10 Horror Movie Sequels That Deserve A Second Chance

1987’s Hellraiser and 1988’s increasingly cerebral Hellbound: Hellraiser II were bolstered by British/gothic/macabre aesthetics, psychosexual transgressiveness, and the creative involvement of original story writer Clive Barker.

In contrast, 1992’s commonly disparaged Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth leaned into the cheesiness and edginess of ‘90s popular culture, replacing its predecessors’ literary tone, pacing, and depth with a superficially flashy action/slasher vibe. In other words, it’s the MTV generation Hellraiser movie, and it’s all the better for it.

Hell on Earth's popcorn flick charm largely derives from the ruthlessness and ridiculousness of the Cenobites. Primarily, Pinhead kills freely with slick catchphrases – “Shall we begin?” – rather than selective and romanticized justifications, leading to at least two of the franchise’s most pleasingly gratuitous death scenes - the skinning of Sandy and the nightclub massacre.

The Hell Priest's new lackeys are lovably absurd, too, since most of them are fused with bizarre technologies such as CDs, cameras, and car pistons. Of course, they punish their victims in enjoyably ludicrous and explosive ways as well. Hellraiser III also dives deeper into Pinhead’s backstory as Elliot Spencer, placing interesting and substantive lore beneath its fun surface-level sleaziness. Thus, Hell on Earth is a total blast when viewed in the proper context.