Hellraiser: Quartet of Torment – Arrow Video

Clive Barker is one of British horror’s most iconic figures. Being the man behind the works that would inspire Candyman, Gods and Monsters, Nightbreed, The Midnight Meat Train and most notably, Hellraiser. While my favourite of these is Candyman, one can’t help but find the success of Hellraiser fascinating.

Mashing the worlds of body horror and sadomasochism is something that feels like it shouldn’t have worked for mainstream audiences but 11 films later, there’s something undeniably intriguing about the world of Pinhead and his fellow Cenobites. 

Arrow Video have compiled the first four films in the franchise together, for the first time in glorious 4K Ultra HD and it’s been a few years since I’ve last revisited the sequels. So join me as I take a dive into Clive Barker’s twisted world of pain, pleasure and more… 

Hellraiser 

Director: Clive Barker
Screenplay: Clive Barker
Starring: Andrew Robinson, Clare Higgins, Ashley Laurence and Doug Bradley
Country: United Kingdom
Running Time: 93 min
Year: 1987

When I think of body horror, there’s a few films that come to mind immediately. John Carpenter’s The Thing, David Cronenberg’s The Fly and Clive Barker’s Hellraiser. All three films are cornerstones of the 1980s horror scene and are all regarded as some of the greatest films in their respective genre, with outstanding practical effects bringing the sick creations to screen in ways that almost felt impossible before. 

I absolutely adore the horror genre, if it’s not obvious by the majority of my reviews for Blueprint, and Hellraiser is an utter gem of a picture. It’s something I find myself coming back to yearly and even had the pleasure of seeing the film on the big screen a few years back at my (now unfortunately shuttered) local cinema. 

The film follows Julia and Larry, a couple moving into Larry’s brother Frank’s old home. Larry is unaware about Julia and Frank’s past history, in which they had an affair and after hurting himself while moving furniture into the new home, Larry’s blood falls on the attic’s floor, where Frank had previously experimented with a puzzle box, awakening extra-dimensional beings known as the Cenobites. Larry’s blood slowly brings Frank back to life, where he was ripped apart by the Cenobites and with Julia’s help by bringing unsuspecting victims back for him to consume, he builds his human form back to life in delightfully grotesque results. 

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. 

Bob Keen’s effects work here is jaw-dropping, as previously mentioned and some of the transformation sequences in the film as we see Frank return to a more humanistic form are fantastic. Christopher Young’s now-iconic score really adds to the theatrical feel of the picture and Barker’s direction is fairly excellent for a newcomer to the genre.

Hellraiser was unleashed onto the world with great success. On a budget of $1 million, it made over $14 million worldwide and was a huge success for Roger Corman’s production company New World Pictures, who put up the majority of the funds for the budget themselves. For those who are into the horror genre but somehow let Hellraiser slip them by, I can’t recommend the film enough. It’s an ambitious directorial debut that spawned a giant crop of sequels and changed the horror landscape for the better. 

Film:

Hellbound: Hellraiser II 

Director: Tony Randel
Screenplay: Peter Atkins
Starring: Ashley Laurence, Clare Higgins, Kenneth Cranham and Doug Bradley
Country: United Kingdom, United States
Running Time: 97 min
Year: 1988

After the great success of the first film, New World Pictures immediately green-lit a sequel that came out a year later, entitled Hellbound: Hellraiser II. This time, Clive Barker stepped down from the director’s chair and Tony Randell took the reins, after helping out with the production of the first film and even being an uncredited editor. 

Following on directly from the first film, we follow Kirsty who’s now in a psychiatric hospital after the traumatic events that transpired with the Cenobites and her parents. Her doctor, Phillip Channard is aware of the Cenobites and the puzzle box known as the Lament Configuration and uses the information that Kirsty told him to bring Kirsty’s mother back to life.

Towards the latter half of the film, we’re introduced into the labyrinthian world of the Cenobites and in my opinion, I think this is where the franchise absolutely peaks with its ambition. While subsequent sequels have interesting concepts and ideas at times, none of them ever come close to offering such an original and twisted design that really gives audiences what they hope for out of a sequel. It’s big, it’s bold and feels fresh, even 35 years later which can’t be said for many films, particularly sequels! The visuals that accompany that last act are truly stunning, especially in these new UHD transfers that deliver an experience unlike any of the other films in the franchise.

