Barbarian’s best joke was everyone seeing the downstairs bed/camera room and being deeply disturbed while justin Long’s character immediately thinks how he can capitalize on selling it for more square feet.
No the best joke was the black homeless man saying “she can’t get us out here” then immediately she crashed through the CONCRETE WALL, grabs and kills him.
Totally agree the comedic parts of this movie were absolute gold. Beginning was actually too slow considering the rest of the movie in my opinion and the last part is just mediocre.
yeah I thought him googling the thing about SQFT was hilarious, but they took it a little far with the whole measuring tape thing. I can suspend lots of disbelief for horror, but he wasn't even a little creeped out by this pit below his house?
@@pankotenders Clive Barker wrote Hellraiser (well, the book it was based on) after visiting a kink club. The cenobites are Clive Barker taking what he saw there and cranking it up to 11. If I remember right, at least
Minor spoiler but that little minute and a half flashback with Frank in Barbarian was probably the scariest part of the movie for me. Not that the rest wasn't disturbing in it's own right, but that little Wes Anderson style horror short is so good at leaving everything up to the imagination. Like you never actually see Frank torture anyone, but just him stalking the one girl and pretending to be some water inspector dude in order to unlock her window only to come back home and hear screaming from the basement was really effective.
Yes! And following it up with a glimpse of the tapes that are so vaguely named but imply everything is extremely chilling. The one that said "blind" was the one that freaked me out the most. Only one word, but it elicits so much emotion...
@@crappyposts3477 well she is human, she's just feral. But i get what you mean, I would've loved to see more of Frank, even if his scenes made me wanna vomit out of sheer disgust.
I’m a hellraiser nerd who has read the novel. The Cenobites are either demons from another realm, or humans who were so debauched and fed up with life, sex, and drugs that they can only feel alive through pain. The box used to summon the Cenobites was created by a human as a gate to this demon world. For some mysterious reason the box seems to have recieved its power through an agreement with the Cenobites that says anyone who uses the box has to give themselves for the Cenobites, seemingly for all eternity. If you’re a masochist this is a good deal, if you’re a normal person then this sucks. But this doesn’t mean they are villains, they deliver a service to perverts that call upon them.
Very much this. Anyone who has seen the first two movies know the Cenobites are a neutral evil. Frank and Dr Channard are the villains; as you said, the Cenobites merely provide a service, albeit a morally questionable one.
It really is so much darker and gross in concept than is ever shown in the films, or even really explicitly stated in the book. The idea of being kidnapped and tortured forever by sex demons is legitimately horrifying, but it never felt well translated to film, imo.
Barbarian's first act was horror/thriller genius to me. It does such a great job of leading you to believe that Bill Skarsgard is and will be the main villain of the movie but then does a complete 180. I also thought the set pieces were extremely well done. You can feel the darkness down in those tunnels, everything in your brain is telling you that nothing good can come out of the dark but you're locked in at that point. And the transition from the first to second act was genius by itself.
I love the scene where she's absolutely convinced she should NOT go down there, but she cares about him and she's just SO curious what the heck happened to him.
Yeah the most effective horror elements for me was just looking into those dark corridors not knowing what could be down there. As soon as they showed the lady, it kind of deflated it for me and by the third act it had lost that tension by having revealed too much too early. I think if they had not shown the lady until the end, it would have kept that tone and been much more effective.
We see a girl getting genuinely unnerved and distressed by the passageway, and then literally 15 minutes later, that same exact setting is used to complement an utterly hilarious scene. Such clever use of comedy by juxtaposition. The second act is where the movie peaked for me. Unfortunately, the third act fizzled out fast, and the ending really sucked.
@@rapidreaders7741 His reaction to that room was basically the confirmation that he was guilty of assaulting that woman. Looked past all of the obvious signs that something was wrong and instead took advantage of the moment.
The scene transition between act 1 and 2 was such a shock that I actually wondered for a moment if the theatre had screwed up and somehow jumped into the middle of a totally different film. If we were still in the analog era, I'd have thought they swapped in the wrong reel by accident. Brief confusion aside, I really liked the movie and the second act was probably the most I've ever heard an audience laugh at a horror film.
I think it would've worked if the movie was longer. But IMO it was way too short to have to basically start the movie over again. I mean I still loved the movie but it really does speed through the actual horror elements.
@@BayviewGhost I was watching it on a totally legal website 😉 and when the second act hit I genuinely thought the website glitched and I went to a another movie. I had to do a double take because of how jarring it was
That shot in the van of the hell dimension seeping into our reality through the edges of the van's geometry... That was something Clive Barker himself described in the book but the effects at that time weren't like they are today and it would've cost way too much to pull off practically for the movie. As a Hellraiser fan, it was awesome to see that moment finally realized on film.
@@CharlieBrown20XD6 I couldn't help but picture a T-Rex-sized Robin Williams and Nathan Lane sassing park visitors from behind an electrified fence. That would've been a much better film.
Not one for one, but all the transitions to hell had more of a Hellbound Heart feel to them. One of my favorite aspects of the movie really. The first one in the public restroom in particular filled me with awe.
Personally I thought the scare when Keith crawls from out of the darkness and the scare when he is quickly followed by the woman were the most effective scares I have seen in years. I loved barbarian although after a second watch I found inconsistencies but I still think it is a great film overall
The original Hellraiser has always been impressive to me considering it had a relatively small budget (I think less than $1 million if I remember correctly), which explains why it was so limited in terms of things like locations, yet they managed to pull off a pretty compelling narrative and some incredible effects. Despite harsh budget cuts, Hellraiser 2 also went on to have a surprisingly grand scope. I'm glad the series finally got an entry that doesn't further tarnish the work that went into those first two
that's a bit of a theme when it comes to older horror movies. it feels like half of them are made by amateurs with a lot of passion. you gotta respect the production, even if you don't tink the movies are anything incredible.
