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All three films are in 1.85:1 widescreen and in 1080p high-definition. The first film has a regular, very hazy picture, which is unfortunate. Sometimes there’s only so much you can do with the original elements yet that film is only 28 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.
The second film is better in parts, while No.3 has zero issues (if you discount the unrated version segments). 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.
The first two films are in DTS 5.1 and include a number of neat split-surround effects including the jangling of chains all around the room. No.3, however, is Dolby Surround only.
And if three discs full isn’t enough for you, then there’s also a fourth with some extras exclusive to this boxset:
- Clive Barker Short Films: Salomé & The Forbidden: Both come with or without an introduction, depending on…. what’s your pleasure, Sir?
Salomé runs 27:44 including a 9:20 intro, it was made in 1973 and features Doug Bradley as King Herod. I can’t pretend to know what’s going on, but as Barker says in the intro, when he was making them he just thought “I’ve got an 8mm camera. I can do this!”
The Forbidden was made in 1978 and runs 50:03 including a 7:08 introduction and a 2:35 outro, and also features much the same cast.
- Books of Blood & 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.
- Hellraiser: Evolutions (48:17): A brand new documentary, again presented in HD, looking at the series of films.
- The Hellraiser Chronicles: A Question of Faith (31:40): A short film from director RN Millward, made in 2005, conceived as a showcase piece to promote a possible Hellraiser TV series. Clearly ahead of its time because, these days, long-form TV series are all the rage, particularly with the expansion into this format made possible with the likes of Amazon Prime and Netflix instrumentally taking the lead on House of Cards and the continuation of Ripper Street.
Presented in 4:3, this segment also includes an audio commentary.
- Damnation Games: Finally, there’s a 200-page book to accompany this boxset, put together by Phil and Sarah Stokes. It contains pictures, plus new writings on all three films as well as the press kits.
As I alighted to earlier, this boxset sold out quickly on its release, but if you still want to enjoy almost all of the sights Pinhead has to show you, then Arrow are releasing the first three discs in a slightly less-austentatious box in early 2016. Amazon currently have this listed as January 25th, but it might slip into February. More info can be found about that here.
Subtitles are in English for all three films, and as you put the disc in, the main menu features clips from the films set to the scores. There are 12 chapters to each of the main films, with some additional ones for the chapters.
Hellraiser: The Scarlet Box Limited Edition Trilogy is out now on Blu-ray Limited Edition and check out the full-size cover by clicking on the packshot.
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HELLRAISER HELLBOUND: HELLRAISER II HELLRAISER III: HELL ON EARTH H1 PICTURE QUALITY H2 PICTURE QUALITY H3 PICTURE QUALITY H1 SOUND QUALITY H2 SOUND QUALITY H3 SOUND QUALITY EXTRAS |
10 10 8 7 8 10 10 10 8 INCALCULABLE! |
| OVERALL | BUY IT!!! |
Detailed specs:
Cert: 
Running time: 94 / 100 / 100 minutes
Year: 1987 / 1988 / 1992
Distributor: Arrow Films
Released: October 26th 2015
Chapters: 12 / 12 / 12
Cat.no: FCD1171
Picture: 1080p 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
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.