy and stability it can muster. Various sound effects, such as sliding doors on the space station, are nicely implemented and take full advantage of the entire front half of the soundstage, but most of the track seems content to linger about the middle. Atmospherics are disappointingly weak and light, as evidenced by a smattering of applause as heard in chapter seven. Fortunately, dialogue is consistently clear and remains grounded in the center channel. This film could definitely benefit from a superior audio presentation, but as it is, Echo Bridge's soundtrack is satisfactory.
Hellraiser: Bloodline's Blu-ray release contains no special features.
Hellraiser: Bloodline sees the franchise come full circle, exploring both its roots and its future in one long lineage of time and people and terror
that's tidily condensed into a sub-90 minute little treat of a Horror movie. That it focuses more on story rather than simply drench the screen in more
tiresome gore is a real bonus, but fret not, gore aficionados, there's certainly an honest amount of gruesome bloodletting to be seen in Bloodline.
As Pinhead states in the movie, he is "forever," and so too, it seems, is this franchise, continuing to turn out, now, one direct-to-video release after
another
despite the notion that Hellraiser: Bloodline would certainly work as an honest conclusion to the series. No matter, so long as
Pinhead and a
few Cenobite minions can
scare
up a few more plot lines, more power to 'em. Echo Bridge's Blu-ray release of Hellraiser: Bloodline manages a decent technical presentation but
contains no extras. This isn't a dynamic, must-own release, but chances are most fans will be satisfied with this nuts-and-bolts package.
Recommended.
*Direct to video sequels not withstanding.
Hellraiser 8
2005
Hellraiser V
2000
Hellraiser VI
2002
1988
1992
1987
2001
Hellraiser IX
2011
2018
2000
1992
Hellraiser VII
2005
Collector's Edition
1982
1997
1959-1964
Puppet Master 2
1990
1951
1965
1983
1985