Similar to the first film, the special effects work here is phenomenal and Randell’s direction feels perfectly in line with what Barker established with Hellraiser. Watching both features back to back make for an excellent double bill and if you’re a fan of what that original film was setting up, Hellbound does a great job at expanding on the world of the Cenobites. 

Hellbound doesn’t reinvent the wheel but instead continues on the path that the original laid and I’m a pretty big fan of it for that reason. In the audio commentaries and other bonus features, the concepts for the original unused screenplay are mentioned and while it definitely sounds like it could have resulted in an even better film, the one we ended up getting is still a commendable, enjoyable effort. 

While it’s never quite been as appreciated by the mainstream as the original, I think it’s a pretty solid sequel that in many ways, improves on concepts from the original film with an ambitious scope that could be mostly fulfilled with the budget increase to $6 million. I still prefer Barker’s original, but Hellbound is a great companion piece that I can easily recommend to the fans of the first feature. 

Film:

Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth

Director: Anthony Hickox
Screenplay: Peter Atkins
Starring: Terry Farrell, Paula Marshall, Kevin Bernhardt  and Doug Bradley
Country: United States
Running Time: 96 min
Year: 1992

After Hellbound had modest success at the box office, Dimension Films nabbed up the rights to the Hellraiser franchise and began work on a third instalment, this time helmed by Anthony Hickox, director of the Waxwork films and Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat. Unfortunately, Hickox passed away the month that this new set came out, which is a huge shame to hear. For those of you unfamiliar, Dimension Films was a production company founded by Bob and Harvey Weinstein and if there’s one thing they loved to do, it was to meddle with director’s projects and they’re partially responsible for some of the more traditional slasher-like aspects of this compared to those first two instalments. Barker had little involvement this time around outside of a producer credit and Hellbound’s director, Tony Randall actually has a story credit on this one. 

This time, we follow Terry Farrell’s Joey, a reporter who discovers the aftermath of a victim from the actions of the puzzle box. As she slowly uncovers more and more information about the box’s history and its connection to her father’s supposed death in Vietnam. On my first viewing of this film, I really disliked it and found it to be an unbearable drop in quality from those original two films, but after revisiting it all of these years later with a much greater appreciation for the horror genre, there’s some stuff to like here.

Bob Keen returns to do the special effects and they’re as solid as ever. There’s a great bonus feature showcasing over 24 minutes of special effects dailies that I’d highly recommend checking out for those interested to see the incredible stuff Keen and his team came up with for the film. Some of the kills in the film are delightfully graphic, with death by CD being a memorable highlight.

The decision to make Pinhead and the Cenobites quip machines is something I still don’t know if I’m a fan of, but this is also the first film to fully utilize Pinhead as a slasher-like antagonist and Doug Bradley is given a lot of time to shine, which is great to see. Seeing the face of Hellraiser finally… well, raise hell in the third act is schlocky fun. My main issues with the film lie with how little it really carries over from what was established in those first two entries, which work incredibly well as a back-to-back double feature. Hell on Earth feels like something completely different, which isn’t inherently a bad thing and I’m a fan of risk-taking sequels, but it’s almost too much of a departure for me to fully love it like I wish I could.

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.

Film:

Hellraiser IV: Bloodline

Director: Kevin Yagher, credited as Alan Smithee
Screenplay: Peter Atkins
Starring: Bruce Ramsay, Valentina Vargas and Doug Bradley
Country: United States
Running Time: 85 min
Year: 1996

Four years after Bob and Harvey Weinstein’s first crack at producing a Hellraiser instalment, we received arguably one of the worst victims of studio interference of all time. Initially directed by special effects legend Kevin Yagher before removing his name from the final film and attributing it to the notorious Alan Smithee, Hellraiser: Bloodline is a disaster. Not because of Yagher’s vision but because of the Weinstein’s and their insistence on interfering with filmmaker’s visions.

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.