I'll be honest, even the forth film will be enjoyable to Adum, less for the flick itself but more due to the BTS drama. The first 4 films are watchable, everything else were afterthoughts from other scripts. The 2022 movie is the first true Hellraiser script since Bloodline.
@@natalie_the_ratalie Basically the original script was torn apart by the producers. Originally it was going to just run in chronological order and the space bit was gonna be at the end. There was going to be cenobites in 18th century France, Adam Scott's character death was gonna be way more impressive and Merchant died next to Pindhead on the spaceship. There's more to it, but I'm currently writing an unofficial novel using the original script so folks can experience what the film was supposed to be.
Wish Adum would make another one of those Underrated Horror Movies videos he did many years ago. It's how I discovered Martyrs and great horror movies are a lot rarer than any other genre.
There is a good portion of us that think Hellraiser 2022 is a great addition to the ip because it took a lot of details from the original and expanded upon it. Good example being that the Hell Priest (known as pinhead from the layman) was considered to have a feminine voice rather than a masculine one. But you could think of this hellraiser as part of the canon since there was a written part in the notes that depicted that there was a male pinhead visiting the guy before it changed to female. 7 The original movie was considered to be a kink movie because the original idea came from when clive barker visited a club with alot of leather and body modification. The Cenobites were originally not villians. The box was a demonic artifact that had it's rules. Whosoever solves the box will be treated to pleasures unimaginable and unattainable to the mortal soul. The Cenobites were just it's compatriots to fulfill the will of leviathan (their god). The rules get muddled as the movies go on due to the cenobites acquiring the initial draw from crowds and the execs wanting to push them into a more prominent villainy role. This sadly backfired after the second movie as pinhead started to get the kreugar treatment. In Hellraiser's series history, there were a number of scripts that were not originally for hellraiser but the company wanted to add them in to keep the franchise in their possession. There was even one that was put together in a few weeks because someone found out that the rights was about to expire in a couple months. I side on the word of caution if you decide to watch the rest of the hellraiser movies. After the second movie, the franchise has a hard downturn in quality. But it is a good way to experience why a majority of hellraiser fans really enjoyed this new installment. It's a new breath of fresh air after basically a decade plus of bad content. Plus the redesign of the cenobites really makes more sense than the use of leather. I want to see a sequel connected from this story but I also feel this story can hold it's own in the end.
@@Ergeniz 2022 is a far better film, but the original film, sequel, and book are a much better horror concept. Fans like *the movie*, but hate the direction taken with the cenobites. As a new viewer, you won't have this problem.
@@BLaRgXrvbX no its not, and ratings are showing that. Original and it's seque(i preffer to think of it as a dialogy) are far better movies than this boring trash.
@@Ergeniz The context of your question implied you were looking for an entry point into the series. Most people who are already very familiar with a series would either provide context clues to that, ask different questions, or state their own opinions on the titles alongside such a question. Since you did none of that, I assumed you were unfamiliar. An honest mistake.
I read the Hellraiser novel a few years back. It is extremely more creepy because of how sexual it is. It gets you off guard. I'm not sure I would recommend but it is sure left a mark on me!
Honestly, I loved _Barbarian._ Definitely the most original horror movie I've seen since _Hereditary,_ and likely the most effective mix of horror and comedy since _Drag Me to Hell._ I thought the first act was a really strong buildup to a fantastic payoff, then we immediately jump into the comedic second act and it somehow works perfectly. Then the third act made everything come together super well. When the credits rolled I just sat there with my friend like "what the fuck did I just watch?" Loved it, and would certainly watch it again.
You should do watchalongs with the next two of the original Hellraiser movies. Hellraiser III is a perfect film for "Adum & pals", it's one of the best "so-bad-it's-good" cheesy horror movies I've ever seen.
I will say despite the problems with barbarian (films like a good 7/10 for me) I can’t praise the dialogue enough. Feels so natural and perfectly awkward
The Cenobite mythos has gone through a couple soft reboots through the movies. The “accepted” canon is mostly fleshed out (hah) in the comics. Barker’s personal canon for the Cenobites is pretty much exclusively found in his lit (Hellbound Heart/Scarlet Gospels).
@@havendidit again, that would depend on whether you want the comic, cinematic, or literary version of the lore. My BEST advice for if you want the essential idea of what they are is to read Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker, then watch the movies 1/2/4 (4 in my opinion is definitely worth it, as the movie is entirely based around the lore even if it eschews some ideas about the labyrinth/hell). The problem with Hellraiser is that there are basically two competing lores. One of which is basically that Cenobites come from a more Abrahamic version of Hell, and the other lore involving them being from a labyrinth world filled with cults and factions, ruled over by a God/ being called Leviathan. This is the preferred and more common lore.
Two of my favourite pieces of lore are that Chatterer is one of if not the favourite of the Gash to Leviathan due to the fact that he was created from a child (which is why he keeps coming back in various forms) and secondly in the comics Jack the Ripper became a Cenobite named Saucy Jack.
Wow, I thought hellraiser sucked balls, as a person who read the novel and also enjoyed the original. I couldn't empathize with any of the characters, they felt blank, one-dimensional, like the drug addiction of the main character for example, it's just thrown in at the beginning to make you care about her and never really brought up again. The evil white guy villain was comically evil with no depth at all. The rest of the friends were so boring i couldn't care less about any of them. The cenobites are beings that can tear portals in reality, yet a fucking gate stops one of em, like he's a dumb mummy? And there's also a deep psycho-sexual element in the book that was only superficially present in this movie. Past the cenobites design, which was cool, and some nice creative choices you mentioned, I couldn't find anything else worthwhile.
