Hellraiser Quartet Of Torment Limited Edition Blu Ray [Blu-ray]

Product Information

Under the Skin: Doug Bradley on Hellraiser III – archival interview with the iconic actor about his third appearance as ‘Pinhead’ Under the Skin: Doug Bradley on Hellbound – archival interview with the iconic actor about his second appearance as ‘Pinhead’ Unrated Version – Containing standard definition inserts for the unrated footage, this was included on Arrow’s prior Blu-ray release and is included in 4K UHD, alongside the theatrical cut of the film. EPK – An extended electronic press kit with the edited version previously included on Arrow’s Blu-ray of Hell on Earth with new clips and behind-the-scenes B roll, discovered by Stephen Jones. It runs for 12 minutes and it’s another neat inclusion.

Under the Skin: Doug Bradley on Hellraiser Iii – archival interview with the iconic actor about his third appearance as ‘Pinhead’Audio commentary with Stephen Jones and Kim Newman – Exclusive to this release is this brand new audio commentary with Jones and Newman is a great one. Jones worked on Hellraiser so he recounts his experiences on set, as well as a conversation he had with John Carpenter before becoming a unit publicist. Newman and Jones have a great rapport, there’s a vast array of knowledge that the two share about the film and it’s one of the better audio commentaries on a boutique Blu-ray in recent memory. And so the sequel, Hellbound: Hellraiser II, was rushed into production during the finalisation of the first film and released barely twelve months after. Problems plagued the hastily assembled production, from actors refusing to return forcing script rewrites, to financial problems with production company New World Pictures, the final film is a scruffy, messy expansion of the first that still manages to offer up some stunning designs and scenes and a delicious peak into the mythos of the Cenobites and of Hell itself. And into this morass of stagnating blood and guts came Barker’s bizarre creation, itself a Frankenstein of unlimited imagination and horribly suffocating production restrictions, a film that at once showcased a first-time film maker and an author (the film is based on one of his novellas, The Hellbound Heart) whose worlds far exceeded anything in horror or dark fantasy before and arguably since. Far more than the sum of its parts, it opened up a landscape of twisted sexual fantasy intertwined with equally perverse physical torture; it parlayed a prosthetic-driven creature feature into the midst of a very suburban melodrama; and it delivered a sense of the dreamily uncanny, of the off-kilter shot through impossible environments (is it set in the UK? The US? Even our world? Who knows?) and nightmare logic with no discernible rhyme nor reason… Under the Skin: Doug Bradley on Hellbound – archival interview with the iconic actor about his second appearance as ‘Pinhead’ As it stands, Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth is an okay sequel that isn’t really my thing, but has enough for fans of the franchise or Doug Bradley’s Pinhead in particular to enjoy. As long as you don’t go in expecting something on the same level as those first two instalments, you might have a good time with this one.

That’s the general gist, but there’s a lot more going on in the film than gnarly, disturbing gore and one of my favourite elements of the feature is actually how Barker gives the majority of the screen to a well-written and established female antagonist, which felt refreshing at the time the film released. Larry’s daughter Kirsty is the heart of the film and its sequel, and helped Ashley Laurence become a mainstay in the cult horror scene. This release features brand new 4K restorations of all four films and is available to own in the UK on Limited Edition 4K UHD from 23rd October 2023 courtesy of Arrow Video. It is also available now on the Arrow streaming platform. Being Frank: Sean Chapman on Hellbound - archival interview about the actor’s return to the role of Frank Cotton A histrionic, hyperbolic quote it may be…but when it comes from the lips of one Stephen King (himself referencing it from a quote about, ironically, The Boss…Bruce Springsteen), it really shouldn’t be so easily dismissed as mere marketing fluff.Kirsty ( Ashley Laurence) has been admitted to a mental institution where nobody believes her story (or so she thinks). But Dr. Channard ( Kenneth Cranham– Layer Cake, Valkyrie) knows all about the puzzle box and when he hears about the mattress on which Julia ( Clare Higgins) died, he wastes no time in having it sent to his home so he can resurrect her. This horrifying event is witnessed by his assistant Kyle ( William Hope– Aliens, The Whistleblower) who now believes everything Kirsty has told them. The Beauty of Suffering - featurette exploring the Cenobites' connection to goth, fetish cultures and BDSM – NEW (28 mins) Hellraiser: Quartet of Torment is a fantastic box set, which features the first four films from the magnificent Hellraiser franchise based on the stories of horror legend Clive Barker ( Nightbreed, Candyman). Under the Skin: Doug Bradley on Hellbound - archival interview with the iconic actor about his second appearance as 'Pinhead' A selection of trailers and TV spots are included, as well as an image gallery. Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth extras

All the new features don’t focus on the specifics of the films, but of the broader themes and context of the franchise. And they are all well worth watching, even if at times they veer into raging pretension. Digging into some of them, the two documentaries on the Hellbound disc are possibly the best two here, the first being a loose but fun deep dive into the film by a couple of friends which sounds like the kind of conversation you wish you had down your local, whilst the second fully appreciates the work that composer Young brings to the whole series. However the new features on the first film’s disc take an interesting look into Barker and what his work meant to people and it’s a lovely approach to take rather than regurgitate the same talking heads talking about the same film again. His brother Larry ( Andrew Robinson– Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) moves into what he believes is his empty house, with his wife Julia ( Clare Higgins– Ready Player One, The Convent), not realising she had an affair with Frank just before they were married. When Frank escapes from the Cenobites, Larry’s daughter Kirsty ( Ashley Laurence– Red, Pomegranate) is all that stands between them and their own personal hell.

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While the final product would have likely been nothing spectacular, Yagher’s original vision for a film that revolved less around Pinhead and more around the creation of the puzzle box itself, the Lament Configuration is fascinating. After leaving the project, over twenty five minutes of his original cut were trimmed down and television director Joe Chappelle was brought in for re-shoots and to make the product more “scary” with more Pinhead, a revised ending and Yagher’s original intended story. Books of Blood and Beyond: The Literary Works of Clive Barker – An archival 20 minute appreciation by David Gatwalk of Barker’s written work. This was included on previous Arrow Video releases and it’s a decent watch. Gatwalk talks about how love for the work of Barker and is enthusiastic about the work, which makes the featurette a fun watch. Under the Skin: Doug Bradley on Hellraiser - archival interview with the iconic actor about his first appearance as 'Pinhead' The Pursuit of Possibilities – brand new 60-minute discussion between acclaimed horror authors Paula D. Ashe ( We Are Here To Hurt Each Other) and Eric LaRocca ( Everything the Dark Eats) celebrating the queerness of Hellraiser and the importance of Clive Barker as a queer writer Being Frank: Sean Chapman on Hellbound – archival interview about the actor’s return to the role of Frank Cotton