It’s an absolute shame to see this, but for the Weinstein’s, this was a common occurrence. One only has to look at Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, Glen Morgan’s underrated Black Christmas remake or Rob Zombie’s Halloween II as examples of the grubby fingers of the Weinstein’s ruining a filmmaker’s original and intended vision for a film. The end result with Bloodline is a mess, with little coherence to its structure, a messy structure, unlikeable characters and something that’s unfortunately, really naff.

It feels like a dime-a-dozen sci-fi feature with interesting concepts but ends up being the “… in space!” sequel that so many horror franchises end up going to, whether it’s Jason X, Leprechaun 4: In Space or Critters 4. It’s a trend that’s dull, uncreative and doesn’t do anything for me. The sequences that take place in the past, during the creation of the puzzle box are new for the series, but really don’t offer much in the way of compelling characters and feel incredibly dull.

I wish I had more positive things to say, but outside of some of the more egregiously terrible straight-to-video sequels, this is hands down the worst instalment of the franchise for me. While this boxset includes an earlier workprint of the film that restores a little of Yagher’s intended vision, it mostly swaps the order of sequences around and is sourced from a print created after Yagher’s departure from the production. Maybe one day we’ll see his original 110 minute cut and it could be something better than we’d expect. I really hope that one day, that comes because regardless of whether or not the studio cut of Bloodline is a mess, knowing that it forced Kevin Yagher to never direct a feature film again is upsetting and disheartening to hear.

For most fans, myself included, this is one of the weakest entries in the Hellraiser series. Regardless of my thoughts on the film itself, it’s great to see it included for the first time on UHD and Blu-ray in the UK and compared to the prior Blu-ray releases in the States, this is a night and day difference. I’m glad it’s included for completionists and the inclusion of the workprint is neat, giving us a closer look at what could have been, but it’s an unfortunate film to end the collection on.

Film:

Hellraiser: Quartet of Torment releases on the 23rd October via Arrow Video on Limited Edition 4K UHD and Limited Edition Blu-ray. The release comes with brand new artwork, a 200 page booklet and all four films on 4K, as well as an array of new bonus features which I cover in detail below. In terms of the transfers, all four films look absolutely fantastic. Having owned the first three from Arrow’s prior 2K restorations, these new 4K scans look better than ever before and the original 2.0 audio tracks included are stellar. The 5.1 audio tracks are solid too, but I went with the 2.0 tracks. As noted later in the review, Hellraiser: Bloodline has a workprint cut of the film that’s sourced from a VHS rip, so don’t expect a 4K HDR presentation for that and Hell on Earth’s unrated segments are sourced from lower quality rips, but it’s not too distracting. On an A/V level, this is another brilliant outing from the team over at Arrow Video. I wasn’t provided with the packaging but it looks to be absolutely stunning. The following extras are included: 

• Brand new 4K restorations of all four films from the original camera negatives by Arrow Films

• Ultra High Definition (2160p) presentations of all four films in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)

• Original lossless stereo and Dts-hd Ma 5.1 surround audio for all four films

• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing

• Ages of Desire, an exclusive 200-page hardback book with new writing from Clive Barker archivists Phil and Sarah Stokes

• Limited edition layered packaging featuring brand new Chatterer artwork

Disc 1 Hellraiser

• Brand new audio commentary featuring genre historian (and unit publicist of Hellraiser) Stephen Jones with author and film critic Kim Newman

• Archival audio commentary with writer/director Clive Barker and actor Ashley Laurence, moderated by Peter Atkins

• Archival audio commentary with writer/director Clive Barker

• Power of Imagination – brand new 60-minute discussion about Hellraiser and the work of Clive Barker by film scholars Sorcha Ní Fhlainn (editor of Clive Barker: Dark Imaginer) and Karmel Kniprath

• Unboxing Hellraiser – brand new visual essay celebrating the Lament Configuration by genre author Alexandra Benedict (The Beauty of Murder)

• 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

• Flesh is a Trap – brand new visual essay exploring body horror and transcendence in the work of Clive Barker by genre author Guy Adams (The World House)

• Newly uncovered extended Epk interviews with Clive Barker and stars Andrew Robinson, Clare Higgins, Ashley Laurence, and effects artist Bob Keen, shot during the making of Hellraiser, with a new introduction by Stephen Jones and Kim Newman

