Hellraiser: Quartet Of Torment Limited Edition on 4K Blu-ray – The DVDfever Review

Hellraiser: Quartet Of TormentHellraiser: Quartet Of Torment Hellraiser: Quartet Of Torment

Hellraiser: Quartet Of Torment Limited Edition is now out in a 4K Special Edition release (as well as a Blu-ray equivalent), and the original film began life as a series of Clive Barker novellas entitled The Hellbound Heart, but I was first aware of it with the first movie in this series, and it’s a fab new boxset which is out now in advance of the Christmas sales rush. However, sales are limited, and if you don’t get one early on,you’ll have to fork out a few extra quid for it on the likes of Ebay or Amazon.

Hence, beg, borrow or steal to get one… well, don’t steal, obviously, unless you can cover your tracks by distracting its owner with hooks flailing out towards them on chains!

If you didn’t get one, however, and your Pinhead rapacity knows no satiety, then fear not because later on I’ll divulge how you can still mostly achieve your goal.

About this first film, in the meantime, I could go into detail about the ins and outs of the plot, but the chances are that if you’re reading this then you know what Hellraiser is about. a headstrong young man called Frank (Sean Chapman) goes to buy the mysterious box, which features through the series, from an elderly Chinese man who concludes their transaction: “Take it. It’s yours… always was”. And then it leads to his whole life falling apart… literally.

And then ol’ Uncle Frank comes back as the actor Oliver Smith, a gaunt man who, with the body internals make-up applied, looks proportional as a result. To make him whole again, Julia (Clare Higgins) brings men back to her house, while Larry is out, so that Frank, her bit-on-the-side, can feast on them. We’ve all had needy ex-partners in our time, but this one really takes the biscuit.

Things I love about Hellraiser:

  • I love the construction of the box. It’s amazing how such things could be put together before the age of CGI came along and ruined things – just look at the recent Poltergeist remake for an example of extreme lazyness.

  • Andrew Robinson plays Julia’s hubby, Larry – yes, it’s the baddie from Dirty Harry!

  • At around 12 minutes in, check the older of the two delivery men. As the angle of the shot changes, suddenly he’s got a cigarette in his mouth!

  • Why is the hallway taken up by so many stairs? They criss-cross over in exactly the same way that a normal house’s wouldn’t. There really is no need for that many stairs. Martin Roberts from Homes Under The Hammer would have a fit!

  • Of course, the most horrific sight isn’t Pinhead (Doug Bradley), or Uncle Frank, or even the weird hobo in the pet store who eats locusts, but it’s actually Kirsty’s (Ashley Laurence) boyfriend’s bouffant hairdo!

  • And if you ever find yourself in a situation when you’re playing with your funky box and Pinhead says “No, don’t do that!!” …. DO IT!!!

  • And having reviewed LEGO Dimensions prior to the 2015 Blu-ray boxset, which features many different characters from TV and movies, I did wonder at the time if there was a chance of a later wave featuring more adult characters like, say, Pinhead from the Hellraiser series? I believed he has such sights to show us…


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The extras are as follows, and are mostly new ones, but there’s some archival ones from earlier releases:

  • Power of Imagination (58:14): A brand new extra, Clive Barker afficianados Sorcha Ni Fhlainn and Kamel Knipprath discuss the man and Hellraiser. One for those who like in-depth discussions.

  • Unboxing Hellraiser (21:53): A visual essay Alexandra AK Benedict (The Beauty of Murder) goes into detail about the film series.

  • The Pursuit of Possibilities (40:57): This is described as the following: “Brand new 60-minute discussion between acclaimed horror authors Paula D. Ashe (We Are Here To Hurt Each Other) and Eric LaRocca (Everything the Dark Eats) celebrating the queerness of Hellraiser and the importance of Clive Barker as a queer writer”.

    Erm… pardon? This is not something I’ve ever thought about while watching these films, and does make me feel like these individuals are simply trying to see something that’s not there, just so they can highlight themselves in 2023. It’s perfectly fine to be supporting inclusivity and LGTBQ+ rights, but don’t start making things up.

