Although 1987’s Hellraiser didn’t turn into a box office smash, it found a good cult audience. That became more than enough to spawn a sequel, one that arrived in December 1988 via Hellbound: Hellraiser II.

When Kirsty Cotton (Ashley Laurence) claims that demonic creatures destroyed her family, authorities deem her mentally unstable. As a result, she winds up in a psychiatric hospital run by Dr. Phillip Channard (Kenneth Cranham).

It turns out that Dr. Channard has long sought the doorway to other dimensions, and he gets involved with the same forces that previously haunted Kirsty. This leads Kirsty to once again struggle against evil.

Although I think the original Hellraiser comes with iffy elements, it largely succeeds. Much of the reason for this stems from the way its creator Clive Barker made an uncompromising project that didn’t wink at the audience or attempt anything other than abject terror.

Though billed as executive producer, Barker handed over the sequel’s reins to director Tony Randel and screenwriter Peter Atkins. Would they be able to maintain the standards Barker set with the original movie?

No, though I admit Hellbound manages some intrigue. Still, it lacks the cruel bite of the first film.

Hellbound essentially represents the initial feature work from both Randel and Atkins. Both went on to almost completely forgettable careers after its release.

This level of talent ensures Hellbound never really threatens to rise above the pack. Much of the time, Randel does his best to emulate the style Barker developed in the original movie but he can’t make it nearly as ominous and creepy.

Atkins script doesn’t help matters, as we find a disjointed affair. Much of the movie’s first half echoes the plot of Hellraiser, as we focus on violent attempts to resurrect a character who died in the prior film.

Around the flick’s midway point, however, Hellbound turns into a more violent riff on 1986’s Labyrinth in which characters go on a challenging supernatural pursuit. The story also simply loses focus as it proceeds.

This means that although the initial 50 minutes or so can feel like a remake of Hellraiser, at least these sections move at a decent rate and show forward momentum. The second half just seems more like a collection of violent and/or eerie scenes without a lot of real story involved.

Randel simply can’t bring back the unrelenting darkness of the 1987 movie. He pours on gore and nastiness in an attempt to out-Barker Clive, but Hellbound just fails to form the same sense of unsettling evil.

I will credit Hellbound for a refusal to “go camp”, a notion that might’ve seemed tempting given the horror landscape of the late 1980s. This era brought flicks in franchises like A Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th that increasing favored winking comedy and self-parody over stabs at genuine scares.

Hellbound never goes for the laughs, though it does seem semi-pandering via the introduction of Tiffany (Imogen Boorman), a mute hospital patient who accompanies Kirsty on her journey. Tiffany feels like a largely useless sidekick who does little to further the narrative and who seems to exist mainly as an option to appear in a third Hellraiser flick.

To my surprise, that doesn’t happen, as 1992’s Hellraiser III loses all established characters beyond returning Cenobites. But that film becomes the subject of a separate review.

As for Hellbound, it ends up as a watchable sequel but nothing better. While it doesn’t embarrass anyone involved, it fails to do much to stand on its own.

Hellbound: Hellraiser II appears in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 on this 4K UHD Disc. Despite a challenging source, this turned into an appealing Dolby Vision presentation.

For the most part, sharpness worked fine. A mix of opticals occasionally resulted in some slightly soft shots, but the majority of the movie appeared well-rendered.

Neither jagged edges nor shimmering manifested, and I saw no edge haloes. Grain felt heavy but appropriate and print flaws never marred the proceedings.

Hellbound opened for a palette that leaned brown but generally seemed fairly natural. Though not a dynamic set of hues, the colors suited the narrative, and HDR gave them kick when necessary.

Blacks felt deep and dense, while shadows offered appealing clarity. Whites and contrast enjoyed added oomph from HDR. Though not exactly a visual showcase, the 4K reproduced the film well.

As for the movie’s DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack, it seemed pretty solid for its age. The soundscape started slowly, which meant that the flick’s first half placed most of the audio in the front speakers.

The material broadened as the more supernatural elements evolved, however, so the film’s second section spreads information to the side and rear channels in an involving manner. Though this never threatens to live up to modern standards, it became a good soundfield for a movie from 1988.

Audio quality could seem a bit dated but usually held up fine. Despite a little edginess at times, speech felt reasonably natural and always remained intelligible.

Music came across as full and rich, while effects appeared mostly accurate and dynamic, with only a little distortion. Nothing here dazzled, but the soundtrack satisfied.

