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... more » 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.« less
In the seventh (or maybe it's the eighth, I've honestly lost track) installment of the seemingly endless "Hellraiser" saga, Pinhead takes to teh interwebz. A gang of computer geeks are invited to a spooky ol' house party celebrating a Cenobite themed online game, hosted by the always-welcome Lance Henriksen. One by one, of course, horrible things begin happening to them. Have the game players unwittingly opened a portal to Hell so Pinhead can come back to Earth?
For an obviously low budget flick "Hellworld" delivers on the gore front and the gratuitous boobage, but unfortunately it suffers from a severe lack of Cenobite action. Pinhead and his pals are barely in the movie!! They pop up every once in a while, but I honestly wouldn't be surprised to find out that this flick originally started out as a straight up nothin' special Dead Teenager Movie that had some Pinhead scenes shoehorned into it at the last minute so it could be passed off as a "Hellraiser" flick.
Interesting side note: a young Henry Cavill, of current "Man of Steel" fame, plays one of the unlucky game players in this flick. If his career as Superman takes off, he may want to consider striking this one from his resume.
1 of 1 member(s) found this review helpful.
James B. (wandersoul73) from LINDALE, TX Reviewed on 6/8/2009...
Not as good as the early films, but still a bit-o-nasty-fun!
2 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.
Movie Reviews
A decent slasher film, but a disappointing Hellraiser film
Daniel Jolley | Shelby, North Carolina USA | 12/06/2005
(3 out of 5 stars)
"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."
The Hellworld
Sherry Early | 06/02/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"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."
Absolutely horrible
M. Dwyer | 09/07/2005
(1 out of 5 stars)
"I am a huge fan of Hellraiser and it pained me to watch Bloodline. But after seeing Inferno (a person favorite), Hellseeker (just as good), and Deader (confusing, but decent nonetheless) I had a lot of hope for the continuation of the series. Enter Hellworld. I didnt think it was possible, but this is worse than Bloodline. The characters are so horrible you cant wait to see them die (I mean there's a token black guy for Christ's sake), and their deaths are not satisfying enough considering the awful proformances they put you through. The soundtrack was so bad that it'll make your ears bleed (at least thats what crappy hard rock music does to me). The movie is not so much scary as it is laughable. I'm almost ashamed to call myself a Hellraiser fan after this movie. I was looking forward to a sequel after Deader. The only thing scary about Hellworld would be a sequel similar to this movie."
Really....It is bad.
Marco Perez | Astoria, NY United States | 02/26/2006
(1 out of 5 stars)
"It is sad that these new movies went the wrong way. Pinhead is only 60 seconds in the movie. All actors are really bad, specially Chelsea(Ms.Katheryn Winnick) she is so bad, the movie feels like a home made movie.
PLEASE SAVE YOUR MONEY !!!!!"
This one doesn't belong in the franchise
B. Etnyre | SugarLand, TX | 04/09/2007
(1 out of 5 stars)
"For whatever it's worth, I am a big fan of the series. And if this film wasn't associated with the franchise, then the review would be gauged differently. Unfortunately, this film simply does not belong under the same title. It is simply a low-budget generic horror flick which borrows the name HELLRAISER, but does not merit further comparison. This film is a big disappointment on several levels. Most notably, it has very little to do with the Hellraiser story, and even Pinhead has a small role, his limited presence relegated to an explanation too stupid and lame to indulge, though I won't spoil the plot for those still curious. Secondly, the draw of the storyline was a website/web-based VR game called Hellworld, which draws in the players to their own doom. I like the premise of a website or video game with supernatural overtones, and even will get a look at movies which turn out not to be so good. Again, the premise of Hellworld will prove to be a considerable disappointment.
Like I said, this would have been a middling, unimpressive though tolerable film if it had just been of a nondescript generic origin. Since it tries to milk the HELLRAISER franchise for audience, then it also has a standard it should and will be held to, and should be judged accordingly (2 stars instead of 3). So instead of spoiling the movie, I will give my opinion in hopes of preventing your waste of time & money.
You know what? Forget that. You seem like nice people so I will do you a favor (if you are interested) WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD...
... Hellworld is fake (just a rumor started), and Pinhead is a hallucination triggered by a drug. Also, the main male lead is a incessantly whiny, mopey, and irritating douche who we were hoping would get offed, but instead he survives and ends up with the hot female lead. 1 star instead of 2.
It is a shame that Lance Heinrickson is becoming the icon for movies that made one too many sequels (HELLRAISER, PUMPKINHEAD, PREDATOR, ALIEN). It does not bode well that Kari Wuhrer, lovely though she is, is now the icon for movies whose sequels come to an inglorious end (PROPHECY), and who is starring in the latest/last HELLRAISER installment (HELLRASIER: DEADER). Though good judgment tells me to avoid that one also, like the puzzle box it allows our intrigue and curiosity to draws us into an unpleasant situation.