    And it’s a shade over 40 minutes, nowhere near 60.

  • Flesh Is A Trap (18:19): Film critic Guy Adams apparently “gives an intimate appreciation of the ways in which the art, books and movies of Clive Barker embrace bodily existence, even as they endeavour to transcend it”

    Erm… it’s word porridge, morelike. He uses 20 words where one will do. It you thought that Mark Kermode was wordy… jeez!

  • Behind the Scenes: Extended EPKs (electronic press kits) for Clive Barker (4:49), Andrew Robinson (4:24), Clare Higgins (3:18) and Ashley Laurence (3:07), plus one for ‘Creatures & Effects’ (9:28). Plus, the original 1987 EPK (6:00), and an intro from Stephen Jones and Kim Newman (10:30).

  • Being Frank: Sean Chapman on Hellraiser (26:24): This is a fascinating interview as Chapman takes us through Frank’s character and the development, as well as other films he’s been in such as Scum and, one of my favourites, Made In Britain, with Tim Roth.

  • Soundtrack Hell (18:11): Stephen Thrower, from the band Coil, talks about the abandoned score. This is also something hinted at by Chapman in the previous segment. And from Thrower working in the Forbidden Planet comic book store, to Clive Barker simply walking in one day, it’s amazing how life can throw opportunities your way. And it’s also amazing the body modification discussion that ensues which Baker was also into. However, the one about splitting the penis in two… erm… how do you go to the toilet after that??

  • Hellraiser: Resurrection (24:26): A featurette from way back when, with interviews including Clive Barker, Doug Bradley, Ashley Laurence, Bob Keen (special effects) and many more. This was filmed in 2000.

  • Under The Skin: Doug Bradley on Hellraiser (12:31): Would you believe Doug Bradley did 10 years of theatre prior to Hellraiser? Well, yes, I know it’ll be true, but I can only think of Pinhead treading the boards 🙂

    The interview was filmed in 2004, and I love the idea that somewhere there is footage of the Cenobites living in cages until they’re required to come out when the box is solved.

  • Trailers: Three here: the surprisingly non-violent Theatrical Trailer (1:37), Red Band Theatrical Trailer (1:36) and the International Trailer (3:27), the latter of which is notable for containing the original voice of Oliver Smith, aka the ‘skinless’ Frank.

  • TV Spots Four short and slightly different ads running 34, 32, 32 and 33 seconds respectively. I love this sort of thing as they’re the kind of ads which will never surface anywhere else.

  • Image Gallery: 51 fantastic images.

  • Audio Commentaries: One new one from Stephen Jones and Kim Newman, plus two archival ones: one from writer/director Clive Barker, writer Peter Atkins and actress Ashley Laurence, and one with Clive Barker on his own.


Hellraiser credits

Director: Clive Barker
Producer: Christopher Figg
Screenplay: Clive Barker (based on “The Hellbound Heart”)
Music: Christopher Young

Cast:
Larry: Andrew Robinson
Julia: Clare Higgins
Kirsty Cotton: Ashley Laurence
Frank: Sean Chapman
Frank the Monster: Oliver Smith
Pinhead, the Lead Cenobite: Doug Bradley
Steve: Robert Hines
1st Victim: Anthony Allen
2nd Victim: Leon Davis
3rd Victim: Michael Cassidy
Derelict: Frank Baker
Bill: Kenneth Nelson
Evelyn: Gay Baynes
Dinner Guest: Niall Buggy
Moving Man 1: Dave Atkins
Moving Man 2: Oliver Parker
Complaining Customer: Pamela Sholto
Chattering Cenobite: Nicholas Vince
‘Butterball’ Cenobite: Simon Bamford
Female Cenobite: Grace Kirby
Nurse: Sharon Bower
Doctor: Raul Newney

Go to page 2 for a look at the sequel and its extras…






Hellraiser: Quartet Of Torment Hellraiser: Quartet Of Torment

In Hellbound: Hellraiser II, Julia is back? Say whaaaaaaaaa! Well, it’s all to do with the mattress.

