Hellraiser: Bloodline
Encyclopedia
Hellraiser IV: Bloodline is a 1996 horror film
and the fourth installment in the Hellraiser series
, which serves as both a prequel
and a sequel
. Directed by Joe Chappelle
and Kevin Yagher
, the film stars Bruce Ramsay
, Valentina Vargas
and Doug Bradley
as Pinhead
.
This was the last Hellraiser film to be released in theaters and the last to have any sort of involvement with series creator Clive Barker
.
(the robot is subsequently destroyed). However, several guards led by Rimmer capture Paul. Paul tells Rimmer the story of his bloodline.
A flashback is shown to around 400 years ago. Philip L'Merchant, a French toymaker, makes the Lament Configuration for a wealthy aristrocrat named Duc de L'Isle, who is obsessed with dark magic. He and his apprentice, Jacques, kill a woman and use her to summon the Cenobite slave Angelique. However, Angelique and Jacques betray and kill de L'Isle. L'Merchant, in the process of inventing a design (the Elysium Configuration) to destroy the demons, attempts to steal back the box but is discovered. Jacques callously informs the toymaker that he and his bloodline are cursed until the end of time because of the box he created, before ordering Angelique to kill him. However, his wife survives.
Around 200 years later, John Merchant has built the building witnessed at the end of Hellraiser III
. Upon realizing that the Merchant bloodline has survived, Angelique informs Jacques that she wishes to go to America. However, Jacques denies her permission, upon which Angelique kills him for "trying to stand in Hell's way". Angelique then attempts to seduce John. She finds the Lament Configuration in a cement pillar in the basement and makes a man solve it, and he is killed by Pinhead
.
Pinhead wants to make John use the Elysium Configuration to keep the gateway to Hell open so he can come and go as he pleases. Pinhead tells Angelique that the best way to make John go along with their plans is to threaten his child, Jack. He gets John to use the Elysium Configuration, but it does not work, so Pinhead kills John. John's wife, Bobbi, sends Pinhead, Angelique, and a beastly demon called Chatter Beast back to Hell.
Returning to the present, in 2127, Rimmer has Paul locked up, and the guards are quickly picked off by the freed Cenobites. Rimmer releases Paul, who has a plan to destroy the Cenobites (and built Minos for that specific reason).
Paul distracts Pinhead with a hologram while he gets on the shuttle with Rimmer, and activates the Elysium Configuration. A series of powerful lasers and mirrors create a field of perpetual light, while the station transforms and folds around the light to create a massive box. The light is trapped within the box, which then self destructs, destroying the Cenobites.
Yagher substituted the generic Director's Guild pseudonym "Alan Smithee
".
The script, a fourth draft written by Peter Atkins
, may be found at the internet site The Hellbound Web. Kevin Yagher cut four different director's cuts, ranging from 82 to 110 minutes.
, slightly higher in rank than its predecessor. Nevertheless it became the last Hellraiser movie to have a theatrical release.
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
and the fourth installment in the Hellraiser series
Hellraiser (film series)
Hellraiser is a British horror franchise that consists of nine films, a series of comic books, and merchandise based on the series. The franchise is based on the novella The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker, who would go on to write and direct the adaptation of his story, titled Hellraiser...
, which serves as both a prequel
Prequel
A prequel is a work that supplements a previously completed one, and has an earlier time setting.The widely recognized term was a 20th-century neologism, and a portmanteau from pre- and sequel...
and a sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
. Directed by Joe Chappelle
Joe Chappelle
Joe Chappelle is an American film and television director and producer. Chappelle was a Co-executive producer and regular Director for the HBO crime drama The Wire...
and Kevin Yagher
Kevin Yagher
Kevin Yagher is a special effects technician, known for Freddy Krueger's makeup and the Crypt Keeper creature.His company, Kevin Yagher Productions, has created effects for Face/Off, Enemy of the State, Volcano, Starship Troopers, Conspiracy Theory, Radio Flyer, Mission: Impossible II, and Honey,...
, the film stars Bruce Ramsay
Bruce Ramsay
Bruce Ramsay is a Canadian film, television and stage actor.-Early life:Ramsay was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada...
, Valentina Vargas
Valentina Vargas
Valentina Vargas is a Chilean-born actress. She developed most of her career in France, where she was raised.-Biography:...
and Doug Bradley
Doug Bradley
Douglas William "Doug" Bradley is an English actor best known for his roles in the Hellraiser film series.- Early life :Bradley was born in Liverpool, England...
as Pinhead
Pinhead (Hellraiser)
Pinhead is a fictional character from the Hellraiser series. Created by Clive Barker and portrayed by Doug Bradley, Pinhead is a prominent figure in the series, mostly featured as the main antagonist....
