HELLBOUND: HELLRAISER II (1988) - WTF Happened to This Horror Movie? 

"It is not hands that call us, it is desire". freaking killer dialogue.

I absolutely love the first two Hellraiser films and still watch them regularly.

LOVED this movie! Probably one of the best horror sequels ever made and still watchable today.

I think 1 and 2 flow together seamlessly. Just like terminator 1 and 2.

It's the only Hellraiser sequel that directly follows on from a previous movie.

Gary Oldman as a Cenobite -- that would have been beyond awesome.

I love old 80’s and 90’s backdrops. Like the image of the labyrinth.

This is the last really decent Hellraiser movie. It all goes steeply downhill from here.

Being from the UK, I couldn't see this without massive cuts. A month or so later, my folks decided to take me to Paris for the 200th anniversary of the storming of the Bastille. As a teenager, I really couldn't have given less of a fuck as to why there was a million people on the Champs Elysee, so I found a cinema where I got to watch the whole thing in its mad, uncut, flawed but great glory in English with subtitles. Ah, the memories.

Nothing wrong with it, probably the best sequel we ever got.

In regards to Christy's father not appearing. It's interesting to note that in the original script Christy actually says something in relation to what Peter Atkins said. "I should of known he wouldn't be here! He was good!"

1 of, if not the, best sequels in Horror (imo)

I actually liked Hellbound more than the first movie, maybe because it adds more "lore" and cenobites are on screen for more time compared to the first movie

I love Hellbound as much as the first one....criminally underrated!

If there was ever a movie that I could go back in time and give it a humongous budget, it's Hellbound: Hellraiser II.

No mention of Christopher Young's absolutely massive amazing gothic score? It's one of the best things about the movie.

Dr channard was terrifying as a kid, I loved it

I think Roger Ebert was so overwhelmed by the horror and gore he missed the point of the film. The first film wasn't specifically about the cenobites and the puzzle box, they were the driving force of the main plot. That being Julias infidelity and killing people to restore her lover. It's kind of like the Frighteners where you have serial killer lovers with a supernatural aspect. The second film was about the cenobites and hell. Dr Chanard was delving into the occult and was sacrificing patients to discover the other side, and he found Julia. But it expanded on the identities of the cenobites and revealed more of hell. This was a perfect sequel.

*This is actually good I don’t understand why so many people hate it so much?!?*

This movie was and still is phenomenal. A perfect second chapter to the first movie. I did wonder why the Chatterer looked different though, that left us all guessing. But I love this movie to this day.

"The mind is a labyrinth, ladies and gentlemen, a puzzle. And while the paths of the brain are plainly visible, its ways deceptively apparent, its destinations are unknown. Its secrets still secret. And, if we are honest, it is the lure of the labyrinth that draws us to our chosen field to unlock those secrets. Others have been here before us and have left us signs, but we, as explorers of the mind, must devote our lives and energies to going further to tread the unknown corridors in order to find ultimately, the final solution. We have to see, we have to know... "

When I saw Hellraiser II in the theaters when it first came out, there was a lengthy transformation scene of Dr. Channard (30+ seconds). When I bought the initial VHF release, that scene was totally cut. Later DVD releases had shorten version of the scene (merely a few seconds). I also searched youtube and there are only the shortened version. The full length version of this spectacular scene was never to be seen again, aside from the theatrical release.

Seen this in the theater in 88' tripping on mescaline AWESOME my favorite part they edited the gore slightly didn't see the uncut until months later on VHS....2, 1 and 3 are the best 3 in order.

Hellbound has such an intriguing premise and is full of wonderfully horrific set pieces that are very well done considering it's budget and other restraints of the production. Not to mention the beautiful score from Christopher Young. However I think that it's always going to be difficult for any Hellraiser sequel to ever live up to the first film. The first film has such a great simplicity to it that none of the sequels have. In the Hellbound Heart novel it has basic themes such as Love, Lust, Betrayal, Obsession and Desire (to name the most basic) which are all things most people will immediately identify with as well as understand. I feel like you have to be a horror fan to sit through any of the sequels. The need to explain and expand the "mythology" will always be the detriment of any of the sequels and it will almost never work unless you go in a different direction and fully explore the themes I mentioned previously (Or other themes) that made Hellraiser & Hellbound Heart so good.

This is the best Sequel in the Franchise they should have stopped at either part 2 or part 3 after that it fell off

I remember a scene where pinhead and open neck are in dr garb and they walk through the hospital ward giving puzzleboxes to the patients. It was in the theatrical release that I remember seeing but was later cut out.

This was the one that always stuck with me. Both the bloody corpse being reformed and the version of hell, kinda like a darker Eye of Sauron. But also a bit like the MCP in Tron.

Garth Merenghi's Darkplaces makes a LOT more sense seeing these interviews with Barker

When the doctor gets that patient to literally skin himself alive--well, that fucked with my head royally. To this day that scene freaks me out!

Oh my god, that take at the end. Couldn't agree more.

One of the best horror flicks of all time.

Fantastic vid. I'm a longtime Hellbound fan and it's nice to see it still get's some of the accolades it deserves.