We get a slew of extras here, and these open with three separate audio commentaries. Recorded in 1996 for a laserdisc, the first offers a running, screen-specific track with director Tony Randel and writer Peter Atkins. They discuss story/characters, cast and performances, sets and locations, effects, editing, music, changes for the unrated cut, photography and general notes.

Though Randel and Atkins provide an engaging interaction, they don't give us the world's most informative chat. While we find a decent array of details, the track goes flat too often to be anything memorable.

Created for a 2000 DVD, the second commentary comes from director Tony Randel, writer Peter Atkins and actor Ashley Laurence. All three sit together for a running, screen-specific look at essentially the same topics as the 1996 track.

I hoped Laurence’s presence would spice up the commentary and add a new dynamic, but she says little across this track. Because Randel and Atkins repeat an awful lot of material from the 1996 recording, this one lacks much value.

Taped specifically for this release, the final commentary comes from critic/unit publicist Stephen Jones and critic Kim Newman. Both sit together for a running, screen-specific take on cast and crew, domains related to sequels and genre, production details, and their thoughts on the film.

Given his involvement in the flick, Jones dominates and helps give us a lot of good details about the shoot – more than we find from the folks in the prior two tracks, to my surprise. Newman offers enough to earn his keep, but Jones’ first-hand info turns this into a winner.

Video programs ensue, and Hell Was What They Wanted runs one hour, 25 minutes, 17 seconds. It involves critics/horror authors Kit Power and George Daniel Lea.

Billed an “appreciation”, they talk about aspects of the film/franchise and their reflections. While Power and Lea manage greater introspection than just pure “appreciation”, they devote a lot of time to praise, and that makes “Hell” a spotty experience.

That Rat-Slice Sound goes for 11 minutes, 54 seconds. This one provides thoughts from author/critic Guy Adams.

“Sound” gives us an “appreciation” for the work of composer Christopher Young, with an emphasis on his scores for the first two Hellraiser films. While Adams offers some useful notes, he narrates with such an overly dramatic that this limits the value of his remarks.

Under Behind the Scenes, we find three components: “Clive Barker On Set Interview” (3:18), “Cast and Crew On Set Interviews” (4:45) and “Behind the Scenes Footage” (1:51). “Cast and Crew” includes notes from Barker, Randel, and actors Clare Higgins, Ashley Laurence, Imogen Boorman, Kenneth Cranham.

Predictably, the two “Interview” clips focus on general fluff meant to promote the film. “Footage” gives us an intriguing view of the special makeup effects processes but it runs too short to do much.

“Archival Special Features” provides four additional components. Being Frank runs 11 minutes, 35 seconds and involves actor Sean Chapman.

An extension of a chat that appears on the Hellraiser disc, Chapman discusses his experiences on the sequel and the series’ legacy. Chapman lives up to the program’s title, as he offers a blunt and informative take on Hellbound.

Under the Skin gives us a 10-minute, 52-second piece with actor Doug Bradley. He tells us about his role and experiences through this enjoyable program.

Next comes Lost in the Labyrinth. The program spans 17 minutes, three seconds and provides notes from Barker, Randel, Atkins, Bradley, Laurence, special effects makeup artist Bob Keen, composer Christopher Young, and actors Simon Bamford, Nicholas Vince, and Oliver Smith.

“Lost” delivers a general overvirw of the production. Despite its relative brevity, it brings a tight and informative reel.

A Deleted Surgeon Scene occupies four minutes, 51 seconds and shows an apparently infamous sequence Bradley mentions in “Skin”. It’s not as interesting as that reputation implies.

In addition to four trailers and three TV spots, we get four Image Galleries. These split into “Storyboards” (118 screens), “Alternate Ending Storyboards” (10), “Stills and Promo Materials” (153) and “Draft Screenplay” (97). These add value.

As a sequel to a seminal horror film, Hellbound: Hellraiser II offers a serviceable effort and never becomes the embarrassment it could’ve been. Nonetheless, it seems like a lackluster regurgitation of the first movie’s themes and it does little to distinguish itself. The 4K UHD boasts solid picture and audio as well as a fine roster of supplements. Expect a very good release for a mediocre movie.

Note that as of October 2024, this 4K edition of Hellbound: Hellraiser II comes only as part of a four-movie set called “Quartet of Torment”. The box also includes 1987’s Hellraiser, 1992’s Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth and 1996’s Hellraiser: Bloodline.