Hellraiser: Revelations (2011) - I guess it's part of the franchise

Just in case you've never heard of the 'Hellraiser' franchise, the original was a particularly gruesome eighties horror about a band of demons known as the 'Cenobites' lead by the sinister 'Pinhead,' who can be summoned to our world via an evil puzzle box.  Most horror fans agree the first was a classic.  Personally, I really enjoyed the first three (but I may be the minority there) and watch them as a 'trilogy.' What followed were more and more sequels which tended to go further and further down into 'straight to video' and then 'straight to DVD' bins around the world.

I read online how 2011's 'Hellraiser: Revelations' wasn't even supposed to be a 'Hellraiser' film.  Instead, the film-company behind it was about to lose the rights unless the released a new entry, therefore they adapted a generic horror script and threw the Cenobites in it for good measure.  I don't know enough about the politics behind the making of this movie, but whether that's true or not, it certainly feels that way.

A couple of lads go on holiday and end up opening the puzzle box, thus releasing its demonic occupants.  Whereas previous instalments at least had the gravitas of Pinhead (played by Doug Bradley) to give some weight to the proceedings, here a different actor is playing the lead antagonist.  And it shows.

I'm also a fan of the 'Nightmare on Elm Street' and 'Friday 13th' franchises.  I know they only replaced Freddy (Robert England to Jackie Earle Hayley) the once and Jason multiple times, but all changes didn't totally tank the story.  This time, the loss of Bradley as Pinhead feels like the film was as damned as its protagonists from the start.

There's a little bit of gore which is practical effects and is suitably brutal by the franchise's standards, but apart from that and the - again - practical make-up and effects, there's little here to recommend, even for a fan of the series.  

4/10 You can watch this film while you're doing the ironing (you'll still get the general gist of it)