Product Description

Experience a real-life nightmare in this all-new and totally unique chapter in the terrifying and insanely popular series created by horror master Clive Barker. Starring Lance Henriksen (ALIENS, SCREAM 3) -- and once again Doug Bradley as the infamous Pinhead! When five hardcore internet gamers are invited to a special party thrown by the website HELLWORLD, they are about to endure a night of unspeakable terror they believed only existed in cyberspace! Fresh, entertaining, and crawling with amazing special effects, don't miss the chilling return of Pinhead in this awesome thriller from Dimension Home Video.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #8505 in DVD
• Brand: BUENA VISTA HOME VIDEO
• Released on: 2005-09-06
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: Spanish, French
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 91 minutes

Amazon.com
Clive Barker's Gothic ghoul Pinhead is pitted against online gamers out for kicks in Hellraiser: Hellworld, the eighth entry in the popular horror franchise. A group of young computer-game enthusiasts crack the secret of Hellworld, a virtual-reality game based on the Hellraiser mythos, and earn themselves an invite to an exclusive party at a secluded and spooky mansion. There, the host (Lance Henriksen, always a welcome sight) reveals his elaborate collection of Hellraiser-related artifacts, as well as a hidden agenda regarding one of the gamers' friends, who died under sinister circumstances. Naturally, this fresh assortment of attractive young souls with an insatiable curiosity for the forbidden summons up Pinhead (Doug Bradley, natch) and his Cenobite friends to unleash their own brand of hell on Earth. Hellraiser devotees won't find any fresh ideas in the script, but veteran cinematographer Rick Bota (who helmed the two previous films in the franchise) provides attractive visuals, and the gore is plentiful and unpleasant. --Paul Gaita

DVD features
The DVD includes a making-of featurette with cinematographer Rick Bota and members of the cast; Bota also contributes to the commentary, on which he's joined by producer Nick Phillips, screenwriter Joel Soisson, and effects designer Gary J. Tuncliffe. --Paul Gaita

Customer Reviews

A decent slasher film, but a disappointing Hellraiser film
This is a tough one. Hellraiser: Hellworld is a Hellraiser movie, but it's not really a Hellraiser movie, except that it sort of is. You know something's just not right when Pinhead shows up and just lops off a dude's head without uttering a single one of his gleefully evil aphorisms, not even a quick "Time to play." The Cenobites are all about the sweet pleasure of pain, the beautiful anguish of suffering, the exquisite knowledge that comes with the most intimate exploration of the flesh - but Hellraiser: Hellworld is about death - pure and simple death. And let's face it - there's just no fun in that. Basically, this is a slasher film - until the end, when the filmmakers sort of make a mess of things by redefining the nature of everything we have just seen. It doesn't really work, and - despite a last-minute palliative - sort of leaves a bad taste in the mouth of us Cenobite fanatics. Clearly, the Hellraiser series has lost its focus.

It's not exactly original, but I like the basic storyline. Imagine that there is an addictive, online game called Hellworld, and it's based on the Cenobites we know and love, the puzzle box, etc. A group of friends - who lost one of their other friends two years ago when his obsession with the game consumed him - can't resist the temptation when they win a ticket to a private Hellworld party. Their host is a wonderfully creepy fellow played by Lance Henriksen, who adds a much-needed sense of menace to events as they unfold. After a gnarly tour of the place, the friends wander off to themselves and explore the big Leviathan House - and you know what happens to horror film characters who wander off on their own. The deaths aren't all that satisfying, though, as that's all they are - deaths, messy but much too quick. Eventually, we're left with two characters (one of whom, fortunately, is the film's designated hot chick) who try to figure out what exactly is going on and just try to survive. Then comes the ending, when everything is thrown on its ear, some justification for Pinhead's odd behavior is offered, and a final attempt to appease Hellraiser fans falls a little flat.

You don't need to have seen all of the sequels to understand what is going on here - as long as you have a basic understanding of the Cenobites, you're good to go. As a slasher film, Hellraiser: Hellworld isn't all that bad and does feature a decent amount of blood and gore. As a Hellraiser film, though, this is just a real oddity. It doesn't exactly hurt the series all that much, but it certainly does nothing to enhance and build upon the Hellraiser legacy.

Why are there any reviews at all?
This movie hasn't even been released yet. It won't until Sept.!!! This is a place for reviews of the movie people. Nobody cares what you think the movie is going to be like, or that you are a huge fan of the Hellraiser series and are looking forward to it. Go post a review for Deader....that's out. Hellworld is not!!

Note to Amazon: Stop allowing people to review movies until AFTER the official release date of the product!!!

The Hellworld
I thought that this film, regardless of reviews bellow me, was far better than Deader. Why would you use such unrealistic, 'bringing the dead back to life' story for ANY of the Hellraiser films? It's rediculous.

I probably shouldn't be giving Hellworld 5 stars. It most likely deserves 3, maybe 2, but with all of the inaccurate reviews... I felt quite terrible.

It is slightly odd that they would bring the Internet into the series, but, I suppose they've done everything else. I personally reccomend Hellraisers I & II, as well as 'Hell On Earth' and 'Bloodline'. I'd reccomend the Inferno as well, but I fear that I might be shot for doing so.