Editorials
Underrated Sequels – ‘Hellraiser: Bloodline’
In Hell… everyone can hear you scream.
It’s often said that outer space is where horror franchises go to die, and the film that’s typically cited as evidence of that statement is of course Jason X. But the Friday the 13th franchise wasn’t the only one to take a rocket ship to the stars (I’m looking at you, Critters and Leprechaun), and it certainly wasn’t the first.
Each of the big horror franchises have an installment that was originally intended to be the final one, and like Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter and Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare before it, third sequel Hellraiser: Bloodline was to be Pinhead’s final appearance on the big screen; though that actually turned out to be the case, five more direct-to-video sequels ended up coming in its wake – with another on the way soon.
I suppose one could argue that Hellraiser: Bloodline killed the whole franchise, as it was indeed the last time a Hellraiser film was given a theatrical release, but it actually pulled in more box office dollars than any of the previous films – including Clive Barker’s 1987 original. Speaking of Barker, it was the final film in the series that he had any direct involvement in, as he executive produced only the first three sequels.
And yes, Bloodline was the one that took Pinhead to space.
Released in 1996, and co-directed by makeup effects artist Kevin Yagher and Joe Chappelle – Yagher was replaced by Chappelle before production was completed, and both filmmakers ultimately declined to have their names attached to the finished product – Hellraiser: Bloodline served the dual role of being a prequel and a sequel, telling a centuries-spanning story that documents the puzzle box’s beginning and end.
Playing out like a Hellraiser anthology film, Bloodline‘s first story is set in 18th century France, where we meet box creator Philip LeMarchand. A master toymaker, LeMarchand is hired by an evil magician to build the iconic box, having no idea what it’s going to be used for. As it turns out, the madman is looking to open a portal to Hell, and he does just that – giving rise to the very first Cenobite, a female named Angelique.
We eventually jump forward to 1996, which was present day at the time of the film’s release. Angelique travels to New York in an effort to locate John Merchant, an engineer with family ties to LeMarchand. Driven by supernatural forces, Merchant is compelled to build a skyscraper that is literally a massive puzzle box, and Angelique – along with Pinhead – intends to use it as a much bigger portal between Hell and the real world.
The final story, which is essentially the wraparound segment, is set on a space station in the year 2127. There we meet Paul Merchant, another distant relative of LeMarchand’s who is continuing his family’s work. Merchant willingly summons Pinhead and his Cenobites aboard the ship, which happens to be modeled after the puzzle box, and he plans on blowing the whole thing up once they arrive – ending his family’s nightmare once and for all.
Whereas other franchises went to space as a result of creative bankruptcy, Hellraiser‘s trip to the final frontier feels like a genuine stroke of inspiration. In fact, it’s probably the best use of the gimmicky setting in horror franchise history. Granted, that’s not saying all that much, but there’s a purpose to Bloodline‘s use of the franchise-killing gimmick, allowing for an epic story that spans hundreds upon hundreds of years and aims to close the gates of Hell forever.
Revisiting Hellraiser: Bloodline recently, I was struck by how much genuine ambition is on display in the film, which is unexpected of a production that was so plagued by behind the scenes troubles. Somehow, despite the studio’s insistence on changing large portions of the script and the aforementioned director swap, the franchise’s fourth installment is surprisingly coherent, as well as impressively massive in scope. Go figure, eh?
The fun of Bloodline is that it’s both the first and last film in the Hellraiser chronology, and indeed it tells both the beginning and ending of the story Clive Barker unleashed on the big screen in 1987. Not only do we find out how the puzzle box was created, as well as by whom and for what initial purpose, but we also get a front row seat for its destruction, providing the rarest of franchise rares: a sense of closure to the story we had been watching unfold for several years.
As mentioned earlier, other sequels did follow in the wake of this one, but by jumping so far into the future for the outer space-set finale, Dimension Films was able to make a franchise sequel that actually feels like the end of the franchise. Not only is the puzzle box destroyed but so too is Pinhead, and there’s something to be said for the definitive nature of Bloodline. In many ways, it’s kind of the last Hellraiser sequel that really matters.
Ambition and a respectable amount of imagination are also on display in Hellraiser: Bloodline‘s standout makeup effects, particularly when it comes to the birth of a siamese Cenobite that Pinhead creates by literally twisting two twin brothers together. The film also introduces the awesome Chatterer Beast, a hellish pet hound made of human flesh. He doesn’t get nearly enough screen-time, but he’s pretty damn cool to look at whenever he shows up.
It’s easy to write off Hellraiser: Bloodline as “the one set in space,” as many have over the years, but the reality is that only 1/3 of the film takes place in the future. The underrated sequel brings an incredible amount of mythology to the table, and though I’d be lying if I said it all worked, it’s the ambition that makes this one somewhat of an undiscovered gem. Given the low budget and messy production, it’s no minor miracle that it works as well as it does.
Hellraiser: Bloodline tries way harder than most sequels. For that, we should respect it.
In this day and age, the word “troll” is often used to describe various online nuisances. Yet as abundant and irksome as the modern troll can be, they aren’t usually as fearsome as their mythological counterparts. I’m not talking about the small and gentler versions that have become more common to see in media. No, there are much bigger and scarier trolls out there—and André Øvredal’s movie Troll Hunter is one of the best places to find them.
