Review for Hellraiser: The Scarlet Box

Hellraiser is one of the best known horror franchises of all time. Along with Freddy, Jason and Leatherface, Pinhead has become one of the icons of the horror genre. Upon watching these first three films (of nine) it is not surprising that the series is one of the lowest grossing horror franchises, with only the first four being released theatrically, the rest being direct to video.

I watched these three films, repulsed, yet fascinated by the stories. Much in the same way that the Saw films did, I wasn't so much enjoying the violence and the gore, but the reasons behind them. Sadly as they continued I became less and less fascinated and more bored by the inept attempt to shock, which resulted more often than not me being repulsed by the films.

Hellraiser is a bizarre film in which a character called Frank purchases a strange puzzle box The Lament Configuration, which he opens to reveal strange creatures who will give the ultimate pleasures and pain. Being ripped apart he is lost in the box. That is until his half-brother Larry and wife Julia (who Frank was having an affair with) buy the house he was lost in (This part if never really explained and we quickly brush over that coincidence). Some spilt blood from a cut hand awakens Frank's body from the void and he needs more to bring his body back to life.

He convinces Julia to lure men to the house for her to kill so he can drain the body of blood. She has no problem with this and also seems to find it easy to lure men in. My biggest issue with this is not that she just goes along with the murder with no real issue, it's the fact that she isn't that hot that she can lure multiple men to their doom, but then maybe that's what it was like in 1987? It is up to Larry's daughter Kirsty to stop them, before the Cenobites lead by the iconic Pinhead tear everyone's souls apart.

The sequel, Hellbound: Hellraiser II, starts off where the previous film ends with Kirsty now in a psychiatric ward following the events of the first film. Here she encounters a creepy Doctor Channard who is obsessed with unlocking the secrets of the mind as well as an obsession with multiple versions of the boxes used to call the Cenobites. Instead, it is Julia being resurrected, rather than Frank. Throughout the film, we get flashbacks of the first film and more glimpses of the horrors of where the Cenobites came from and also what they could offer, for those who wanted to pay the price.

In Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth, an investigative reporter Joey is looking into the strange occurrences and murders that are happening. The Cenobites are stuck in a statue and they entice a vain, playboy JP Monroe to help them escape into the real world. We also get to see a more detailed back story into how Pinhead came to be. Once Pinhead breaks out of the statue he is able to wreak havoc on the real world, unless Joey finds a way to send him back to hell.

It's difficult to review these films as a set as they all have their strengths and weaknesses. The original film is full of imaginative ideas, but a very banal and generic plot. The second film builds on the wonderful visuals and benefits from the increased budget in regards to effects. My issue with the second film is that very little happens and with some selective editing, the story could have been told in about twenty minutes. As for the third film? I would probably say that it is my favourite of the three as the story is more fleshed out and the character of Pinhead, who is almost a cameo of the other two films is really given time to shine.


The three disks have massive amounts of special features and if you are a fan of any of the three films you will find lots of features to quench that thirst. What is surprising is the fact that all three films have their own set of features. Usually with this kind of series, it is the first film that is focused on with the others being given only a 'Trailer' if anything.

There are multiple archive and new documentaries and makings of for all three films and a lot of accompanying interviews with the likes Sean Chapman who played Frank and and Doug Bradley who played Pinhead about the films. There is a look at the aborted score created by the band Coil. It is a shame that a new cut of the film hadn't been created to include this music. Though I enjoy the score of the film (to some extent), the examples they show sound great too and do fit the picture.

The documentaries really do show the amount of work (especially from a make up and effects point of view) that went into the films and I think if you are a fan of the films you will more than satisfied with everything shown. There is also multiple Trailers and additional extras such as the Uncut version of Hellraiser III, which, from what I can tell, is a little gorier.

The Hellraiser 1-3 Boxset on Bluray is a flawed piece, but one I can at least take something out of. As films, they fail on the most part. These are not films that I would recommend eating anything while watching and in some ways it makes it an unsatisfying piece of entertainment. Visually they are stunning, the scores are fantastic and you can understand why the horror community latched onto a character like Pinhead and the whole mythos behind the series. But for me, the films just didn't work. However, if you are a fan I would thoroughly recommend this set as a definitive look at the films as they make you at least appreciate the effort put into them. I guess I should just be thankful the set ended at number three and I didn't have to watch the other six sequels?