This was the only one of the three I went to see at the cinema, and by God (or Evil, given the movie) it was good.

We get the origin of Pinhead, plus classically-trained actor Kenneth Cranham as the.. not necessarily evil, but more… rather misguided Doctor Channard; and there’s a girl called Tiffany (Imogen Boorman) who never speaks and spends all day solving puzzles. No-one visits her, so when it comes to Tiffany, I think she’s alone now… (obscure ’80s reference alert!)

And, yes, Julia’s back. Doing so in a similar ‘vein’ to the way Frank did it. However, the first way she attempts a comeback, we see a man inadvertently sacrifice himself – a mental patient (played by Oliver Smith) solving his apparent body infestation by slashing himself up with a cut-throat razor – really is grim as fuck. And it’s utterly amazing!

And as for Julia, With no skin on her bones, like a typical woman she moans about being cold. And somehow blood doesn’t pour out through a single layer of bandages!

Hellraiser II has stop-motion animation like Peter Gabriel’s Sledgehammer, a problem for Kirsty in that can’t send Pinhead & co. back to hell because hell’s come to her! And ol’ Julia really has very poor choice in boyfriends!

There’s also a wealth of one-liners in this movie, even from Cranham, such as “The Doctor is here and he prescribes… amputation!”

This sequel really takes gore and grimness to a new level, and it’s a stunning vision.

Hellraiser and Hellbound: Hellraiser II are very much like Alien and Aliens, in that I love them both but for different reasons. Alien is more drama and Aliens is more action, and it’s rather like that with these two films since the scene is already set once the first film concludes, so with some key cast members returning, they just pick up the ball and run with it once it begins.



The extensive extras on the Hellbound: Hellraiser II disc are as follows, again with some new and old:

  • Hell Was What They Wanted (85:17): A new discussion about the film and Barker from authors Kit Power and George Daniel Lea. At almost 90 minutes in length, this is almost as long as the film, itself! The discuss seeing the films again on the big screen… which sadly didn’t happen near me for any of them.

  • That Rat-Slice Sound (11:54): Guy Adams talks about Christopher Young‘s score for the first two movies.

  • On-set interviews: Two brief pieces for completeness – one with Clive Barker (3:18) and one with ‘Cast & Crew’ (4:45), which features Tony Randel, Clare Higgins, Ashley Laurence, Imogen Boorman, Kenneth Cranham and… Clive Barker popping up again. These were basically short pieces put together for TV stations to use as filler, at the time of the film’s release and are in 4:3.

  • Behind the scenes footage (1:51): A brief piece in 4:3 that shows some on-set footage.

  • Being Frank: Sean Chapman on Hellbound (11:35): It’s sequel time again. He’s very candid about the fact that he didn’t enjoy making this one as much, not least for the fact that there’s a lot less for his character to do and that they didn’t expand on his character.

  • Under The Skin: Doug Bradley on Hellbound (10:53): He’s back, and this time he’s bringing his Dad… oh, that’s Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Seriously, it’s interesting to learn about why the surgeon scene was never shown, yet somehow featured on the cover of the Unrated DVD in the US. As for why, you’ll have to watch this disc.

  • Lost in the Labyrinth (17:03): Shot in 2000, this segment features chat from all the cast and crew members, in turn, such as Doug Bradley, Ashley Laurence, Clive Barker, Tony Randel, writer Peter Atkins and many more. Sadly, there’s no Imogen Boorman (Tiffany), but she does feature in the main ‘making of’ on the 2015 disc, which ran for two hours.

  • Surgeon Scene (4:49): Can it really be that missing scene Doug Bradley frequently gets asked about? Either way, the sound quality is a little difficult to make out the dialogue.

  • Trailers: Two here, both in 4:3: Theatrical Trailer (1:52) and Red Band Theatrical Trailer (1:33).