Disagree on both counts. 3.5/5 for Barbarian. 2.5/5 for Hellraiser 2022. Here's my Letterboxd review, for anybody interested: I prepped myself for this film by re-reading The Hellbound Heart the day before. This was a mistake. I'd meant to come into this film with an open mind, not expecting anything considering how lousy the franchise has been after the first 2 films, but reading the original story raised my expectations too high and I can't deny my feelings of disappointment. Hellraiser 2022 plays out like a Blumhouse-esque cursed object film, with Clive Barker's creations plugged in as the big spook that's gonna get ya if you fail to follow the pointless rules found within the enclosed Hellraiser strategy guide. The exposition, the early inclusion of certain aspects of lore, felt unnecessary. The original story was very intimate, with no need to explain itself beyond what was critical to the narrative. Hellraiser 2022 overcomplicates itself with contrivances that do little more than guarantee a body count. The film is overly long, with no real character development. There are plot holes that render the protagonist's presence utterly unnecessary. Instead of a darkly perverse rumination on the limits of love, pleasure and pain, meaning and nothingness; instead of any deep statements about the nihilistic wages of a hedonistic lifestyle, we're given a surface-level parable about addiction that's been tackled with more maturity in made-for-TV teen dramas. I can tell that our lead actress is good at her craft, but her character is quite unlikable. In fact, nobody is really all that likeable and due to the stagnant character arcs, nobody is really that interesting either. There is nothing terrible about the cinematography although I'm struggling to think of anything all that memorable. I would call the direction competent overall, It's just that the story isn't very good. Aside from the classic Hellraiser themes the music felt very stock as well. The Inception-style opening stings sounded very dated and the rest of the score not provided by Christopher Young amounted to generic ambience that could've fit in any random horror film; nothing memorable. The Cenobite designs weren't bad. I didn't like how they were presented but I appreciated the effort in making them distinct. They were a little "cleaner" than I would've liked. I missed the black leather, to be honest. The dialogue, especially that attributed to the cenobites themselves, fell flat. Part of it had to do with how far removed this film was from the original concept. The recycled lines uttered by the Hell Priest sounded aimless and out of place. As far as its position in the franchise, I would put Hellraiser 2022 well below the original and Hellbound. It's probably better than Hellraiser 3, though I haven't seen that one in a long time, I still feel confident in saying that. Here's hoping the long awaited Nightbreed series will fare better.
Felt like Barbarian needs an extended edition, the final act felt rushed and the parts that were supposed to be huge revelations didn’t land as well because of it
Exactly. That was why I had a problem with it basically restarting with the second act (though I still loved it). It made the film completely rush the actual horror/mystery elements. If the movie was 20 minutes longer I wouldnt even think it was a problem.
@@Dielawn69 what else did you guys really need to know? SPOILERS: the father and justin long were the actual barbarians and the monster was some wretched victim of severe inbreeding. what else is there to do there, i would get bored if there were just more scares of the monster popping out
Is it me or are the characters of Hellraiser (2022) kind of whatever and the main character, Riley was pretty unlikable? I genuinely don’t understand what Adum is talking about. 😂
Rare miss. I didn't feel like any of the characters in the new Hellraiser were characterized particularly well. Can someone tell me a quality or character trait of Nora other than "roommate"? What about the gay boyfriend? The film gives you nothing about them. And the two characters it does give attention are not very likable, imo. Some of the decisions made were infuriating, esp. regarding the box and the Scooby-Doo-ass mansion nonsense. And as far as having reasons for everything happening, Trevor Nora and Colin showing up out of nowhere in the mansion didn't make sense / wasn't really shown well in the film. The whole vibe of the film felt very "basic modern horror movie" to me, which was really disappointing given such a cool universe to explore.
The biggest criticism I have with the new Hellraiser is the number of times there was a struggle regarding the box that ended with one of the characters being like "NYAHH GIMME THAT BOX" and cutting themselves on it. These were characters that knew that the box would take you if you hurt yourself with it. You'd think they'd either be more careful around it, or get as far away from it as possible.
Exactly it was insane how that happened what three or four times? That felt extremely lazy to me. Also, just the fact that the box even functioned that way in the first place. The whole point is to solve the box. But with the way it funtions in Hellraiser 2022 it had nothing to actually do with solving the box.
The intro guy solved it and got stabbed himself. The brother was trying to help his unconscious sister. The Gislaine Maxwell lady was the one you’re describing. Nora got stabbed by Roland, someone that knew the box intimately well. Riley was forced into by the hell priest. Riley stabbed the Chatterer. Then Roland stabbed somebody again. Then Riley stabbed the boyfriend. What you described literally only happens once. The stabby stabby was the common one.
I loved the new Hellraiser! My only issue is the new design of the cenobites. The original made it very clear that their designs had intent. The S&M gear, tight leather, and how each character is mutilated is directly tied to BDSM practices. It relates the hedonism that can come from sexual gratification. The theme was clear and that’s why it feels like a kink movie. It was supposed to feel romantic and empathetic, really understanding how someone can lose themself so willingly. It seems as though they toned back hard on those things in favor of a more franchise-friendly type villain. They weren’t ever supposed to be the focal point if i recall correctly
So happy to see Zach get recognition. Everyone here should check out Whitest Kids U Know, it's way too funny and honestly the Humor is kinda similar to what I'd think most YMS watchers would enjoy.
Didn't really connect with the new Hellraiser but I do agree that certain aspects of the film were handled very maturely. The horror part however just flew past me and didn't leave a mark
Yes, I saw Hellraiser 20 years ago, and I loved it. I still vividly remember the music and certain parts of the movie. And while the new one has some great scenes and the cenobites look awesome, there were scenes that completely pull me out of the film. It didn't help that I couldn't connect with the majority of the characters, as I found them too artificial.
To me the movie got extremely boring at the halfway mark, couldn’t pay much attention to it and did not care for the characters. I honestly don’t understand why so many people are praising it. I will say that the Cenobites we’re well designed at least.
I enjoyed the new Hellraiser. It was so refreshing to watch a Hellraiser made by people who care. When talking about it with others, some would say that they thought it was too shallow or just didn't dive into enough lore, and I'm like, "I don't think we watched the same movie." My only complaint relates to some of the acting. The rest is genuinely captivating and makes me want to see more.
