Hellraiser: Deader
2005
The Cast
This had the potential of being a decent Hellraiser sequel. For one, the story makes this a Hellraiser film. The trouble is that it doesn't go far enough and the direction is dreadful, the pace is too slow, and the scary atmosphere is non-existent.
Reporter, Amy Klein (Wuhrer), is given a new assignment to track down the deaders. Her boss, Charles Richmond (Kunz), has been sent a video in which a woman is shot in the head after a strange ritual by a man named Winter (Rhys)... seconds later she's alive once again, with a huge exit wound in the side of her head... and she's immortal. In the course of her investigation into the new cult, Amy finds out that Winter is a descendant of L'Merchant...
For some reason, Bota, who was responsible for the uneasy feeling throughout the last instalment of the Hellraiser saga, Hellseeker, failed to add the same atmosphere in this chapter. This is a shame as it would have been so much better with it... the story cries out for a sense of unease and creepiness, with a side order of fear. It's even forgivable that there are few Cenobites in the story, once again, as the ritual and the immortalisation is based around the L'Merchant configuration. However, the ritual itself should have been better thought out. It feels and appears weak and silly. For me, it was even quite annoying with all the shouting. This was a missed opportunity, and there are plenty more in the story.
I have to admit, even though I'm not liking the new set of Hellraiser films, I have to give credit to the actors and actresses as they have been the strongest and best part of the movies. This is still the case in this flick too. The only flimsy character is Winter. Rhys gives a poor portrayal of a main character, though this too could be down to the writing and the direction. I would have tried to get Bruce Ramsey to play Winter as he did such a great job as the trio of Merchant's in Bloodline.
What the film needed was a more detailed and thought out story, better direction with an influx of atmosphere, and slightly more Cenobites...
Again, I would recommend the original four films over this one.
I give this an Immortally Dead 4.25 out of 10.
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