  • TV Spots Just two this time, running 33 seconds apiece.

  • Galleries: Three this time – Storyboards (over 100 images), Alternate Ending Storyboards (10 images) and Stills & Promo Material (over 150).

  • Audio Commentaries: One new one from Stephen Jones and Kim Newman, plus two archival ones: A 2000 commentary from director Tony Randel, writer Peter Atkins and actress Ashley Laurence, and a 1996 commentary from Randel and Atkins.


Hellbound: Hellraiser II credits

Director: Tony Randel
Producer: Christopher Figg
Screenplay: Peter Atkins (based on the story by Clive Barker)
Music: Christopher Young

Cast:
Julia Cotton: Clare Higgins
Kirsty Cotton: Ashley Laurence
Dr Philip Channard/Channard Cenobite: Kenneth Cranham
Tiffany: Imogen Boorman
Uncle Frank Cotton: Sean Chapman
Kyle MacRae: William Hope
Pinhead/Captain Elliot Spencer: Doug Bradley
Female Cenobite: Barbie Wilde
Butterball Cenobite: Simon Bamford
Chatterer Cenobite/Chatter II Cenobite: Nicholas Vince
Mr Browning/Skinless Frank: Oliver Smith
Homicide Detective Ronson: Angus McInnes
Skinless Julia: Deborah Joel
Officer Cortez: James Tillitt
Officer Kucich: Bradley Lavelle
Wheelchair Patient: Edwin Craig
Workman 1: Ron Travis
Workman 2: Oliver Parker
Tiffany’s Mother: Catherine Chevalier
Larry Cotton: Andrew Robinson (archive footage)
Steve: Robert Hines (archive footage)
3rd Victim: Michael Cassidy (archive footage)
1st Victim: Anthony Allen (archive footage)
Female Cenobite: Grace Kirby (archive footage)
The Chatterer – human form: Kevin Cole (uncredited)

Go to page 3 for a look at the threequel and its extras…






Hellraiser: Quartet Of Torment Hellraiser: Quartet Of Torment

Hellraiser III: Hell On Earth was a film I hadn’t seen before the 2015 boxset was released.

Star Trek: Deep Space 9‘s Dax (Terry Farrell) is intrepid reporter Joanne ‘Joey’ Summerskill, getting sidelined in crappy no-news stories, forever waiting for her big break, when into the hospital walks – or is rather wheeled – a young man with hooks stuck out of him, just like we’ve come to know and love. It follows a scene where the wealthy JP Monroe (Kevin Bernhardt) bought the spinning Cenobite post, known as the Pillar of Souls, and we know this is clearly the end game of such an encounter, and it ties in with The Boiler Room, the nightclub owned by JP where all the cool kids hang out, which also has the least cost-effective and least-health-and-safety-conscious indoor sign, since it pumps gas and flame through it constantly like it’s trying to burn off the entire North Sea oil reserves!

On the plus side, Pinhead shows up early, rather than turning up halfway through as in the first two films. He offers Terri (Paula Marshall) a life of unknown pleasures… He has such sights to show her, you see. And you know she’ll go with him because it’s a choice between either the banality of life, or the word of a man with pins sticking out of his head.

Hellraiser III: Hell On Earth is lesser in scale but the story is still a strong one. And there’s also a brief shot of director Anthony Hickox as Doc flicks through the TV channels.

This release also includes the Unrated Version as an option, which puts back in a few scenes, totalling an extra 3-4 minutes, which were taken from the sole surviving source – the NTSC laserdisc which was a pan-and-scan version, cropped from 1.85:1 to 4:3. Not ideal, obviously, but still great to see the scenes included. There’s nothing violent in these scenes, but they ‘flesh’ things out nicely (ho, ho, ho!)



The extensive extras on the Hellraiser III: Hell On Earth, but bear in mind, that aside from a new audio commentary, there’s no other additional extras for this film:

  • Hell on Earth: The Story of Hellraiser III (32:01): A shorter making-of for a film that’s not quite as good. What’s weird, here, is that even though it’s been put together from interviews filmed for the main ‘Leviathan’ features in the extras on the first two discs, this is the only one which is NOT in HD. Why is this?