What put me slightly off were the acting, the main characters insistence to immediately try and figure out what the deal with the box was and that goofy looking thing one of the characters had attached to his body. But I will likely watch this again some day, absolutely worth it.
When you mentioned Drag Me To Hell, I had some flashbacks, I was a mere teen with a fear of the elderly, and all the jumpscares got to me. I made an excuse and left the theatre out of fear. I'm near 30 now and I still haven't gone back.
I just saw hellraiser 2022 and I absolutely loved it, the moment the interior throat shot showed up it blew me away and I was just morbidly transfixed for the rest of the movie, and I also loved the ending. I'm trying to imagine wtf the gift of knowledge would be from the cenobites 😳
I actually really liked Barbarian. Watched it with a group of buds, which adds a rose tint, but I still think it's a lot more unique and thrilling than many others I've seen. If anyone is half interested, go watch it!
Adam gushing about Hellraiser legit made me double check that this wasn’t an April fools video. But since it’s about as far from April fools day as possible, I have to assume it’s genuine. And damn, now I really want to watch a hellraiser film wtf
I actually saw this movie when it came out on Hulu because I saw it pop up and I'm a huge hellraiser fan and I just fucking adored this movie It is just absolutely fantastic and the fact smile is outperforming it angers me greatly because this movie is just fantastic
Barbarian definitely needs to be seen without knowing any of what is in it, and partly because it toys with your expectations its a fun ride to watch. And while i agree it was not really "scary" (granted i dont really find any horror movie scary) it was a good story that unfolded and i _really_ like what was done with Justin Long in the movie, and how early on there may be some ambivalence in his character, but at the end its finally answered in a smart way. Also the entire section with the flash back was great. The pacing, the visual story telling, the camera work. All top notch.
I would say a lot of people when they go into Horror films they want more visceral cheap thrills. You know a popcorn experience. Hellraiser is less concerned with scares and more with creating a disturbing atmosphere and exploring the concepts around consequences of actions and what individuals are willing to do for rewards and pleasure. Which was actually what a lot of people were complaining about that it wasn't scary enough. I mean its not perfect but it actually has something it wants to say beyond just using the story as an excuse to slaughter teenagers. Yeah fully support more movies like this.
I have shifted from criticizing the film for not being scary to acknowledging it more as a hopeless gothic tale. The horror atmosphere is great and the film has my attention but I’m not really scared nor am I really scared for the characters because it all feels inevitable.
I dunno what Adam is on about the characters in the new Hellraiser... they were the weakest part. Everybody was a scumbag and the nicest guy gets killed off immediately. Also he's like "they really developed the characters" and then he goes onto say "they barely talked but also I felt so bad when they died." The main character does some really stupid stuff and I didn't really find any of the main cast all that likeable. Realistic? Maybe. Likeable? Not really. Giving the original 5/10 and gushing over the new one sounds like you're watching it with David Bruckner tinted glasses. You like the guy so you're more likely to enjoy it. That being said the new one is solid, refreshing and it's been the best in the series since the second Hellraiser. The addiction symbolism was also nice.
I honestly have never laughed so hard at any movie in a theater until I saw Barbarian, and it wasn't just the obvious comedic relief but the ending scene of the first act took everyone so off guard in my theater (especially the creature design and how sudden it all was including the transition into the second act) that we all burst out laughing and continued to do so long after Justin Long first appeared on screen.
I recently watched the Exorcist for the first time and I loved it. The thing you mentioned about horror movies having empathetic characters really enforces why I thought it was so scary, it was horrible to see Reagan go through that whole ordeal
I really wish I enjoyed the new Hellraiser more because I loved both the original and The Night House, but it just felt like any other horror remake to me. I knew pretty much everything that was going to happen, and predictability doesn't necessarily make a movie bad but it didn't have any of the mystery that The Night House had and that kind of threw me off. I guess I was just expecting more out.
Except it wasn't a remake. It was a completly different story. It had so much in it that wasn't in the original to expand on the lore. I love the original and Clive Barker so, I was suprised I didn't hate this movie.
I'm having a surreal experience listening to Adam praise everything I hated about this movie The main character is an incredibly unlikable selfish addict who had a stash of pills, was willing to put herself in danger not caring what it did to her brother, and she was in a relationship fresh out of rehab all of which implies she was not going to stay sober anyway which means he was well within his right to kick her out and the only well acted scene in the entire film because it communicated how many times this exact conversation had taken place between her brother and herself. The boyfriend character makes no sense he should have just turned the guy into the police or threatened to do so in exchange for money but instead he goes along with a plan to murder his girlfriend but then let her get away with the box and never checks in to see what she's doing with it. why wouldn't he have just stabbed her in the first place if that's what he wanted to do for money. Couldn't the villain have just made somebody else use the boon to see that it worked without testing it on himself after he realizes that it's all f***** up and based on sadomasochism? Why do they get two wishes: the removal of the torture device and she gets to leave the box and live out her life they only killed seven people one of which was an alien which is just cannibalism. why would they want to kill themselves do they not have self preservation then why don't they just have ritualistic orgy suicides why do they even bother mutilating themselves in such a way that they can continue living if they actually reward you for killing them why does he build the device to trap them if he did trust them but he was willing to trust them enough to have them put the device inside of him are you telling me he built the trap after while the device was still inside? how is he building it how is he dressing himself how is he cleaning the wound? The box itself is terribly designed it has a weird awkward little cat claw poking out of it clearly designed to be self-inflicted but there's no reason anyone would inflict it on themselves knowingly to not get the reward at the end of completing the seven murders so why doesn't it turn into an offensive weapon it does when she decides she wants to kill her boyfriend a decision which she spent zero time thinking about and was not a source of internal conflict whatsoever she just makes up her