5.5 | / 10 |
Users | 3.5 | |
Reviewer | 2.0 | |
Overall | 2.7 |
Detectives Sean and David Carter are on the case to find a gruesome serial killer terrorizing the city. Joining forces with Detective Christine Egerton, they dig deeper into a spiraling maze of horror that may not be of this world.
Starring: Paul T. Taylor, Heather Langenkamp, Randy Wayne, Rheagan Wallace, Damon CarneyHorror | 100% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
BDInfo
English SDH, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
UV digital copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 2.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 2.0 |
Jean-Paul Sartre’s iconic Existentialist play No Exit posited three lost souls locked in a room supposedly “down under” (like, hell) where, as
the play’s very (English language) title may indicate, egress is impossible. At least Sartre’s characters had the good fortune (?) to be confined to a
relatively decent abode that, according to Sartre’s stage directions, should be furnished in classical French style, a gambit which may in fact
remind
some of a supposedly “heavenly” (or at least something similar) locale in the psychedelic conclusion to Stanley Kubrick’s equally iconic 2001: A Space Odyssey. There are three (human) characters chasing a
nefarious (hellish?) serial killer in Hellraiser: Judgment, the latest installment in the seemingly unending franchise that began way back in
1987 with the original Hellraiser, though some curmudgeons
may feel like they’re the ones stuck in hell in this fitfully engaging but kind of diffused feeling sequel, one whose obvious budget
limitations
keep the furnishings decidedly on the dowdy side (yes, that's a joke). As even any diehard Hellraiser
fans will probably agree, the franchise has certainly suffered from the so-called law of diminishing returns as it has wended its way through ten
films,
but those very same longtime fans may in fact find some elements of Hellraiser: Judgment satisfying enough to warrant checking this
“installment” out. To say that Hellraiser: Judgment is at least relatively better than some of the other latter day follow ups is probably
damning with faint praise (to put it mildly), but the film at least attempts to deal with some dangling plot threads from previous films while also
obviously trying to set things up for another ten films (heaven — or hell — forfend).
The Hellraiser franchise has had a kind of interesting history on Blu-ray, and some and only some of the releases can be read about by
clicking on the following links:
Hellraiser: The Scarlet Box Blu-ray review
(Arrow's set includes the first three films)
Hellraiser Series: Multi-Feature
(contains the next four sequels, Hellraiser: Bloodline
, Hellraiser: Inferno, Hellraiser: Hellseeker, and Hellraiser: Deader)
Hellraiser: Hellworld
Hellraiser: Revelations
Hellraiser: Judgment is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. Whatever the narrative deficits in the film, stylistically this is rather interesting a lot of the time, with grading that tends to exist either in sepia tones or blue hues, as can be seen in several of the screenshots accompanying this review. There are a number of digital tweaks that have been applied to the imagery, some of which intentionally mask detail levels, including moments that are "distressed" looking with digital grain, or some of the otherworldly moments where The Auditor interacts with his "supervisor" (see screenshot 5), where detail is intentionally is virtually nonexistent. Director Tunnicliffe exploits extreme close-ups quite a bit of the time (as can again be gleaned from some of the screenshots accompanying this review), and detail and fine detail levels tend to be quite high during these moments, despite often pretty severe color grading and other tweaks that alter things like contrast and brightness.
Hellraiser: Judgment features an appealingly forceful DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track that offers great support for huge washes of low end courtesy of both score and LFE. What might almost be characterized as waves of low ambient hum often build menacingly in the soundtrack, offering a perhaps subliminal level of angst. Gore effects are also often accompanied by pretty visceral sounding additions to the soundtrack, especially in a couple of evisceration scenes. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly on this problem free track.
Despite the almost unavoidably offensive aspects of the opening vignette, I actually thought Hellraiser: Judgment might pull the whole reboot thing off with at least a modicum of style, but once the police angle showed up, things ground to a pretty substantial halt, only picking up energy once The Auditor and his wacky crew got involved with one of the main human characters. There are obvious production design inadequacies here which probably stem from a limited budget, but some of the special effects work is rather well done, and the film boasts an interesting style, two elements which may make it more palatable for the avid Hellraiser fan than for the general horror film public. Technical merits (especially audio) are generally excellent for those considering a purchase.
Hellraiser IX
2011
Hellraiser 8
2005
1988
1992
Hellraiser VI
2002
1994
1984
1991
1988
1989
1985
1986
Limited Edition
2009
2014
1982
1989
2019
Collector's Edition
1988
2018
2013