One of those rare sequels that is actually better than the original.

What got me hooked on Hellraiser was Franks last scene where he says "jesus... wept....hehehe" then gets ripped apart. I was like "WTF does that mean!!!! What does that have to do with anything!??! I need an explanation!"

I f--king love this movie. It's also the first soundtrack I ever bought.

I love how pin head wasn't even supposed to be the big bad! It was supposed to be Julia from the first film! She was naaasty! 👌

Friends mom took us to see hellraiser one in the theater. I was five. It took till I was in my 20s before I realized what she did. We still had some grit in the 80s

"And to think...I hesitated"

I remember watching this back at my second house over a decade ago Turns 35! This one truly has a more darker tone than the last one which in a way matches director Tony Randal's mindset Clive Barker executive produces this time but thankfully this has almost the same spirit acting more like a dark fantasy It's nice to see the Cenobites again in top form seeing how their own vices lead to them becoming demons themselves and we get more insight into Pinhead's origin The blood and gore doesn't disappoint and the practical effects are top notch making the agony interesting There's still the ideas of corruption by lust, pleasure and pain being indistinguishable, knowing too much is dangerous, is there more to learn?, we pursue forbidden pleasures through fascination Ashley Laurence brings a lot more to her role, the mythos grows even bigger with a cosmic hellscape, and I really like Tiffany by Imogen Boorman who has an innocent quality to her as she's one of the few not actively seeking the box The budget is bigger despite new world pictures having to cut the budget due to financial issues allowing for a bigger labyrinth environment The sequel managed to expand the characters and the mythos without having to repeat things being very operatic thanks to Randal's input representing a fully more realized production 'Hellraiser 2' is the only chapter worth checking out of 9 abysmal sequels that serves as a final swan song in terms of creativity

Hellbound is probably my fave horror of all time. I was obsessed with Hellraiser as a kid. My mum managed a video store and I got to see it around 1986..i must have been six seven years old but I was frantic when I saw the big poster for Hellbound at the ciniworld theater. I was heartbroken I couldn't go and see it as wasn't old enough so just stodd outside the theater starting at the poster. I wasn't disappointed at all with the movie. I think it's a masterpiece. Clive barker hasn't had much luck with his movies as they alway run into some kind of shit that let's them down. And the fact the budget got cut for this sequal must have been a real pisser. Along with the censors cutting a lot of the gore out. In England the VHS has so much gore cut out of it. It wasn't until the dvd release many years later that I got to see the real deal. I really wish they would sort out the rights to this movie and hand it back over to Clive barker to complete the story properly.. Bring back Julia and kirsty... Its his vision. He must be heartbroken seeing what has become of his masterpiece.

I think this is the best of the series, the story, and the scenery is better than the first . When I first saw it I felt uneasy for weeks. The scenes of the leviathan over the labyrinth.

Finally!!! Thank you so much!!!

quality content man, amazing channel!

Best in series. Hands down.

There was a deleted scene were skin covering Chatterer's eyes is removed explaining his new look but recently also heard that another scene was cut where Channard sees Chatterer 2 being made.

I love this movie. It's almost like Halloween 3: Season of the Witch in that it has its problems, it's not a perfect movie. But the premise and execution is so intriguing that it really elevates the movie.

2:39 Lieutenant Gorman had quite a mighty boosh in his civilian days!

I like the first 3 Hellraiser movies. I like them best in order 2,1,3. I also agree with her father not being in hell. The Cenobites are there as constables of sorts, to keep the codes and laws. If Larry was tricked into going there, like Tiffany was, they would have ushered him out.

I think this movie has one of the best dark tones, especially in the first act.

Great movie

One of the best scores in horror and not a bad movie at all.

Great video about a true horror classic. Thank you.

This is by far my favorite horror movie.... I love the Dr cenobite, the Labyrinth, and Leviathan. John Boorman's daughter played in it too

Channard was and still is absolutely horrifying

as much as i like the first one I have to say Hellraiser 2 is my favorite. Can't beat how ambitious of a movie it is.

I wish that I loved this movie more, but it's always come off as being too fantastical for me compared to the first. It's actually kind of funny now that I think about it, most of Clive Barker's material revolves around the 'fantastique', but the Hellraiser film he was directly responsible for is probably the most grounded in the entire franchise.

Probably the best one out of all the Hellraiser movies.

Always liked this movie but never understood how a brand new cenobite was so easily able to dispatch the others. Always made them seem less powerful from then on. Oh, sure they're scary, but if they make you into one of them you can take them out.

guillermo del toro needs to reboot this franchise. Be it directing or writing it. His imagination and this movie are perfect for each other

Lots of cool info in this I never knew, especially about Charterers design change. Always wondered why he looked drastically different later on in the movie.

The detail to the costumes and makeup still shock me in 2023

I love when you guys do wtf happened to _________ ? on both channels. Even if I have never seen the movie or have any interest in an actor/movie.

