Hellraiser 3: Hell on Earth

 

This is the first American Hellraiser movie, and it’s actually not bad. Compared to the first two it’s a definite change of feel and pace and it lacks the creepy atmosphere of the first and bonkers creativity of the second, but it’s a fun little movie. It has a pretty good pace, building up to a big, bloody climax. It also finally lets Pinhead take up the limelight, thrusting him in the lead villain role and focusing its story on him. This is a great strength for the film, as it finally lets its most iconic character take the limelight. It’s a movie that builds up to its big, violent set piece. It does basically turn into something of a straightforward slasher in its finale, but it’s a fun little horror movie all up and a definite change of pace to Hellbound. It’s also a change of location, taking place in America.

JP, the jackass owner of a hip American nightclub, ‘The Boiler Room’, buys a horrific statue called the ‘Pillar of Souls’ from a mysterious store. Embedded in the statue is a mysterious puzzle box. After some blood gets onto the statue, it comes alive and slaughters one of the girls JC seduces from his club. Pinhead, trapped within the statue, is revived and convinces JP to bring him more women to kill so he can gain enough power to free himself, promising JP sights and pleasures undreamt of. JC, the asshole he is, agrees.

Meanwhile, struggling television reporter Joey thinks she’s found the story of a lifetime when she witnesses a man in a hospital emergency room get torn to pieces by hooks that appear from nowhere. Her only lead brings her to The Boiler Room, tracking down Terri, JP’s abused ex-girlfriend who has stolen the puzzle box from JP. Together they research the box’s history, linking it to an incident at the Channard Institute and learning about the Cenobites. As her investigation continues, Joey is contacted by the spirit of Elliot Spencer, Pinhead’s discarded human side who needs her help in fusing back with Pinhead and restoring his humanity – the only way he can be defeated.

But Pinhead is freed from the statue and wreaks havoc at the nightclub, slaughtering dozens and creating some Cenobite followers, planning to venture forth and create hell on earth unless Joey can stop him.

As you could probably tell, the movie mostly moves on from the characters and place of the first two films. We’re not in Britain any more and Kirsty isn’t out protagonist (though she appears in videotape interviews from her time at the Channard Institute that Joey finds, where she basically fills in the plot of the first two movies). The switch to American is a bit funny, but then again the box was originally found in Morocco (though it didn’t originate there), so travelling the world to dole out pain and suffering makes sense. The ‘Pillar of Souls’ is meant to be the pillar from the end of the last movie, but it’s substantially different looking (it’s a statue for one). It’s a bit strange that the puzzle box was embedded within, and that it apparently fell out as well. Speaking of the puzzle box, apparently it’s the only one again, despite Hellbound showing that there were a whole bunch of them. I’d be interested in knowing whether this is meant to be the original one from the first film. That box technically wasn’t in the second film, and was last seen in Morocco – I guess they could suggest that Channard collected it, but since Hellbound takes place in the days immediately after the first film I doubt he’d have the time to travel to Morocco and pick it up. 

Hell on Earth has a smaller scale than Hellbound, but a much more focused story, not matter how simplistic. It’s also more character-driven than the horror freak-show of Hellbound. It’s a much easier film to follow, with a basic plot that gets to the point. It’s a fair amount of ramping build-up as Joey investigates the box and JP feeds Pinhead until Pinhead is freed, but once Pinhead is free things get more action packed, starting with the nightclub massacre and then spilling out onto the streets. In many ways the film is a step backwards in terms of ambition and scope. We don’t explore hell or see any of its machinations, there are no labyrinths or giant rotating pillars. Instead we look into Pinhead as a character. I think it’s to the film’s benefit. The smaller scale and focus on characters makes for a more solid movie, and the smaller horror set pieces (the nightclub massacre, stalking through the streets, going to the church etc.) work well. I will say that at that point the pace is pretty much constantly moving until the end, swapping out chills for action.