It doesn’t take long for Troll Hunter (or Trolljegeren) to dump the Blair Witch Project-esque setup and aim for something a lot fresher. The trajectory of the story is augmented by Otto Jespersen’s character Hans, the titular Troll Hunter. The second he comes barreling out of the deep, dark woods and shouts “troll” at the camera, this movie takes a turn into what feels like uncharted territory. Not only subject-wise, but also conceptually.
For fantastical and made-up subject matter in cinema, found footage is a fast way to add a guise of believability. After all, what we accept to be the most crucial aspect of documentaries—the truth—rubs off on pseudo-documentaries, despite our understanding of the pretense involved. That is what Øvredal delivered with Troll Hunter: a movie so convincing that some viewers wondered if trolls really do exist. So, had this been straightforwardly made, it likely wouldn’t have been as effective. Conventional narratives would be more inclined to treat something like trolls as flat out unreal, and never try to convince the audience to think otherwise.
Hans petrifies the three-headed Tusseladd troll.
The viewers, like the characters trailing Hans, are quickly thrown into the deeper end of that extraordinary story. They have to process all this new information while staying on the go. So, although there is no significant amount of meandering, narratively or physically, there is still a good amount of atmosphere, not to mention tension building. It’s never anything frightful, but then again, Troll Hunter isn’t your standard offering of horror; it’s more on the low end of the dark fantasy spectrum. We aren’t ever spirited away to a faraway world—we stay in rather familiar surroundings, as well as dip into those less so. The outcome is a movie where you’re constantly more in awe than in terror.
As fantasy fiction might do, Troll Hunter prefers not to deal with incredulity. There is no time to waste on doubt, as interviewer Thomas (Glenn Erland Tosterud), soundperson Johanna (Johanna Mørck), and cameraman Kalle (Tomas Alf Larsen) all follow Hans around, recording whatever this character is willing to reveal about his bizarre job. Of course, the Troll Hunter himself is not an open book; in that respect, the diegetic documentary fails to fully capture and unpack the more interesting of its two subjects. Yes, all those giant, monstrous trolls are indeed incredible, but understandably, your mind wanders to their pursuer. What kind of person signs up for this gig and then chooses to stick with it for so long?
Reviews have called out Troll Hunter for its lack of character development. In regard to Thomas and his fellow documentarians, that criticism is valid, but bear in mind, they aren’t the focus of the story, either. Meanwhile, Hans is a well-crafted character. At least better than first realized. Before he was introduced, Hans had already grown tired of the troll grind. Fed up with that low compensation for his services, resentful of the bureaucracy, and wanting to expose his employer on a large scale, Hans’ discontent is glaring.
Then there are those finer details about the Troll Hunter, such as that indifference to both the natural splendor of his everyday surroundings and the affections of an obviously smitten colleague, that also suggest some level of despondency. So it is fair to say this movie doesn’t feature any sizable growth for its characters; however, the namesake isn’t underwritten. No doubt, putting a real-life character like Otto Jespersen in that role is partly why Hans is so fascinating—maybe even relatable.
Otto Jespersen as Hans the Troll Hunter.
There is always a small risk whenever using the term “mockumentary” to describe a found-footage movie, as the word could imply humor where there is none. In the case of Troll Hunter, the term’s usage is appropriate. Some folks have claimed the English-dubbed version has the more comedic tone, however, the Norwegian cut isn’t exactly humorless. Apart from the trolls’ absurd appearances, this is a movie where the characters nearly choke on the monsters’ farts, and Christians are like walking targets. Hans’ complete apathy towards everything is another cause of laughter. Overall, the comedy is intentionally dry and inconsistent. Unfunny, though? Absolutely not.
In a movie where endemic creatures are maltreated, as well as disavowed from living freely and peacefully, it’s hard not to notice the ecological message buried beneath the story. In addition to that is the unmistakable political satire. There is this whole business about intrusive and unsightly power lines—like trolls, they’re big blemishes on the land—that leads to what is perhaps the movie’s funniest moment. The scene in question is that one where certain electric lines, the ones secretly being used to keep the trolls at bay, go in a loop and don’t actually send power to any residents. Yet the monitors of said lines don’t find this at all weird. So it stands to reason that Øvredal was having a go at those who accept the government’s doings without question.
Looking past the fact that trolls aren’t actually real, this movie is an enlightening source of information. And not just for international audiences; Norwegians, too, get schooled about their homeland’s own mythology. It’s also evident from everything on screen that Øvredal and his crew were enthusiastic about the topic. The creature designs are the most indicative of that zeal; those imaginative yet myth-accurate manifestations are equally amusing and grotesque. One second you’re laughing at their phallic noses, the next you’re white-knuckling during a hairy sequence. Most surprisingly is how well the trolls’ visual effects hold up after fifteen years. It’s not all spotless, but on the whole, they remain impressive.
Vouching for a mockumentary about trolls isn’t easy, but those who do come around and give it a shot will more than likely be grateful for the recommendation. For Troll Hunter is a real find in that vast and varied genre we call “found footage“.
A bridge troll reaches up for food and finds Hans decked out in armor.
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