    It’s interesting that some cast and crew don’t have a lot of nice things to say about No.3, and special make-up effects artist Bob Keen really has disdain for the continuation of the series beyond this one.

  • Time with Terri – with Paula Marshall (14:55): Paula, still looking hot after all this time, tells how this was her first film, how much she enjoyed working with Terry Farrell and looking up to her, just as her character did, plus a surprise kudos from John Cusack. Thankfully, this interview IS in HD.

  • Raising Hell on Earth: An interview with Anthony Hickox (13:59): The director talks about why he wanted to ‘conclude the trilogy’, plus accidental location scouting, and the problems with editing on video instead of film. This interview was shot in 2004, so it’s not in HD.

  • Under The Skin: Doug Bradley on Hellraiser III (13:46): At the time of shooting this interview, in 2004, the man had made eight Pinhead films, with both 7 and 8 due to come out in 2005, but there was also Hellraiser: Revelations to come in 2011.

  • Original EPK (5:12): In similar style to that on disc one. It says it’s the most terrifying Hellraiser yet. Of course it isn’t – it’s more like Carry On Hellraiser.

  • FX Dailies (23:49): Work-in-progress SFX shots. Again, it’s amazing to see how they’re done without resorting to CGI as would be done nowadays.

  • Theatrical Trailer (1:52): The aspect ratio was a little all over the place in this trailer, but it’s still worth a watch.

  • Galleries: Firstly, there’s Hellraiser III Comic Adaptation which is around 50 pages and make sure you get up close to your TV for the dialogue within, but to get the entire comic book as an extra here is absolutely fucking awesome! After that, there’s Stills & Promo Material which is 25 images.

  • Audio commentaries: One new one from Stephen Jones and Kim Newman, plus two archival ones: A 2015 commentary from writer Peter Atkins, and a 2004 one from director Anthony Hickox with Pinhead, Doug Bradley.


Hellraiser III: Hell On Earth credits

Director: Anthony Hickox
Producers: Christopher Figg and Lawrence Mortorff
Screenplay: Peter Atkins (ased on the story by Peter Atkins and Tony Randel)
Music: Randy Miller

Cast:
Joanne ‘Joey’ Summerskill: Terry Farrell
Pinhead/Captain Elliot Spencer: Doug Bradley
Terri/Skinless Sandy/Dreamer Cenobite: Paula Marshall
JP Monroe/Pistonhead Cenobite: Kevin Bernhardt
Bum: Lawrence Mortorff
Daniel ‘Doc’ Fisher/Camerahead Cenobite: Ken Carpenter
Blond Nurse: Sharon Hill (aka Sharon Ceccatti)
Paramedic 1: Rob Treveiler
Paramedic 2: Christopher Frederick
Derelict: Lawrence Kuppin
Brittany Virtue: Sharon Percival
Brad: Philip Hyland
Bill the Bouncer: David Young
CD the DJ: Brent Bolthouse
Rick the Barman/Barbie Cenobite: Peter Atkins
Soldier 1: Paul Vincent Coleman
Joey’s Father: Peter Boynton
Soldier 2: Anthony Hickox
Bob: George Lee
Sandy: Aimée Leigh
Douglas the Bouncer: Ron Norris
Kirsty Cotton: Ashley Laurence
Young Guy: Steve Painter
Female Cop: Shanna Teare
Male Cop: Bobby Bragg
Second Male Cop: Bob Stephens
The Priest: Clayton Hill
Yuppie 1: Young Bobby Knoop
Yuppie 2: James DR Hickox
Go-Go Dancers: Tonya Saunders, Angela Thomas, Kim Ball, Cassandra Perry, Anna Marie Isaacs, Flame
Armored Saints: John Bush, Joey Vera, Phil Sandoval, Jeff Duncan, Gonzo
Boiler Room Patron Getting Stabbed with Pool Stick: Zach Galligan (uncredited)
Date: Rosemary Gore (uncredited)
Chatterer Cenobite: Robert Hammond (uncredited)

Go to page 4 for a look at the threequel and its extras…






Hellraiser: Quartet Of Torment Hellraiser: Quartet Of Torment

Hellraiser IV: Bloodline is the only one of this quartet which I’ve not seen before, and it’s Hellraiser in Space!

