Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth (1992)

User Rating:

5.0/10   

Director:

Anthony Hickox

Writers:

Clive Barker (characters)
Peter Atkins (story) ...

Release Date:

11 September 1992 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

What began in Hell, will end on Earth.

Plot:

An investigative reporter must send the newly unbound Pinhead and his legions back to Hell.

Plot Keywords:

Pinhead | Hell | Reporter | Blood | Chain

Awards:

1 win & 4 nominations

Cast

Kevin Bernhardt	...	J.P. Monroe
Lawrence Mortorff	...	Bum
Terry Farrell	...	Joanne 'Joey' Summerskill
Ken Carpenter	...	Daniel 'Doc' Fisher / Camerahead Cenobite
Sharon Ceccatti	...	Blond Nurse (as Sharon Hill)
Paula Marshall	...	Terri
Robert C. Treveiler	...	Paramedic 1
Chris Frederick	...	Paramedic 2
Lawrence Kuppin	...	Derelict
Sharon Percival	...	Brittany Virtue
Philip Hyland	...	Brad
David Young	...	Bill the Bouncer
Brent Bolthouse	...	CD the DJ
Peter Atkins	...	Rick the Barman / Barbie Cenobite
Paul Vincent Coleman	...	Soldier 1

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence and sexuality, and for language.

Runtime:

93 min | USA:97 min (director's cut)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Certification:

Finland:K-18 | Netherlands:16 | Sweden:15 (Video rating) | Australia:R | Germany:18 | Norway:18 | Spain:18 | UK:18 | USA:R | Canada:R | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

High Point, North Carolina, USA

Company:

Fifth Avenue Entertainment

Trivia:

Writer 'Peter Atkins' was originally meant to direct the film but when Miramax bought the series, they felt he didn't have enough experience.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Joey goes to meet Doc at the Boiler Room and drives her car past his, you can see Doc's car door is open. When Joey goes to Doc's car, that door is shut and she opens it to look inside.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Bum: [referring to the Pillar of Souls] You want it?
J.P. Monroe: [laughs] Is it yours?
Bum: No. Not mine. Yours.
J.P. Monroe: How much you want for it?
Bum: Whatever you think it's worth.
[receives money]
Bum: Exactly the figure I had in mind. Take pleasure in it.

Movie Connections:

References Repulsion (1965)

Soundtrack:

Go with Me

An Okay 3rd Installment

Where Hellraiser 1 and 2 were both very dark and very British, Hellraiser 3: Hell On Earth is very Hollywood.

J. P. Monroe is the scumbag, soulless owner of The Boiler Room, a somewhat gothy dance club decorated with morbid art. In his search for more profane objects to add to his collection, J. P. comes across, and subsequently purchases, an odd pillar in an art gallery, which fans of the first two films will have no trouble recognizing. Enter Joey Summerskill, a frustrated reporter who comes across a bizarre death in a hospital emergency room. As she watches, a young man is torn to pieces by hooks and chains that appear out of midair. Eager to discover the story behind the gruesome, supernatural death, and with only one clue to follow, Joey arrives at the Boiler Room and befriends the insecure and abused Terri, J. P.'s ex girlfriend. Together, they discover the history of the Lament Configuration, the bizarre happenings at the Channard Institute and the story of Kirsty Cotton. But it doesn't end there. Joey begins having dreams about a man named Elliot Spencer, a World War One soldier who warns her that evil has been unleashed in the form of his own evil alter ego, the Cenobite Pinhead. Indeed, Pinhead soon breaks free and turns The Boiler Room into a slaughterhouse. Now he wants Joey. But can Elliot Spencer stop Pinhead before Joey is taken to Hell?

This isn't a terrible sequel, really. It's not great, but it's nowhere near as bad as some of the others that followed. There's some nice bloody gore and naked girls, and Pinhead, as always, seems to be enjoying himself immensely, seducing his victims with a smile and making his offer of an eternity of pain seem quite irresistible. His scene with a priest is particularly nasty and blasphemous...and wickedly funny. The storyline doesn't always make sense, there's a lot of unintentionally laughable moments and some of the acting borders on the ridiculous, but all in all, Hellraiser 3 is pretty good cinematic junk food. If nothing else, Doug Bradley alone always makes these films watchable with his flawless portrayal of Pinhead.

6 out of 10.