mind and then it's a f****** sword and she kills him like it was nothing. none of the deaths have any satisfying impetus because they're all completely accidental they're not brought on by a decision they're not earned the box just randomly bursts open in ridiculous ways that moves the story forward. Realizing by the first death when he gets stabbed in the hand trying to pick up a box when the knife wasn't even pointed outward just made me want to see all the characters die so I can see what she gets at the end which is nothing. the ending is a horrible way of justifying her addiction. we're told that you have to pay a price in the rewards she probably could have gotten her brother back but she would have had to have suffered physical agony or probably been murdered by the cenobites in order to do so but she's not willing to suffer for her brother because she's only willing to make other people suffer for her benefit. the scene in the van is horrible and a wasted opportunity to explore visual storytelling and the world of the cenobites and the physical logic of having a entire hallway inside of a moving van. They could have had to have gone inside to try to find her and get her out they could have tried to move something between that barrier but instead they basically teleport her just with more steps nothing on the outside impacts her on the inside so what's the point? the blue light that follows them looks horrible and is clearly only there to cover up the bad practical effects. the acting is horrible with the main actresses injected lips failing to move correctly when she talks and her hair masking her face during all important acting scenes to hide the fact she can't emote, the writing is horrible the deaths are not fulfilling whatsoever the monster designs are just butchers of the original film that contribute nothing new to these characters except make me thirst for pinhead which like, good job I guess? It never explores the sexualities of these non binary creatures despite giving pinhead a trans actress and a sultry ASMR voice. The torture device looks nothing like the designs established and they could have just had the guy be physically deformed and he wanted the cenobites to return him to the way he used to look out of vanity perhaps even enjoyed the torturing he just didn't want it to be permanent. that would still leave him in a condition where he would be able to build an elaborate trap and get people to do what he wants and run around poking people in a Scooby-Doo maze which comes absolutely out of nowhere and clearly is just designed to move the story forward. Them crashing the car so they can't get away is a convenience the box popping open and stabbing people is a convenience when they easily could have just put it in a lock box and been done with the entire thing. Or thrown in the f****** ocean. the box turning into a knife so she could physically overpower a man twice her size is a convenience, The subtle bites letting her live the rest of her life despite that not being established as an option and taking away the craving for the box which was suggested throughout the entire movie was convenience just to make the movie end without her actually having to do anything except allow her brother to die which had she done in the beginning could have prevented all of these other casualties. It doesn't even make any sense why the cenobites would have wanted her to kill people specifically because she's shitty at killing. If you do interpret this movie as a story about addiction then what it says is that all of the people that make up your support network should be well prepared to die horrible deaths due to their own incompetence and you will be able to leave scot-free and recover without any trouble as a reward for all of the people that suffered simply for knowing you the cenobites offer her the ability to choose who she wants to sacrifice so why don't you just go to a prison and poke somebody there why don't you find someone on death row why don't you find someone hooked up to life support why do you have to choose between killing people you already know. There could have been this whole element where the main characters have to choose who dies and who lives based on what they know about each other or with their constantly trying to backstab each other because they know the only way that they'll get out is by being the last one left alive and so they're incentivized to kill each other even if they don't want to but instead that decision is stolen from them by a character who up until that point in the story was certainly dead. If the goal of the cenobites is to have human sacrifices then why would they have the rewards be so obviously s***** and designed for their own species and not human beings. Wouldnt you want word of mouth to make this a profitable business for you in the original film the entire point is that you want the sadomasochistic torture they're giving you and she accidentally agrees to something she didn't mean to which is the horror of refusal of consent. this movie is just the horror of accidentally doing something stupid. The scene where they're using chains from the original film doesn't obey gravity in any way which is never brought up again. I refuse to believe that anyone would pick up some creepy ass box and just randomly start playing with it unless they knew what it was going to do to them which none of these characters do and even if they did they wouldn't want it. Piece of garbage and I didn't even like the original movie, just wanted something that actually explored the aliens and what they can do. You talk about how other horror movies don't develop likeable characters but this movie actually rewards you for not liking these characters making it obvious from the beginning that they're all going to die anyway so why I get attached? You might as well have had this take place in a prison like a battle royale where the inmates have to compete to see who can kill each other before someone else gets to them first with the box constantly changing shape and giving abilities like traveling through buildings or telekinesis like what was brought up in the first movie. Maybe I've been using the center bytes as a weapon against the other inmates as they kill off all of the people that have ever taken advantage of someone or refuse to consent with the only survivor at the end of the film being someone who is wrongly convicted because the cenobites saw his innocence or from the perspective of a hitman who had an incentive to go out and kill these people who the aliens would want to choose to represent them and commit these crimes as their champion and who the aliens would want to give rewards to do encourage the killings to continue. The night house had a perfect encapsulation of a character who was addicted or fought with their impulses a character who was conflicted with what they wanted to do and another character who struggled with grief and this movie has none of that it's like the writers were making fun of the genre and you liked it anyway I'm actually remembering how mad I am about this movie seeing how much I love the director and now I'm losing sleep over it because of this review I just really liked prey and I'm mad you liked this better when prey had a genuinely likable protagonist and now I feel like a ranting crazy person which I am so eh I'd really like to watch the sards to a review of all 9 hell raiser films tho.