• Original 1987 Electronic Press Kit

• Being Frank: Sean Chapman on Hellraiser – archival interview with the actor

• Under the Skin: Doug Bradley on Hellraiser – archival interview with the iconic actor about his first appearance as ‘Pinhead’

• Soundtrack Hell: The Story of the Abandoned Coil Score – archival interview with Coil member Stephen Thrower

• Hellraiser: Resurrection – Archival documentary

• Trailers and Tv spots

• Image gallery

• Draft screenplays

Disc 2 Hellbound: Hellraiser II

• Brand new audio commentary featuring Stephen Jones and Kim Newman

• Archival audio commentary with director Tony Randel, writer Peter Atkins and actor Ashley Laurence

• Audio commentary with director Tony Randel and writer Peter Atkins

• Hell Was What They Wanted! – brand new 80-minute appreciation of Hellbound, the Hellraiser mythos and the work of Clive Barker by horror authors George Daniel Lea (Born in Blood) and Kit Power (The Finite)

• That Rat-Slice Sound – brand new appreciation of composer Christopher Young’s scores for Hellraiser and Hellbound: Hellraiser Ii by Guy Adams

• Archival on-set interview with Clive Barker

• Archival on-set interview with cast and crew

• Behind the scenes footage

• Being Frank: Sean Chapman on Hellbound – archival interview about the actor’s return to the role of Frank Cotton

• Under the Skin: Doug Bradley on Hellbound – archival interview with the iconic actor about his second appearance as ‘Pinhead’

• Lost in the Labyrinth – archival featurette featuring interviews with Barker, Randel, Keen, Atkins and others

• Trailers and Tv spots

• Image gallery

Disc 3 Hellraiser III: Hell On Earth

• Alternative Unrated version (contains standard definition inserts)

• Brand new audio commentary featuring Stephen Jones and Kim Newman

• Archival audio commentary with screenwriter Peter Atkins (Theatrical Cut only)

• Archival audio commentary with director Anthony Hickox and actor Doug Bradley (Unrated Version only)

• Previously unseen extended EPK featuring interviews with Clive Barker and Doug Bradley

• Fx dailies

• Time with Terri – archival interview with actor Paula Marshall

• Raising Hell on Earth – archival interview with director Anthony Hickox

• Under the Skin: Doug Bradley on Hellraiser Iii – archival interview with the iconic actor about his third appearance as ‘Pinhead’

• Theatrical trailer

• Image gallery

Disc 4 Hellraiser: Bloodline

• Brand new audio commentary featuring screenwriter Peter Atkins, with Stephen Jones and Kim Newman

• The Beauty of Suffering – brand new featurette exploring the Cenobites’ connection to goth, fetish cultures and Bdsm

• Newly uncovered workprint version of the film, providing a fascinating insight into how it changed during post production

• Hellraiser Evolutions – archival documentary on the evolution of the franchise and its enduring legacy, featuring interviews with Scott Derrickson (director, Hellraiser: Inferno), Rick Bota (director, Hellraiser: Hellseeker, Deader and Hellworld), Stuart Gordon (director, Re-Animator, From Beyond) and others

• Books of Blood and Beyond: The Literary Works of Clive Barker – archival appreciation by horror author David Gatwalk of Barker’s written work, from The Books of Blood to The Scarlet Gospels

• Theatrical trailer

• Image gallery
• Easter egg

Hellraiser extras 

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. 

Audio commentary with Clive Barker and Ashley Laurence – An archival audio commentary from 2000 with Barker and Laurence, that’s moderated by Hellbound: Hellraiser II, Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth and Hellraiser: Bloodline writer Peter Atkins. It’s an informative track and hearing the trio talk about the production, reacting audibly to some of the gore effects and more is charming.

Audio commentary with Clive Barker – This archival audio commentary track from 1996 by Barker is a solid listen. He gives love to Young’s score, some of the troubles with certain practical effects, his methods of directing actors and more. It’s an entertaining and informative audio commentary.

Power of Imagination – A brand new hour long discussion between film scholars Sorcha Ni Fhlainn & Karmel Kniprath talking about their appreciation for Hellraiser and the work of Barker. It’s a fantastic discussion, and hearing the pair talk about their love for Barker’s work, how they initially came across his written work prior to the film adaptations, the importance of Barker as a queer artist, his focus on strong, female characters and more is a great listen. A must watch extra.