It’s very telling that for his only feature-length movie as director, Kevin Yagher was clearly so unimpressed with the final product, that he had his name replaced with the (in)famous nom de plume, Alan Smithee.

Of course, he completely fails, since deep into the closing credits, it states: “Chatterer Beast and Additional Make-Up Effects Created by Kevin Yagher”.

Set on Space Station Minos, in 2127, the CGI looks circa 1984 for The Last Starfighter, which is one of my all-time favourite films, and the original director – Nick Castle – liked my comment on Arrow Video’s post about the US version. It might not be known to everyone, but up until 2021’s Halloween Kills, he played Michael Myers in ‘The Shape’ form. I’m not sure why he didn’t get to play the role for the 2022 finale, Halloween Ends, but he did get a credited cameo as ‘Flasher’.

However, for Pinhead and co, this movie was shot in 1996, post-Jurassic Park, so this movie’s crew should be able to do better.

Over a century from now, mankind has the technology to open the Box, but the scriptwriters couldn’t think of decent character names for everyone, since one woman on the space station has the character name Rimmer, which just makes me think of Red Dwarf.

But hold the front page, as we go back two centuries (at the time of this film’s release), to 1796, where we see the Box created for the first time, by Philip Le Merchant (Bruce Ramsay, playing several roles in this, given that “the toymaker’s bloodline has survived”). Alas for a local peasant girl (Valentina Vargas, below), she’s strapped to a table, in front of worms masquerading as food, then almost strangled to death… before the job is finished. Ugh… then skinned, then brought back to life… as you do.

Basically, whether in 1796, 1996 or 2127, you can’t trust anyone – especially if they’ve been murdered and brought back to life.

In 1996, Angelique (Vargas) has such sights to show to a random businessman who is enamoured by this lady… unfortunately, very painful sights… but such that it allows Pinhead to finally turn up, 35 minutes into the proceedings. Apparently, this was the studio cut, and in the original version, it took even longer!

Hence, I guess with No.4 in the series, this is where the rot starts to set in, and at one point, it is rather rum that Pinhead picks on a child.

Some random observations:

  • 1. Given that the 1996 Toymaker and family live in such a huge house, why is so little of it decorated?
  • 2. There’s an anamtronic dog Chatterer, which is quite fun to watch… which of course leads to the usual disclaimer in the credits, “No animals were harmed in the making of this film”(!)
  • 3. Despite Angelique’s derring do in 1996 – and ultimate payback, I do rather feel sorry for her, given that none of it was her fault as she was murdered back in 1796.
  • 4. There’s also some cool lines, such as one character exclaims, “For Christ’s sake!”, and Pinhead replies: “Do I look like someone who cares what God thinks?!”
  • 5. Plus later, when he remarks, “I have the distinct sense of deja vu” – Touche!
  • 6. However, when the Dad shouts, “Get your hands off of him!”, that’s one too many words. You don’t need the ‘of’.

Overall, Hellraiser IV: Bloodline is not terrible, but it’s not brilliant. At least it’s often gory.



The extras on this fourth disc are as follows:

  • The Beauty Of Suffering (27:48): A documentary about that Monday mornibng feeling you get when it’s time for work again… Nah, as the billing states, this goes into detail about how goth, BdsM and fetish cultures connect with the Hellraiser mythos. Ooh, la la!

    Also, writer and contributor Dave Edmund is “pro-Dom”. Well, everyone should be! I don’t want anyone to be anti-me!

