Hellraiser 3: Hell on Earth (1992)

Elevator Pitch: Pinhead and his acolytes as well as the magic box have been frozen into a carved plinth, now seen as an artwork which is purchased by the owner of a nightclub, the Boiler Room. The demon is able to harpoon people who get too close to the plinth and when a victim is rushed into hospital a freelance TV reporter sees him and gets on the case. In the nightclub owner’s bedroom there are further victims and elsewhere the magic box finds its way =in to the reporter’s apartment. This causes her to have dreams which reveal her part in the nightmare, making it necessary for her to confront Pinhead, to help the demon’s alter ego to merge with it, and prevent hell on earth.

Content: There is one sex event, a bit odd, but it is supposed to be. It is contrived so that there is no actual nudity. There is a lot of blood and gore, the main theme of the film. The carved plinth is seen extending chains and hooks in one case pulling a woman’s skin off. Pinhead appears a lot in menacing circumstances. The reporter is transported in dreams to a fire fight in Vietnam and a trench invasion in WWI where she meets Pinhead’s alter ego. Cenobites are created from the demon’s victims and look suitably disgusting. 

A View:   The critics thought that Terry Farrell as the reporter did pretty well. At the very least she seemed to understand what was going on, so it gave me confidence that at least some-one knew what was happening. If you have seen any of the other Hellraiser films you know what to expect. It is not bad in that it seems that a bit of money was spent on the scenes, particularly the WWI trench. It might be one of those you could have on while doing something else.

Additional Info: It was the first Hellraiser film to be made in America and the last to achieve general release.