This is my favorite hellraiser movie it was so unquie still love it

The first three Hellraiser movies some badass shit.Pinhead is a horror icon right with Freddy,Jason and Michael Myers,he's actually my favorite of the group

I haven't watched this review yet but I absolutely love this movie! I was going to have a shirt made that said "you're suffering is legendary even in hell" made

Tony Randall got dark after "The Odd Couple". Oscar must have broke him.

Hellraiser II is my favorite in the franchise

I watched this film after watching this and i can say that the scene with the doctor handing the razor to the mental patient on the mattress was brutal and very hard to watch. I have a strong stomache but i feel others may easily habe felt sick.

It has stood the test of time for me.i watch it at least once a year

The slashing scene was cut on the VHS copy I had. I've only recently seen the uncut version on the Legend Channel and I was a little shocked at it tbh. The Channard scene getting tortured into a cenobite was shocking at the time too. Great film though with a great score

I watched this when I was like 6 years old and to this day I still consider it one of the only movies to truly fuck me up

"Fucking Weinsteins" is the best part of any of these episodes.

I loved this as much as 1st but in a different way.

Hellraiser 1 and 2 are absolute phenomenal classics, if only the MPAA and studio crap had let them be what they could have been. As with so many movies, especially horror movies ravaged by the ridiculous MPAA

One of my favorite horror movies from my childhood,it was one of the darkest, goriest most evil movie over 30 years ago.

I think this is the best movie in the hellraiser series it's gorry but still nothing compared to some current day horror films I like the way Greek mythology has been incorporated in to the story with the labyrinth

I never once realized that Chatterer had eyes in Hellbound. I don't know how to feel now

Pinhead: "Your suffering will be legendary, even in hell!" Me: Please don't leave me alone with Harvey Weisntein... F*ing Weinsteins!!!

I have only seen 1 and 2 and I love these movies

The first movie was such a startling piece of work, unlike most anything else that had come down the horror turnpike. And then the sequel was so much bigger in scope and setting that it was nearly overwhelming. Everything became grandiose, even the music was more bombastic and operatic. I really enjoyed Doctor Channard, a fascinating villain with nefarious motives and no morals whatsoever. And the actor who played him has this physical presence that is so imposing; it gave the film weight. Kenneth Cranham reminds me of a James Bond villain. Oh, and the whole thing in that Leviathon documentary about the character's last name ... I much prefer Channard to Malahide. The former sounds sophisticated and almost innocuous (it doesn't matter to me that it's a blend of the first and last name of the doctor who did the first heart transplant), while the name Malahide from the first draft of the script is blatantly an attempt to make people think of "bad skin". It's not as clever as writer Peter Atkins thought. Have to say: this movie and this entire franchise is a colossal disappointment in that it did not give movie audiences what potentially could have been the greatest female icon in scary cinema. I know, fans favored Pinhead, but I wonder what might have been if Julia had been made into the big baddie. A moot point, admittedly. The series would go down the crapper rapidly anyway, after Hellbound. I'll never forget my first viewing of H2 because that reveal of Chatterer as having been a mere boy when he was changed, that really struck me and was so surprising. Bit of a jaw dropper moment. But, of course, the biggest thing in the movie remains the mattress sequence. A guaranteed wince inducer, that part. :D Ghastly! Oh, and initially I was dismayed that the Channard Cenobite was able to destroy the other three Cenobites very easily, dispatching them like they were no challenge at all.

3:01 I've always loved how perceptive Pinhead is.

Seeing the first 2 Hellraiser films in 35mm later this month with a Q&A from the co-writer in between. Never seen this one!

Love this movie.

A great sequel to a classic

I think the Channard cenobite is still the best thing to ever come out of Hellraiser movies.

Will we ever get a Black Sheep for Nightbreed?

I adore this movie.

The cuts explain why there was so little of Pinhead and the cenobites, I was outraged over Chatterers restored eyes at the time as well ha

Friends at Pathe sound got me an uncut copy back in 1989.

My favorite of the Hellraiser films

I feel it would be a great disservice, if the new remake didn't feature a Harvey Weinstein character being taken to hell.

I found the Dr Chenard Cenobite more frightening than any other including Pinhead as a kid.

I love the original but hellbound was always my favorite!

My favorite so far is Bloodline with the new version Huklu made coming in at a close second.

The doctor is in.

Is anybody ever going to address the FACT that Julia died on the staircase where Frank stabbed her and not on the fucking mattress!

this is my favorite of the series

I have the action figure of Dr. Channard, and it's as creepy as the movie version of him. I had it once before and sold it at a toy show, but years later I bought it again (at a ridiculous price), but now I have it again. I don't know what it is about these movies, from the imagination of Clive Barker, but they resonate with some deep secret desire. Forbidden knowledge ? Maybe, but more likely it's the same curiosity that killed the cat. It's dangerous, and it's seductive. As a collector i have several pieces that are obscure and dark, but they have something that draws me to them, something rare and exclusive. Something secret.

Yeah never really understood why Larry would go to Hell in the first film. Made more sense that it was a trick by Frank.

I visited the set just after that accident with the hooks! God that takes me back. I remember the make up crew them telling me what had just happened and that when he arrived at the A&E dept the medical staff initially weren't sure what was him and what was make up! lol Ah, happy days. lol