.
This was the last Hellraiser film to be released in theaters and the last to have any sort of involvement with series creator Clive Barker
Clive Barker
Clive Barker is an English author, film director and visual artist best known for his work in both fantasy and horror fiction. Barker came to prominence in the mid-1980s with a series of short stories which established him as a leading young horror writer...
.
Summary
The film begins at Space Station Minos in the year 2127. Paul Merchant, the man who built the station, has a robot solve the Lament ConfigurationLemarchand's box
Lemarchand's box is a fictional lock puzzle or puzzle box appearing in horror stories by Clive Barker, or in works based on his original stories. The best known of these boxes is the Lament Configuration, which features prominently throughout the Hellraiser movie series. This was designed and made...
(the robot is subsequently destroyed). However, several guards led by Rimmer capture Paul. Paul tells Rimmer the story of his bloodline.
A flashback is shown to around 400 years ago. Philip L'Merchant, a French toymaker, makes the Lament Configuration for a wealthy aristrocrat named Duc de L'Isle, who is obsessed with dark magic. He and his apprentice, Jacques, kill a woman and use her to summon the Cenobite slave Angelique. However, Angelique and Jacques betray and kill de L'Isle. L'Merchant, in the process of inventing a design (the Elysium Configuration) to destroy the demons, attempts to steal back the box but is discovered. Jacques callously informs the toymaker that he and his bloodline are cursed until the end of time because of the box he created, before ordering Angelique to kill him. However, his wife survives.
Around 200 years later, John Merchant has built the building witnessed at the end of Hellraiser III
Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth
Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth is a 1992 American horror film and third installment in the Hellraiser series, directed by Anthony Hickox and starring Terry Farrell, Doug Bradley, Paula Marshall and Kevin Bernhardt...
. Upon realizing that the Merchant bloodline has survived, Angelique informs Jacques that she wishes to go to America. However, Jacques denies her permission, upon which Angelique kills him for "trying to stand in Hell's way". Angelique then attempts to seduce John. She finds the Lament Configuration in a cement pillar in the basement and makes a man solve it, and he is killed by Pinhead
Pinhead (Hellraiser)
Pinhead is a fictional character from the Hellraiser series. Created by Clive Barker and portrayed by Doug Bradley, Pinhead is a prominent figure in the series, mostly featured as the main antagonist....
.
Pinhead wants to make John use the Elysium Configuration to keep the gateway to Hell open so he can come and go as he pleases. Pinhead tells Angelique that the best way to make John go along with their plans is to threaten his child, Jack. He gets John to use the Elysium Configuration, but it does not work, so Pinhead kills John. John's wife, Bobbi, sends Pinhead, Angelique, and a beastly demon called Chatter Beast back to Hell.
Returning to the present, in 2127, Rimmer has Paul locked up, and the guards are quickly picked off by the freed Cenobites. Rimmer releases Paul, who has a plan to destroy the Cenobites (and built Minos for that specific reason).
Paul distracts Pinhead with a hologram while he gets on the shuttle with Rimmer, and activates the Elysium Configuration. A series of powerful lasers and mirrors create a field of perpetual light, while the station transforms and folds around the light to create a massive box. The light is trapped within the box, which then self destructs, destroying the Cenobites.
Cast
- Bruce RamsayBruce RamsayBruce Ramsay is a Canadian film, television and stage actor.-Early life:Ramsay was born in Montreal, Quebec, Canada...
as Phillip "Toymaker" L'Merchant / John Merchant / Doctor Paul Merchant - Valentina VargasValentina VargasValentina Vargas is a Chilean-born actress. She developed most of her career in France, where she was raised.-Biography:...
as Peasant Girl / Angelique - Doug BradleyDoug BradleyDouglas William "Doug" Bradley is an English actor best known for his roles in the Hellraiser film series.- Early life :Bradley was born in Liverpool, England...
as Captain Elliot Spencer / PinheadPinhead (Hellraiser)Pinhead is a fictional character from the Hellraiser series. Created by Clive Barker and portrayed by Doug Bradley, Pinhead is a prominent figure in the series, mostly featured as the main antagonist.... - Christine HarnosChristine HarnosChristine Harnos is a Canadian film and television actress. Harnos is known for portraying Jennifer, the wife of main character Mark Greene on ER , Rimmer in the Action/Horror film Hellraiser: Bloodline , Dotty from The Girl Gets Moe film, Sarah Hughes in Cold Dog Soup film, Linda Wyatt in...
