If you're a fan of the Hellraiser series just because of Pinhead you might want to step away from this sixth(!) entry as it's probably the least that everyone's favourite servant of Hell has been on-screen.

Hyped before its release as the return of Ashley Laurence to the series (she was the heroine of the first two movies) this simply doesn't have enough of her for anyone who was excited about it to care, and really she doesn't have much to do with it all. In the opening sequence she's seemingly killed in a car crash that her husband Dean Winters has survived. From there it's all sorts of confusion as the script veers all over the place having Winters having all sorts of visions, mixing dreams with reality and even having a bunch of people being killed (with detectives pinning it all on our "hero", who suffered memory loss in the accident).

This one is certainly a mixed bag as it's quite watchable and has lots of screwy visuals; despite the fact it feels a little off-kilter and for the most part doesn't make much sense. And when they trot out the twisty finish it all sort of starts to hang together a bit better, but it's still too loose to work as well as it could have - but it did help me like the movie a bit more.

Overall, this isn't the worst entry in the series (I myself still have to go with Hellbound: Hellraiser II) and there are some interesting ideas (and I really like the tone they set in the opening, but it doesn't last); but it's only really for fans of the series - and even they might be disappointed in the utter lack of Pinhead and his Cenobites.

Followed by Hellraiser: Deader. (Chris Hartley, 6/1/04)

Directed By: Rick Bota.
Written By: Tim Day, Carl Dupre.

Starring: Dean Winters, Ashley Laurence, William S. Taylor, Jody Thompson.