Joey is our protagonist and she’s fine, though a bit useless. Her job as a reporter gives her the excuse needed to investigate the puzzle box, and she does a good job of following leads and getting information. When she’s in danger she’s pretty ineffectual and basically just runs away. The entire finale is her running from Pinhead and the other Cenobites until Spencer’s ghost and the puzzle box save the day. Terri is useless as well, basically the abused ex-girlfriend with no self-worth who feels sorry for herself and goes back to JP for no reason whatsoever. She ends up voluntarily becoming a Cenobite. All Pinhead does is basically say “Terri, you suck and everybody tramples all over you. Want to suck less?” and she’s on board. JP is a jackass douche, but he doesn’t get much focus. He’s pretty freaked out by Pinhead, especially when Pinhead skins and absorbs a girl in front of him, and then just sort of goes along with it.

Pinhead as the villain is fun. He does his usual things, making grand pronouncements (and saying his lines in that weird way), but he’s got good presence. Focusing on him is great, and making him the sole villain really works well. The dual nature with Elliot Spencer doesn’t change much, but it lets Doug Bradley walk around without all the make-up on. At one point he pulls some of the pins out of his head, and they’ve got creepy worms wrapped around their ends. He mocks a priest and destroys part of a church. It’s the first time the series has ever brought religion into the mix. Pinhead can also apparently turn people into Cenobites, as he does to a few of his victims. He does look completely stupid encased in the statue though.

The nightclub massacre is both fun and ridiculous. It’s the film’s big moment, and it leads up to it well. First the nightclub decorations start to come to life, then Pinhead appears and all manner of gory nonsense is unleashed. Hooks and chains rip people apart, water turns into icy knives, people are trampled, CDs jam into skulls; it’s just a whole bunch of people getting murdered. It’s mostly fun gore, and there’s nothing truly nasty or uncomfortable to watch here. It’s the first time they’ve ever shown Pinhead as a truly terrifying and destructive force. For the most part in earlier movies (and later) he might kill one person tops, but here he massacres a lot of folks. He still does a lot of it in his trademark way, by summoning hooks and chains from seemingly nowhere. He’s not exactly hands-on as a killer. Pinhead is looking good, and he’s actually bit more menacing without his posse of Ceonobite buddies around him. Continuing from the ‘Cenobites were people’ thing from Hellbound, they go into who he was, Elliot Spencer. I still don’t quite get the significance of Pinhead getting his humanity back – the guy is a demon, I don’t think it would change his torturing ways. And it’s not like it changed anything really – at the end Spencer merges with Pinhead but he’s still evil Pinhead. It doesn’t actually stop him either, as Joey still has to stab him in the chest with a transforming puzzle box to send him back to hell.

The new Cenobites are so dumb looking it’s hilarious. They’re more like cyborgs than Cenobites (some even make robot noises). They’re all people we see as humans – mostly nightclub staff, but JC and Terri both become Cenobites as well. There are three in particular that are amazing in how silly they are. One is the transformed DJ – he’s got CDs lodged in his head and he shoots them out as deadly spinning discs. Another is a transformed bartender who throws cocktail shakers like grenades and can breathe fire. The third is a cameraman with a telescopic cyborg eye that can stab through people’s heads. They’re all so absurdly stupid it’s amazing. They stalk Joey through the city streets, slaughtering a few people who get in the way and killing the police when they show up. Terri just has an open throat which she uses to some cigarettes – it’s not particularly imaginative. Sex-obsessed JP has two pistons pounding in his skull which looks completely silly.

With the switch to America, there were some other changes. It’s a more straightforward film and has a different level of technical polish than the more homegrown roots of the first and looser, rougher feel of the second. Heavy metal rock band Motorhead recorded two songs for it, one titled ‘Hell on Earth’, and another being a cover version of Black Sabbath’s ‘Hellraiser’, meaning the soundtrack contains songs named after the film’s title and subtitle. I just want to quickly note that the first Hellraiser movie predates the original song Hellraiser by a few years. All in all, Hell on Earth is a fun little horror movie. It’s probably the most easy to get into of the Hellraiser movies, despite its call backs to the first two, and it’s the only real one where Pinhead gets to be the villain.

The ending is strange. With Pinhead defeated and sent back to hell, Joey drops the puzzle box into wet cement on a construction site. Time passes and on the spot is now a large business building, the inside of which is patterned and designed the same way as the puzzle box. I have no idea what this is meant to mean in terms of an ending. Did the puzzle box influence the interior design? Is it meant to suggest that the puzzle box in the foundation has turned the building into a giant puzzle box? Is the business an evil corporation of Cenobite worshippers? Or does it ultimately not mean much at all? Find out next time!