That throat shot with sound design was amazing. I also loved that they did it twice, not once or three times, but twice, perfect amount so you can appreciate it
I cant really recommend any of the original hellraiser movies atleast not after the fourth one, they’re pretty much all awful after that. Most of them were supossed to be completely different movies but then a producer said “this movie probably wont make any money so lets just throw the hellraiser name on it and add some cenobites for a couple minutes”
i think alot of people are frustrated that the strong themes from the first two movies isn't carried into this movie. one aspect of the lamentation configuration is that, originally, merely opening the box didn't do anything, you had to have some awareness that it was a magical device that would grant you great power or pleasure, you had to actually desire some kind of magical reward from solving the puzzle. the theme of the story is how unchecked rampant hedonism can turn on us. the cenobites are "explorers in the further reaches of experience" and they have explored pleasure and pain so much that to them there is no discernable difference. this is why when someone wishes for pleasure or knowledge they receive some kind of intense torture because the cenobites are not consciously aware of a difference any more, its a kind of dramatic irony that characters are punished for not having the good philosophical sense to want more out of life then mere pleasure or power or even "knowledge" if that knowledge has no moral or purpose frame of reference. so in the new movie, you have people who are opening the puzzle box without actually consciously knowing what it is and without wanting to receive power, and they get attacked by the cenobites. and for some reason you can get out of being attacked by the cenobites if you sacrifice someone else using the lamentation configuration, so one of the characters sacrifices one of the cenobites? but the cenobites have already been sacrificed? that's why they are cenobites? how can they be sacrificed again? it kind of abandons its moral from the original films and its very frustrating for the people that appreciated the original series. the fact that the cenobites are not just out right villains but are more complex makes them interesting, other wise they are just monsters which is boring.
Yes totally agree on the new Hellraiser. Loved the lore and the realistic characters. And the way they expanded on the box was amazing. Plus having it all loop back around was so satisfying. Seeing a glimpse of some of the rewards was very cool and gave the whole thing more purpose. Loved seeing a cinobite actually be created. Perfect way to end the movie and once again have some great lore
Lots of Hellraiser nerds offering some great info in the comments, but I thought I'd add one small detail. One of the sources of conflict in the original novel is that there is a huge difference between how humans define pleasure and how the Cenobites define it. When he first opened the box, Frank was expecting to fall into a never-ending orgy, but the Cenobites had much different ideas about his itinerary. Basically, it's unlikely anyone opening the box really understands what they're getting into.
The fact Hellraiser 2022 isnt available in Canada to rent/stream/buy digitally and I have to either pirate it or use a VPN is bullsh!t. Wish they put it on Disney+ like Prey.
How are the characters different in the new Hellraiser? Aren't they your usual paper thin dummies? Like what character traits does the asian girl have (besides being a girl and an asian)? How does actions of protagonist's boyfriend make any sense? Why didn't he ask a few bums to solve the puzzle? Why cenobites bargained about stubbed people, but instakilled one of their own? And so on, and so on. People hate this movie because its internal logic is nonexistent. Adam rating it 8/10 is the scariest part of the movie by far
Yessssss thank you just because the movie tells you the main character has a drug problem is not good characterization half of this movie is literally just them run after them in this museum like a scooby doo episode
8:10 To be fair, that's a good 75% of gay people/couples in media. Most directors feel it's better to err on the side of caution and depict them as omnipotent (see also: depicting women as Mary Sues, Black People as Magical Not-Gonna-Say-The-Word, disabled people as inspirationally disadvantaged, etc.). The best/most realistic gay couple I can think of is Ian/Mickey from Shameless.
I love Ian and Mickey so much from Shameless. They are probably the best depiction of a gay couple I’ve seem in mainstream media (obviously I’ve seen more great depictions from queer authors but nothing really as mainstream as Shameless lol)
I felt pleasantly surprised when I saw Hellraiser 1. I always thought it was some third rate Jason or Freddy type movie, since it's a horror movie with a mascot and it doesn't get much press. But when they started setting up the brother and the cheating wife, I was like, "Oh, this is like a real movie". And yeah, I figure the real villain is the brother and "Pinhead" is just doing his job. I saw that as a positive, since I thought the whole thing didn't fit neatly into some mold. But also, I thought that new one was great. I'm bummed out that it seems like it didn't do well, but at least it stands on its own really well.
I need to critique Adam here. I watched the new Hellraiser a few weeks ago, and just as I suspected when finishing it, I barely remember it. I haven't seen the old Hellraiser in a few years, but there is a lot of imagery and themes that stand out in my mind immediately when I think of the name. Adam keeps bringing up characters and how empathetic and emotional they were. He argues that the reason people didn't like the movie is because modern audiences don't want to feel bad when characters die. I think this is a bit projecting because I didn't care much about anyone in the new hellraiser. Looking back, The names of characters have completely left me. I think Adam is assuming everyone didn't like feeling bad for characters, when in reality most people just didn't connect with them at all. Oh no, Girl #2 is having a needle pushed into her throught? Its neat imagery but why should I care about her. Unless I am an isolated expieriecne, I don't think these characters are emotionally resonating with most people. Don't get me wrong, there is a fair share of dumb audience members who like Smile, but I saw the trailer for Smile and thought it looked like shit. The audience who is unsatisfied with Hellraiser 2022 is not the Audience that loves Smile, it's the audience that has fond memories of the original, and only found bland characters and forgettable tropes in the new one.
What? The main character from Hallraiser (2022) should have died right away! She made all the wrong decisions and I wanted her gone immediately. It was a cool movie, though. I didn't think the character development was anything specific but the horror scenes were really cool.
As a HUGE fan of the Hellraiser book "The Hellbound Heart", the original Hellraiser is kind of a slightly 80s-ified version of the Hellbound Heart, but it is still very close to the book (except those shitty final 10 minutes, fuck that shit). HOWEVER, a few of the things that were changed in the OG Hellraiser are in the new film, the biggest example being the casting of Pinhead themselves. Really great stuff. Love that the film went entirely it's own way. I got to dive even further into the universe of Hellraiser while still getting some payoffs as a fan of the book. Also, fuck this god damn gaslighting ass movie community for hating on Garland's Men & ignoring this wonderful Hellraiser movie *while simultaneously claiming Smile is some modern horror classic*. Fuck off.
I agree with your points on empathetic characters in horror movies. This is why Nightmare on Elm Street 3 and the It movies are some of my favorites, they may not be the scariest but the characters really make the movie an enjoyable experience all-round. Not to mention, more memorable.