Unboxing Hellraiser – A brand new 22 minute video essay exclusive to this release by Alexandra Benedict that discusses the iconic Hellraiser box, the Lament Configuration. She discusses the appeal of unboxing content online and how Benedict sees Hellraiser like one of those very videos. It’s an excellent video essay that I’d highly recommend checking out. 

The Pursuit of Possibilities – A brand new 40 minute discussion between horror authors Paula D. Ashe and Eric LaRocca talking about the queer nature of Hellraiser and the work of Clive Barker. Hearing how LaRocca and Ashe felt discovered by Hellraiser is a really beautiful thing and they both bring up some very interesting points in regards to queer subtext in his work. A fantastic bonus feature.  

Flesh is a Trap – A brand new 18 minute video essay from Guy Adams created exclusively for this release. Similar to his previous video essays for Arrow Video, Adams delivers another top-notch featurette that discusses Barker’s fascination with flesh and body horror in his work. The quotes from Barker were fascinating to listen to.

EPK interviews – Opening with a fun 10 minute introduction with Kim Newman and Stephen Jones, this new collection of never before seen archival interviews is an absolute treat. Note that they’re all sourced from a VHS copy but they’re still perfectly watchable. The Clive Barker EPK runs for 5 minutes and hearing him talk about how he hopes for the film to have an impact is really great all of these years later, knowing how huge the franchise would end up being. Andrew Robinson’s EPK is 4 minutes long and is another fun watch. Hearing the narrator refer to Hellraiser a “modern masterpiece of horror” was charming. Robinson has a clear admiration for Barker which is a delight to see. Chare Higgins has a 3 minute EPK and she talks about how people on set were shocked by the levels of violence her character delivers. Ashley Laurence’s EPK is 3 minutes long and her experiences on set sound very positive overall. The final EPK from this new collection is with Bob Keen, and it runs for 9 minutes. It’s devoted entirely to the special effects and it’s probably the best of the bunch. There’s behind-the-scenes footage involving the makeup and effects, and Keen is fascinating to listen to. An original 1987 Electronic Press Kit is also included, which has been included on prior releases.

Being Frank: Sean Chapman on Hellraiser – An archival interview with Sean Chapman, who openly talks about his experiences playing Frank in Hellraiser. He spoke about how he wanted to be an actor from a young age, with his mother being in the industry too. He also mentions his early work with Alan Clarke, the 6 days he spent on set for Hellraiser and more. It’s a great interview that’s highly worth a watch. 

Under the Skin: Doug Bradley on Hellraiser – An archival interview with Doug Bradley, who talks about how he initially met Barker, how he tackled portraying Pinhead in the film and how the makeup process went. It’s a solid interview. 

Soundtrack Hell: The Story of the Abandoned Coil Score – An archival interview with Coil band member Stephen Thrower discussing a score made for the film that ultimately ended up unused due to demands from the film’s producers. Thrower talks about meeting Barker while working at Forbidden Planet and the magazines going around during the time about body modification that Barker would surround himself with. Hearing some of the compositions makes you wonder how the film would have turned out if Coil’s score ended up being used. It’s an interesting interview that’s worth a watch.

Hellraiser: Resurrection – An archival vintage featurette created for the 2000 DVD release. It contains interviews from the cast and crew. It’s a standard documentary from this era, and a lot of the information is present on the prior special features and audio commentaries, but it’s a nice inclusion regardless. 

A selection of trailers and TV spots are included.

An image gallery is also included, as well as first and final draft screenplays. 

Hellbound: Hellraiser II extras 

Brand new audio commentary featuring Stephen Jones and Kim Newman – The second in the brand new series of audio commentaries with Jones and Newman and like the first, it’s another winner. From the get-go, the pair are lively and a joy to listen to. Jones’ memories from the set are fascinating and hearing about how the dollar dropped as soon as production began was interesting to learn and Newman’s knowledge about the franchise is as insightful as ever. Another great audio commentary. 

