Hellraiser 3: Hell on Earth

Pinhead: "Unbearable, isn't it? The suffering of strangers, the agony of friends. There is a secret song at the center of the world...and its sound is like razors through flesh."
Joey: "I don't believe you."
Pinhead: "Oh come, you can hear its faint echo right now. I'm here to turn up the volume."

release year: 1992
genre: horror
viewing setting: home DVD 4/3/23

synopsis: The leader of the hellish Cenobites has been trapped in a weird stone column, which means that he can and will be freed eventually.

impressions: This one didn't deal much with using the puzzle cube to summon anything, but rather to use it (plus copious amounts of blood/souls) to free Pinhead, at which time he starts killing and creating new servants. I thought this one strayed too far from the example of the previous two - it had Cenobites laughing at times, and some of the new ones were a bit goofy. I think these stories should be about evil people falling victim to their own temptations and desires, not the bad guys randomly wreaking havoc on our world for no reason. We'll see how the series progresses (or regresses.)

acting: Terry Farrel is the reporter who gets involved in all of this. Paula Marshall is a stupid young punk party girl whose insecurities and indecision are the final step. Kevin Bernhardt is a spoiled young playboy club owner who initially buys the column because he thinks it's cool. Doug Bradley returns as Pinhead, this time broken into two personalities (his good and evil sides.)

final word: Third entry that does little to advance the overall series.

back to the main review page