That bit where you describe the film leaving you wanting more is something I'm amazed you aren't more familiar with. It's the best possible emotion to feel at the end, wanting to see and learn more about these characters, it means the film gave you just enough to keep you hooked, and left questions to answer that you genuinely want the answers for. This alone means I'm gonna have to watch them both, though unlike you I've never seen the original.
I like you YMS, and I’ve seen “i’m thinking of ending things” about 26 times (no joke), but I felt like the new Hellraiser movie was the YA novelization of the content. The adult themes where practically absent, with most of the characters dying by accident
Big disagree on Hellraiser.... came into it hyped from Adam's description but its a movie about a girl randomly getting people stabbed by a box and then crying about it and acting irrational... agree to disagree.
"cares about the consequences of the characters" I wish I could agree but the main character seemed to step on dog turd after dog turd and everyone else paid for it. But that's just me I guess.
Your review for the new Hellraiser really intrigued me. I wasn't really planning on watching it since, like for you, the original didn't really do it for me, but I am heavily considering it now. Thanks Adum!
im so glad you mentioned on twitter about the new hellraiser coming out and how good it was because holy shit, it might genuinely be my favourite movie this year. It's even up there as one of my favourite horror movies ever. I do really hope they get to do a sequel, they clearly did atleast a bit of setup for potentially doing one and it would be great to see where else they can go with this new interpretation on the story. something i dont think you really touched on to was just how good the practical effects were in the movie. the cenobites looked AMAZING, and it was hard to tell what was and wasnt CG. I really hope we get a behind the scenes look at the cenobites because i think there were more cenobites made for the movie that didnt end up showing up, as there was a glimpse at one that looked pregnant and that makes me think there might be even more cool designs not shown. anyway, loved the movie, tysm for reminding me to watch this
As someone who recently read all the graphic novels by Clive, but hasn't seen the movies in a few years; the Cenobites aren't really supposed to follow moral guidelines. The ambiguity plays a big role in the story, and they definitely make a big effort to characterize "Pinhead" (who isn't even a specific person, it's more like a title) and the person still hiding behind the cenobite. I think Clive wanted people to remember that they're complicated; that real evil doesn't exist; real heroes by definition are flawed and doomed to self destruction. Everyone chose to get involved with Cenobites, in some weird cosmic way, even those who didn't seek it ended up being dragged in to become a core part of the story. "You opened the box, we came" will always be a phenomenal tagline, and I think encompasses the point of Hellraiser perfectly. As long as the movies don't start grandstanding about morals, they've probably succeeded. From what I remember about the original movies, they were fairly faithful to the idea.
Absolutely loved the Hellraiser reboot and I am glad Adam did too! I wish more people were willing to give it a chance instead of holding so closely to their nostalgia for the originals + Doug Bradley as Pinhead, I felt the new story (though not really attached to the originals) was well done and the new casting worked really well for Pinhead and the other cenobites.
8:20 WOW Adam, I was planning on coming out to my parents in a few months once I felt more comfortable, but I guess they had to find out like this during our weekly family YMS watch party. I need to start vetting these first…
A rare swing and a miss for YMS…the main character of the new Hellraiser is so unbelievably unsympathetic everything is her fault. All deaths could be avoided his she wasn’t such a shit heel
She is responsible for two deaths. One was her brother (an accident and her main motivation to fix) and the other is Voight’s attorney who was complicit in sending 5 innocent people to eternal torture. Everyone else in the film is either killed by Voight or deserved it. She is a suffering addict whose mistakes cost her the most important person in her life and she spends the whole film trying to undo it. And she even reaches a point where the other lives it’s costing is no longer worth it and tries to get rid of the box only for the Cenobites to force her to keep going. And even then she refuses to give up her friends even if it means she suffers for it instead. How anyone with basic film comprehension can seriously get mad at her for the events over her dickhead boyfriend who literally set her up in the first place is honestly maddening. It’s either that or an absence of basic empathy.
@@drew1080 just because the first 10 minutes of the movie tells you she has a drug problem isn’t enough for most people to sympathize with your character it’s literally the most over done thing in bad horror movies now where they set up the main character to being going through some kind of problem or trauma for forced characterization that is literally just told to the audience very unoriginal
@@ttam2476 It's not just the "first 10 minutes", it's the whole movie. Also, "setting up the main character to be going through some kind of problem or trauma" is literally just describing the majority of stories. Lmao
@@drew1080 the story literally just uses her drug addiction in the first ten minutes to move the plot along and then it has nothing to do with anything lmao it’s just bad characters that no one cares about lol it’s the biggest trop in these bad horror movies so it can appear deeper then it really lol this movie has nothing to say about drug addiction
@@ttam2476 "This movie has nothing to say about drug addiction". Might I suggest rewatching the movie, but giving it an actual fair shot this time. Riley literally loses her brother and gets the box because of her toxic behavior. Her constant need to fix what's already been lost throughout the movie is something a lot of people with addiction who have hurt others and themselves go through. The Cenobites promise delights and rewards beyond one's wildest imaginations except all they have to give is some twisted form of pain. Very comparable to the promise of pleasure that drugs offer that only ends in pain and loss. In the end, Riley chooses to move on, no longer living in delusion or regret, and no longer chasing false pleasures like the Cenobite's rewards; basically overcoming her toxic behavior. So I'm gonna have to give a hard disagree that this movie just uses her drug addiction as a setup and nothing more.
