Hellraiser: Bloodline (1996)

Directors:

Kevin Yagher
Alan Smithee

Writer (WGA):

Peter Atkins (written by)

Release Date:

8 March 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

This year, the past, the present and the future will all meet at the crossroads of hell.

Plot:

In the 22nd century, a scientist attempts to right the wrong his ancestor created: the puzzle box that opens the gates of Hell and unleashes Pinhead and his Cenobite legions.

Plot Keywords:

Hell | Pinhead | Space | Space Station | Sequel

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Bruce Ramsay	...	Phillip L'Merchant / John Merchant / Dr. Paul Merchant
Valentina Vargas	...	Angelique
Doug Bradley	...	Pinhead
Charlotte Chatton	...	Genevieve L'Merchant
Adam Scott	...	Jacques
Kim Myers	...	Bobbi Merchant
Mickey Cottrell	...	Duc de L'Isle
Louis Turenne	...	Auguste
Courtland Mead	...	Jack Merchant
Louis Mustillo	...	Sharpe
Jody St. Michael	...	The Beast
Paul Perri	...	Edwards
Pat Skipper	...	Carducci
Christine Harnos	...	Rimmer
Wren T. Brown	...	Parker (as Wren Brown)

Also Known As:

Hellraiser IV: Bloodline (UK) (wide-release title) (USA) (poster title)
Hellraiser IV (USA) (working title)
Hellraiser IV: Bloodline Story (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong horror violence and gore, and for some sexuality and language.

Runtime:

86 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Singapore:R21 | USA:R (certificate #34416) | Netherlands:16 | France:-12 | Finland:K-15 (uncut) (2005) | New Zealand:R18 | Australia:MA | Canada:18A | Finland:K-16 (cut) (1997) | Germany:18 (video premiere) | Norway:18 | UK:18 (video premiere) | Iceland:(Banned)

Company:

Dimension Films

Trivia:

Stuart Gordon was attached at one point to direct this film, but left before filming began.

Goofs:

Continuity: After the chain goes through Merchant's throat, in the shot where the blades open up, the wires used to open the blades are visible. Just before the chain is pulled back there is another shot of the blades and the wires are gone.

Quotes:

Bobbi Merchant: [to Pinhead] You go play with your dog, you bastard!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Hellraiser: Deader - Winter's Lament (2009)

Not quite as good as part III, but Bloodline is still a relatively watchable installment in the hugely successful Hellraiser series.

The year is 2127, and a descendent of the maker of the box that opens the gate to Hell is trying to figure out a way to open the box and trap the demons that come out of Hell. He has commandeered a space station (that he himself designed) for this task. He opens the box, lets the demons out, and is detained (people begin to investigate his questionable behavior on the ship) before he can capture them. Almost the entire film is told in the form of a story which he tells the people holding him, in an effort to get them to let him go so he can finish his work. Needless to say, it takes a lot of gory deaths to convince them.

There is a small bit of tension created by the fact that the entire time he is telling the guards what is going on, the Cenobites are out and are on the ship. However, this is largely forgotten about for the majority of the film because so much of it takes place in 18th century France, the time when the box was created. Basically, some toymaker makes the box, opens it, demons show up, and they terrorize his family for generations. You'd think they'd be grateful because he let them out into the world of the living. Anyway, the guy in 2127 has taken upon himself the task of building a NEW box that will be sort of an antidote to the first box, one that is designed so that it can actually trap LIGHT inside.

It's an interesting enough story, and it was actually fairly entertaining, but the film itself was still somewhat lacking. The acting was pretty bad (but at least Ashley Laurence was blissfully absent again), and there wasn't much effort put into the directing. The movement back and forth from the distant future to the distant past was also a bit detrimental at times to the tension of the story, but luckily the film did present a few cool new cenobites (one that was satisfactorily created out of a couple of idiot security guards), and Bloodline also displayed probably one of Pinhead's best performances ever. I would say that Bloodline is more of an informational movie than a good Hellraiser movie. While it is interesting to watch, it is almost more informational than entertaining. So even though the movie itself may have been disappointing, I think that it is a good addition to the series as a whole. It works better within the Hellraiser series than it does by itself.