Audio commentary with director Tony Randel and writer Peter Atkins – This archival audio commentary from 1996 with the director and writer is a decent listen. They touch on the audio mixing choices, such as how people listening to the stereo mix might notice how all of the footage from the original film is in mono until the title card appears, as well as shooting at Pinewood Studios and some anecdotes from the shoot. It’s a little dry, but still worth checking out for enthusiasts. 

Archival audio commentary with director Tony Randel, writer Peter Atkins and actor Ashley Laurence – This archival audio commentary from 2000 with the director, writer and lead actor Ashley Laurence is another decent one. There’s quite a bit of overlap from the prior commentary that Randel and Atkins did but this one’s a little more lively due to the inclusion of Laurence. 

Hell Was What They Wanted! – A brand new hour and 25 minute appreciation of Hellbound, the Hellraiser mythos and the work of Clive Barker by horror authors George Daniel Lea and Kit Power. One of the most substantial new extras on the release, the pair touch on their history with the Hellraiser franchise, their experiences seeing the brand-new restoration on the big-screen and their love for Hellbound in particular. It’s an excellent watch that will interest any fan of Hellraiser or Clive Barker. 

That Rat-Slice Sound – Another new 11 minute appreciation exclusive to this release by Guy Adams, discussing Christopher Young’s scores for Hellraiser and Hellbound: Hellraiser Ii. Adams dives into what inspired Young’s early scores, his love for Bernard Herrmann’s work and Young’s future work in horror cinema. It’s another solid piece from Adams that I really enjoyed. 

Archival on-set interview with Clive Barker – An archival 3 minute promotional piece with director Clive Barker in a similar vein to the ones included on disc 1 for the original film. He gives an overview on the film and what he was hoping to achieve with it. There’s an incredible quote where he says “You can’t make omelettes without breaking eggs and you can’t make a horror movie without breaking heads.”

Archival on-set interview with cast and crew – An archival 5 minute promotional piece with cast and crew interviews from Clive Barker, Ashley Laurence, Clare Higgins, Imogen Boorman and Kenneth Cranham. It’s a brief piece, but entertaining to see the crew hype up the ambitious sequel.

Behind the scenes footage – 2 minutes of behind the scenes footage from the film shoot. It’s a neat inclusion.

Being Frank: Sean Chapman on Hellbound – Another 11 minute archival interview with Sean Chapman talking about his role as Frank in the sequel. He mentions how he’s not in Hellbound as much as the original, as well as the experiences on set. It’s another good watch. 

Under the Skin: Doug Bradley on Hellbound – The second in a series of archival interviews with Doug Bradley where he touches on his experiences working on Hellbound. He touches on the original ideas, the production and more. It’s worth checking out.

Lost in the Labyrinth – An archival 17 minute featurette about Hellbound: Hellraiser II that contains interviews with Clive Barker, Tony Randel, Bob Keen and more. Similar to the Resurrection featurette included on the first disc, it’s a watch that’s worth viewing for the die-hard fans and offers a good retrospective on the film. 

Deleted Surgeon Scene – A 5 minute deleted scene from the film is included. 

A selection of trailers and TV spots are included, as well as an image gallery.

Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth extras 

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.

Audio commentary featuring Stephen Jones and Kim Newman – This brand new audio commentary follows on from Jones and Newman’s prior two commentary tracks and is yet again, a delight to listen to. Jones discusses his experiences on set, Newman brings up some interesting anecdotes and a particular highlight is, how despite the film being set in New York, there’s very little making it feel like it’s shot there. Jones talks about how the majority of characters in the film smoke due to director Hickox wanting to rebel against smoking bans at the time, which is brilliant. It’s another solid effort from the pair that’s worth a listen.

Audio commentary with screenwriter Peter Atkins – Only viewable with the Theatrical cut of the film, this archival commentary track from 2015 with Atkins is open about the production, how Tony Randel was initially supposed to direct the film before losing the job and Anthony Hickox ended up taking the reins. It’s an informative track that’s worth checking out.

Audio commentary with director Anthony Hickox and actor Doug Bradley – Only viewable with the Unrated cut of the film, this archival commentary track from 2004 is a fun one. Straight out of the gate, the pair joke around during the credits and I found myself cracking up throughout. Hearing Bradley say that Hellraiser III was one of the happiest working experiences of his career is great. This is a must-listen. 

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. 

