Hellbound: Hellraiser II

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Please help improve this article or section by expanding it.
Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion.
This article has been tagged since January 2007.

Hellbound: Hellraiser II
DVD cover for Hellbound: Hellraiser II
Directed by	Tony Randel
Produced by	Christopher Figg
Written by	Clive Barker (story) Peter Atkins (screenplay)
Starring	Clare Higgins Ashley Laurence
Music by	Christopher Young
Cinematography	Robin Vidgeon
Editing by	Richard Marden Tony Randel
Distributed by	New World Pictures
Release date(s)	December 23, 1988
Running time	97 min.
Country	UK
Language	English
Preceded by	Hellraiser
Followed by	Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth
Official website
IMDb profile

Hellbound: Hellraiser II is a 1988 film directed by Tony Randel. It is the second film in the Hellraiser series of films.

[edit] Plot

This article or section contains a plot summary that is overly long.
Please edit the article to both contextualise the fictional nature of the work and focus on discussing the work rather than simply reiterating the plot. You may also discuss changes on the talk page. See Wikipedia's guide to writing better articles for suggestions.
Overly detailed plot summaries may constitute copyright violation.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Kirsty Cotton (Ashley Laurence), the protagonist from the previous film, has been admitted to a psychiatric hospital, still haunted by visions of the unspeakable horror that destroyed her family. As Doctor Channard (Kenneth Cranham), and his assistant, Kyle MacRae (William Hope) interview her, she tells her account of the events depicted in the first film. She pleads with them to destroy the bloody mattress her murderous stepmother, Julia Cotton (Clare Higgins) died on. MacRae is the only one who seems to believe her. However, it is revealed that the obsessive Dr. Channard has been searching for the Lament Configuration, the doorway to the world of the Cenobites, for years. After hearing Kirsty's story, Channard has the mattress brought to his home, and has one of his deranged patients lie on it, and cut himself with a straight razor. The resulting blood-letting frees Julia from the Cenobite dimension, much as it did with Frank in the first film, though Julia's physical form is inexplicably whole, lacking only skin. MacRae, who had snuck inside Dr. Channing's house to investigate Kirsty's claims, witnesses this gruesome scene, and returns to the mental hospital to tell Kristy. The two decide to return to Dr. Channing's house, so Kristy can attempt to save her father. They also decide to bring a young patient, Tiffany (Imogen Boorman) whom Kristy has befriended. Tiffany, who hasn't spoken for years, has demonstrated an amazing aptitude for puzzles.

Channard, seduced by Julia's charms, has surreptitiously brought more mentally-ill patients to his home for her to "feed" on. When the Kirsty and the others arrive at Channard's home, MacRae heads to the attic, and discovers their grisly remains. Julia, her skin almost completely regenerated, walks in and kills him, consuming his essence and completing her skin regeneration. Kristy hears the commotion and rushes up to the attic. Horrified and enraged, she attacks Julia, but is easily knocked unconscious.

Using Tiffany as a proxy, Channard and Julia unlock the Lament Configuration puzzle box and enter the world of Pinhead and the Cenobites. Here it's learned that the act of opening the Lament Configuration is not the reason to be targeted by the Cenobites, as Pinhead stops the others from converging on Tiffany, saying "It is not hands that call us...it is desire." He also causes the puzzle box to change from its usual box shape into a diamond shape - the Leviathan Configuration.

Soon after crossing over to the Cenobite domain, Julia reveals her true purpose for bringing Dr. Channard--to sacrifice him to "her god", a gigantic, rotating obelisk she calls "Leviathian" (which bears a striking similarity to the new shape of the Lament Configuration). She casts him into a chamber, which seals shut on the terrified doctor as organic machinery presses six sets of piano wire into his face.

Elsewhere, Kirsty is confronted by the Cenobites, who are still eager to "experience her flesh". She pleads with them, begging them to free her father. Pinhead tells her that her father is "in his own hell", and unreachable, but encourages her to explore their realm some more. She leaves them, roaming the labyrinth of corridors, and eventually finds Frank, who has been trapped in a room with writhing female shapes, but unable to sate his lust. He turns his malicious attentions on Kirsty, but she manages to escape by igniting a nearby picture of him, which inexplicably causes him to ignite as well. As his skin sears off, she departs, and reunites with Tiffany. They attempt to escape, but a powerful gale begins sweeping through the labyrinth, threatening to blow them away. Just then, a gloating Julia arrives. The windspeed increases, and as she braces herself against the walls of the corridor, her skin rips away, and she is cast down the hallway into a mysterious bright light.

Kirsty and Tiffany continue on, only to re-encounter Pinhead and his minions, who are now intent on "experiencing her". She reveals a picture she had found in Dr. Channard's house, an old photo of the man Pinhead used to be, dressed as a British soldier. Just then, Doctor Channard appears, having been transformed into a Cenobite by Leviathian. Pinhead and the others attack him, but he easily shatters their chained hooks, and kills them one by one. After dying, their human forms are restored. Doctor Channard then leaves the Cenobite domain, and goes on a murderous rampage through the mental hospital, gleefully murdering patients and staff whom have opened the other boxes Channard had distributed. Tiffany recovers the puzzle box, and begins manipulating it, attempting to close the gateway. This lures Channard back, who starts to attack her, but pauses when he sees what he believes is Julia (actually Kirsty wearing the deceased Julia's skin) Tiffany is given the opportunity to reconfigure the Lament Configuration puzzle back into a box shape. This somehow causes Leviathian to change into a box shape as well, destroying Doctor Channard, and wreaking havoc throughout the area, and allowing the two girls to return home just as the gate between the two worlds closes. The movie ends with Kirsty and Tiffany leaving the closed-down mental hospital.

In an epilogue, two moving men are removing what remains in Dr Channard's house and one of them comes across the room with the blood-stained mattress on the floor. As he bends down to examine it, two arms reach out from the pool of blood, pulling his upper half with them. When the second mover enters and observes the scene, a large, spinning pillar rises from the bloody floor, hellishly decorated with several Cenobite faces, including Pinhead's. Staring at the ghastly faces, one of them speaks to the mover, asking him "What is your pleasure?"

This birthing the Pillar of Souls...

[edit] DVD Releases

According to Amazon.com, there are two versions of the film--a 99-minute version and a 106-minute version. However, this is simply an error on the part of Amazon; the 106-minute version does not exist.