Hellraiser: Bloodline

A typically hit-and-miss Hellraiser installment, Hellraiser: Bloodline follows a futuristic engineer (Bruce Ramsay’s Merchant) as he attempts to put an end to Pinhead’s (Doug Bradley) reign once and for all. Filmmaker Alan Smithee, working from Peter Atkins’ screenplay, delivers a progressively underwhelming endeavor that does, at least, fare reasonably well at the outset, as the narrative explores the origins of the series’ malevolent box and its impact on the man who created it (and his descendants) – with the passable vibe heightened by Smithee’s stylish visuals and a smattering of compelling sequences. And although the movie’s midsection never quite becomes as compelling as one might’ve hoped, Hellraiser: Bloodline does seem, for a little while, to be taking the franchise into a decidedly intriguing direction – which ensures that the picture’s third-act transformation into a tedious and interminable endeavor is especially disappointing. The generic, low-rent bent of the film’s final half hour adversely colors everything preceding it, ultimately, and it’s finally impossible to label Hellraiser: Bloodline as anything other than a typically ill-advised horror sequel.

*1/2 out of ****