as Rimmer - Paul PerriPaul PerriPaul John Perri is an American-born Canadian-American film and television actor. Perri is best known for portraying Edwards and Skinless Parker in Hellraiser: Bloodline, Harry Hume from Chaos, and as Dr. Sidney Bloom from Manhunter.-Background:Perri and his wife, Michele Miner are the parents of...
as Edwards - Tom DuganTom Dugan (USA actor)Tom Dugan is an American film and television actor who is best known for portraying as Chamberlain from the Action/Horror film Hellraiser: Bloodline , Surgeon from The Cutting Edge: Going for the Gold film, Orange Country Man in Pro-Choice , Arms Dealer in P.U.N.K.S...
as Chamberlain - Pat SkipperPat SkipperWilliam Patterson "Pat" Skipper is an American television actor, film actor and voice actor. Pat is probably best known for his television work on such shows as X-Files and Boston Legal...
as Carducci - Jody St. MichaelJody St. MichaelJody St. Michael is an film actor and television actor best known for the role as The Chatter Beast in the Action/Horror film Hellraiser: Bloodline ,-Filmography:*Monkeybone -Centaur...
as Chatterer Beast - Charlotte ChattonCharlotte ChattonCharlotte Chatton is an English actress. She is best known for playing as Emma in Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman , Genevieve L'Merchant in the Sci-Fi/Action/Horror film Hellraiser: Bloodline, Madeleine Astor in Titanic , Peggy in Stand-ins , and as Jen Cross in Dakota Road .-Television:*Beyond Belief:...
as Genevieve L'Merchand - Adam ScottAdam Scott (actor)Adam Scott is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Henry Pollard in the Starz comedy series Party Down and as Ben Wyatt in the NBC comedy Parks and Recreation....
as Jacques - Kim MyersKim MyersKimberly S. "Kim" Myers is an American television and film actress.Her breakthrough role was in the 1985 horror classic A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge as Lisa Webber...
as Bobbi Merchant - Mickey Cottrell as Duc de L'Isle
- Louis TurenneLouis TurenneLouis Turenne is a Canadian movie and television actor whose career has spanned over 20 years.Turenne is of French Canadian descent, having been born in Montreal, Quebec. Most recently, Turenne was known for his work on the Babylon 5 television series. Turenne played the Minbari Draal in the first...
as Auguste de L'Moure - Courtland MeadCourtland MeadCourtland Robert Mead is an American actor.Mead was born in Mission Viejo, California, the son of Denise and Robert Mead and brother of twin sisters Lauren and Candice Mead. In the 1994 film Dragonworld he played the part of young Johnny McGowan, a young boy who finds a dragon egg on his...
as Jack Merchant - Wren T. BrownWren T. BrownWren Troy Brown is an American film, theater, and television actor.A fourth generation Angeleno, Mr. Brown is also a fourth generation theatrical. He is in his third decade as an actor, producer, and director.-Biography:...
as Parker - Sally Willis as MINOS Space Station Computer Voice
- Louis MustilloLouis MustilloLouis Mustillo was born May 28, 1958 in Buffalo, New York; he is an American actor.-Biography:Mustillo has guest starred in more than 50 episodes of television and appeared in over 20 films. He was a series regular on Man of the People with James Garner...
as Sharpe
Production
Kevin Yagher disowned the version with cuts made behind his back due to conflicting artistry ideas. Yagher's version contained much more graphic imagery, plot, and explained everything that happened in the film. The producers disagreed and demanded Pinhead should appear sooner despite every version of the script up until then having him appear around the 40-minute mark. Yagher eventually walked away and never finished filming some final scenes, and Joe Chappelle was brought on to finish the film, filming new scenes from re-writes including the narrative framing device. Some scenes of the original script were thus never shot.Yagher substituted the generic Director's Guild pseudonym "Alan Smithee
Alan Smithee
Alan Smithee was an official pseudonym used by film directors who wish to disown a project, coined in 1968. Until its use was formally discontinued in 2000, it was the sole pseudonym used by members of the Directors Guild of America when a director dissatisfied with the final product proved to...
".
The script, a fourth draft written by Peter Atkins
Peter Atkins
Peter William Atkins is a British chemist and former Professor of Chemistry at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of Lincoln College. He is a prolific writer of popular chemistry textbooks, including Physical Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry, and Molecular Quantum Mechanics...
, may be found at the internet site The Hellbound Web. Kevin Yagher cut four different director's cuts, ranging from 82 to 110 minutes.
Reception
Bloodline was heavily marketed and initially received some positive reviews in amongst a field of negative criticism. Some praised its expanded scope while others derided its cheaper horror aspects. In the United States and Canada, it grossed $9,336,886. It currently ranks 27% Rotten on Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, slightly higher in rank than its predecessor. Nevertheless it became the last Hellraiser movie to have a theatrical release.