Hellbound: Hellraiser II

"Hellraiser II: Bound to Hell" is a good continuation of the first movie, but a continuation that didn't really impress me in any significant way. It's good, it still has that good atmosphere that can put you in a strong state of depression, but you can see that there is an effort to go back a little and not capture the absolute depths of horror that could be presented here. But the fact is, if the creators went into that, the film would be very difficult to watch. (11/06/2015)

In a way, Hellraiser II is the answer to all the "buts" from the first film. There's more mythology around the cube, and slightly more action-packed Cenobites, but they still don't overdo it... There's also a hell labyrinth and some very nice ideas. I appreciate the expansion of the insane asylum plot, the fact that the sequel takes place just moments after the first film, the storyline, and the crazy doctor. The main protagonists have even almost become beautiful, as if they were completely different actresses. I'm downright happy with the Bride of Frankenstein/Mummyvariation, it was incredibly romantic. The third girl in the bunch is also a good screenwriting investment. But then there are also a number of dead ends and proper WTF moments. Where did Kirstyn's boyfriend go? Wouldn't it be easiest to revive her father as Juls and then have his skin regenerated? Humiliating Pinhead with a photo? Killing a trio of his henchmen so conveniently? And what about all the hell stuff? No one has explained the pterodactyl to me! Unfortunately, the build-up to the third film doesn't really work out and the third film is a proper mess. This is the order in which I like the films overall: Hellraiser 8, Hellraiser 5, Hellraiser 4, Hellraiser 7, Hellraiser 2, Hellraiser 6, Hellraiser 1, Hellraiser 3, Hellraiser 9. (12/05/2023)

Much worse than the first part. The special effects are on the same level, the performances are similarly wanting, there is less atmosphere and the script is quite confusing at times, but the worst for me is how little Pinhead and his Cenobites show up. After the thrilling first part, Hellbound was quite a disappointment, especially because of the second half (the first half is better than good) – I didn’t like how hell looked and the special effects were bad (all the atmosphere is lost when they enter hell), and not even the climax was very good. Weak three stars. My ranking: H1, H5, H2, H7, H3, H4, H6, H8 (20/03/2008)

This sequel is not as consistent as the first one, but its creativity and atmosphere cannot be denied. Some scenes were even more impressive than in the first installment, so despite some weaker moments in the second half of the film, they contribute 75% to the overall impression, just like in the first one. It is an older, but classic horror spectacle. (11/11/2006)