  • Workprint Version (82:11): Previously unseen, and a separate option (5:51) for some alternate footage, but without music or special effects, and which looks a bit like it’s from an old VHS… which, for 1996, it might be.

    For the workprint, it states that it has temporary music & sound FX, and confirms that Kevin Yahger left the production, although that this version still lists him as director, and that there once was a director’s cut, but which “remains lost”.

    Also, this version “has a different plot structure and some alternate material”. Ah, this part DOES confirm all this is from a VHS tape, but was the best source available. Still, I’d rather have that than nothing.

  • Hellraiser Evolutions (48:15): An archival documentary from 2015, looking at the franchise as a whole, with commentators including Stuart Gordon (Re-Animator) and directors of episodes in the franchise, Scott Derrickson and Rick Bota, along with the lovely Kari Wuhrer (Hellraiser: Deader).

  • Books of Blood and Beyond (19:25): Barker’s ‘Books of Blood’ series were written prior to the Hellraiser movies, and this is a look at them and other of his literary works, courtesy of horror author David Gatward, which is presented in HD.

  • Theatrical Trailer (1:14): In 1.85:1.

  • Image gallery: with 12 pictures.


Hellraiser IV: Bloodline credits

Director: Kevin Yagher
Producer: Nancy Rae Stone
Screenplay: Peter Atkins
Music: Daniel Licht

Cast:
Phillip / John / Paul: Bruce Ramsay
Angelique: Valentina Vargas
Pinhead: Doug Bradley
Genevieve: Charlotte Chatton
Jacques: Adam Scott
Bobbi: Kim Myers
Duc de L’Isle: Mickey Cottrell
Auguste: Louis Turenne
Jack: Courtland Mead
Rimmer: Christine Harnos
Sharpe: Louis Mustillo
The Beast: Jody St Michael


All four films are in 1.85:1 widescreen and in 4K 2160p high-definition. The first film does still have a regular, very hazy picture, which is unfortunate, but then sometimes there’s only so much you can do with the original elements, yet that film is only 36 years old. Compare that to the stunning print on the recent Blu-ray release of The Fireman’s Ball, filmed in 1967, so 20 years earlier than Hellraiser.

However, the other three have zero issues (if you discount the unrated version segments on No.3). Then again, the cleaner the print gets, the less menacing Pinhead seems! By the third film, he seems an almost comical character at times. Any time the print may look a bit soft, that is down to the original filming process. I also saw no issues with the fourth movie.

For the record, I’m watching on Optoma P2 Ultra Short Throw projector with a PS5.

All four films com with a DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack, and it’s nice to have split-surround effects of the jangling of chains all around the room, for example.

The main menus all features clips from the respective films mixed in with a segment of the main theme tune. There are subtitles in English, and 12 chapters each. As always, I wish we got more.

Hellraiser: Quartet Of Torment Limited Edition is out now on 4K Blu-ray Boxset and Blu-ray.


Hellraiser: Quartet Of Torment Limited Edition – Official Trailer – Arrow Video






HELLRAISER
HELLBOUND: HELLRAISER II
HELLRAISER III: HELL ON EARTH
HELLRAISER IV: BLOODLINE
H1 PICTURE QUALITY
H2 PICTURE QUALITY
H3 PICTURE QUALITY
H1 SOUND QUALITY
H2 SOUND QUALITY
H3 SOUND QUALITY
H4 SOUND QUALITY
EXTRAS
10
10
8
5
7
10
10
10
10
8
8
INCALCULABLE!
OVERALL BUY IT!!!


Detailed specs:
Cert:
Running time: 94 / 100 / 100 / 85 minutes
Year: 1987 / 1988 / 1992 / 1997
Distributor: Arrow Films
Released: October 23rd 2023
Chapters: 12 each
Cat.no: FCD2447
Picture: 2160p High Definition
Sound: DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio, DTS 5.1, Dolby Surround
Languages: English
Subtitles: English
Widescreen: 1.85:1
Disc Format: 4*BD50







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