FX dailies – 24 minutes of footage showcasing the special effects makeup, without audio. It’s a great inclusion and will surely please the gore hounds out there.

Time with Terri – A 2015 archival interview with Paula Marshall who plays Terri in Hell on Earth. Marshall details how it was the first film she worked on, her experiences working with director Hickox and lead actor Terry Farrell. This was included on Arrow’s previous Blu-ray release and it’s a good watch.  

Raising Hell on Earth – An archival interview from 2004 with director Anthony Hickox, where he discusses his love for horror, how his father directed the Vincent Price film Theatre of Blood, his goals with Hell on Earth being more of an actor’s piece and focusing on characters like the original instead of the more special effects driven Hellbound. I really enjoyed this interview and there’s tons of fun anecdotes that Hickox shares that makes this feature a delight to watch.

Under the Skin: Doug Bradley on Hellraiser III – An archival interview with Doug Bradley talking about his experiences on Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth. He discusses the original concepts that ended up unused and his working relationship with director Anthony Hickox. It’s another good interview, like the prior two included with Bradley.

An Image gallery and theatrical trailer are included.

Hellraiser: Bloodline extras 

Brand new audio commentary featuring screenwriter Peter Atkins, with Stephen Jones and Kim Newman – The final in the series of brand-new audio commentaries from Jones and Newman, with original screenwriter Peter Adkins joining the conversation this time. It’s a great look-back on the film and it’s troubled production and out of the commentaries included on this release, it’s by far the most revealing. There’s no holding back from the Weinstein’s interference, how much of Atkins’ script ended up being used and more. It’s another top-notch audio commentary and rounds out one of my favourite commentaries of the year. 

The Beauty of Suffering – A brand new 28 minute documentary exclusive to this release with interviews from producer/musician Dave Edmond, event organizer Ricardo Castro and author Jo Weldon, who all touch on the goth scene, BDSM and how this all bled into the work of Clive Barker and Hellraiser in particular. It’s a unique feature that offers another look into the themes and visual style of the franchise and I’d recommend checking this out.

Newly uncovered workprint version of the film, providing a fascinating insight into how it changed during post production – This workprint opens with the following information: 

“The following version of Hellraiser: Bloodline is a workprint with temporary music and sound effects. It was assembled sometime after Kevin Yagher’s departure from the film; even though his name is still listed as director in the opening credits, it is most emphatically not his director’s cut, which remains lost. 

This version, which has a different plot structure and some alternate material compared to the final ‘Alan Smithee’ cut, is presented from a timecode VHS, the best material available for this release.”

As mentioned above, it’s structured differently to the final released version of the film, but the new footage doesn’t improve the film very much, in my opinion. It’s a fascinating look into what Yagher might have been trying to do and props to Arrow for including it. Also included is five minutes of alternate footage, sourced from an earlier workprint without music or special effects that features more exclusive material. It’s a great treat for fans of the franchise and lost media.

Hellraiser Evolutions – An archival documentary on the Hellraiser franchise with Scott Derrickson, Rick Bota, Tony Randel, Stuart Gordon, Doug Bradley, Tim Day and Sarah Hayward. This was included in Arrow’s previous Scarlet Box release of the Hellraiser films and it’s great to see it back in print as it’s a great look at the franchise as a whole. There’s discussion about the later features too, with director Rick Bota (Hellseeker, Deader and Hellworld) offering some great insight into those films. I’d highly recommend giving this one a watch.

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. 

A theatrical trailer and image gallery are included.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t provided with the 200 page book or the limited edition packaging, but I assume they’re up to the same high quality standard Arrow is known for. 

Arrow Video’s presentation of the first four Hellraiser features is yet another winner from the label. It provides an almost overwhelming amount of special features, with multiple brand-new feature length discussions, alternate cuts of certain films, amazing audio commentaries, newly discovered archival features and an exhaustive amount of archival content too. The only downside is the missing Leviathan documentary included on their last releases. It’s an absolute behemoth of a box-set that stands tall in an already exceptional year for Arrow Video. While we’re still a few months out from the year ending, I have a feeling 2023 might be looked back at as Arrow Video’s greatest year of releases ever. An easy recommendation from me. 

Disc/Packaging:

Where to watch Hellraiser