As a fan of the original series, I adore the reimagining. Yeah, they changed a fair bit, but it made it have its own identity, which I can’t say about most of the sequels to the original. I’m so jazzed that one of my favorite critics enjoyed the film as much as I did. The Cenobites are supposed to be demon-esque beings from another dimension (sometimes referred to as “Hell,”) whose whole shtick is to blur the lines between extreme, eternal pain and extreme, eternal pleasure, but with consent. Kind of. Solving the box acts as an invitation and an agreement that you’re going to endure this suffering for eternity, even if the person who solves it doesn’t know it. These already vague rules get even vaguer as the series goes on. Sequels you should watch: Hellbound: Hellraiser 2 - it’s in many ways a perfect companion to the original and picks up right after. Some love this one even more. Spoiler alert: they go to the Cenobite’s dimension. It’s awesome. Hellraiser 3: Hell on Earth - Not nearly as good as the first two, but it’s pretty entertaining in a popcorn kind of way. I wouldn’t say it’s super high-quality, though. Hellraiser 4: Bloodline - It’s a straight up mess but a truly fascinating concept and watch. The behind-the-scenes story is even more fascinating. Plus Pinhead in Space! Ha. If you’re looking for more lore, though, this one spans centuries to tell us about how/why the box was made. That’s it. And really those are the only bearable sequels that actually add anything proper to the lore and mythos. Even then, you could easily skip the latter two recommendations and just watch “Hellbound.” It’s pretty darn good. Also check out the source material, “The Hellbound Heart,” by Clive. The first movie is a pretty close adaptation, but he makes some interesting changes and the literature - as you would expect - delves far more into the lore. ‘Hope this helps!
One thing I love about the new Hellraiser is that the moment I and my friends finished watching it we just wanted to talk about everything! It had so much to over think about afterwards, you want to see more from the cenobites, the imagery of the film is insane! I've not seen much of the negative feedback (guess when it's online you tend to only see what the algorithm thinks you want to see), but the positive comments have been blossoming! If it doesn't get a sequel I'd be very surprised.
Actually stopped at your Hellraiser spoiler section to go check it out, and I’m glad I did. What a rad horror movie, I haven’t felt actual awe and dread from a movie in a fat minute.
Honestly you only really need to see Hellraiser 1+2 since Hellraiser 2022 builds off of elements from those films and the text in some really interesting ways. And I say that as someone who has some fondness for the schlock and imagery of 3-5, like the scene in 3 when Pinhead walks into the church is so over the top it's both hilarious and appeals to the metal album cover in my soul. Anyway I also really enjoyed Hellraiser 2022 though they could have done a better job of lighting some sequences and I hope it gets its own sequel exploring some new characters via the consequences from one of the other "rewards".
I'm SO happy you enjoyed Hellraiser (2022) as much as I did... I really connected with it too despite having many of the same issues you did... Incredibly creative and wonderfully made film. Grateful that this film exists.
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Happy Halloween!
I didn't think the remake of this would actually be reccomended considering leatherface and Halloween ends wasn't excatly big hits for the most part.
Like your thoughts if maybe the movie would have been a vehicle for Trevor Moore? And would that make a difference if he replaced Bill or justin?
Hellraiser 2 is the only good sequel worth watching
all the others are shit
We need a review of a classic B-movie (at best) : Phantasm
YMS: Who knows, may be Ill watch the other sequals.
Me: other than part 2, pls dont subject yourself to that torture.
Barbarian’s best joke was everyone seeing the downstairs bed/camera room and being deeply disturbed while justin Long’s character immediately thinks how he can capitalize on selling it for more square feet.
No the best joke was the black homeless man saying “she can’t get us out here” then immediately she crashed through the CONCRETE WALL, grabs and kills him.
Both were great
Totally agree the comedic parts of this movie were absolute gold. Beginning was actually too slow considering the rest of the movie in my opinion and the last part is just mediocre.
“I see this as an absolute win!”
yeah I thought him googling the thing about SQFT was hilarious, but they took it a little far with the whole measuring tape thing. I can suspend lots of disbelief for horror, but he wasn't even a little creeped out by this pit below his house?
The original Hellraiser “feels like a kink movie.”
There’s a reason for that…
Adum puts a lot of effort into research sometimes...sometimes not.
?
Clive Barkers whole career is a kink.
@@pankotenders Clive Barker wrote Hellraiser (well, the book it was based on) after visiting a kink club. The cenobites are Clive Barker taking what he saw there and cranking it up to 11. If I remember right, at least
Does Adam think it’s a coincidence that all the Cenobites look like they’re wearing warped versions of BDSM outfits? 😂
Minor spoiler but that little minute and a half flashback with Frank in Barbarian was probably the scariest part of the movie for me. Not that the rest wasn't disturbing in it's own right, but that little Wes Anderson style horror short is so good at leaving everything up to the imagination. Like you never actually see Frank torture anyone, but just him stalking the one girl and pretending to be some water inspector dude in order to unlock her window only to come back home and hear screaming from the basement was really effective.
Yes! And following it up with a glimpse of the tapes that are so vaguely named but imply everything is extremely chilling. The one that said "blind" was the one that freaked me out the most. Only one word, but it elicits so much emotion...
@@lindseymarie3532 “puker”
Yeah, yms didn't even mention how every act builds on this idea of predatory men.
*SPOILERS* I would have enjoyed this movie much more if it was an actual human threat rather than the monster that we got in the movie
@@crappyposts3477 well she is human, she's just feral. But i get what you mean, I would've loved to see more of Frank, even if his scenes made me wanna vomit out of sheer disgust.
I’m a hellraiser nerd who has read the novel. The Cenobites are either demons from another realm, or humans who were so debauched and fed up with life, sex, and drugs that they can only feel alive through pain. The box used to summon the Cenobites was created by a human as a gate to this demon world. For some mysterious reason the box seems to have recieved its power through an agreement with the Cenobites that says anyone who uses the box has to give themselves for the Cenobites, seemingly for all eternity. If you’re a masochist this is a good deal, if you’re a normal person then this sucks. But this doesn’t mean they are villains, they deliver a service to perverts that call upon them.
Very much this. Anyone who has seen the first two movies know the Cenobites are a neutral evil. Frank and Dr Channard are the villains; as you said, the Cenobites merely provide a service, albeit a morally questionable one.
Thank you, kind sir
It really is so much darker and gross in concept than is ever shown in the films, or even really explicitly stated in the book. The idea of being kidnapped and tortured forever by sex demons is legitimately horrifying, but it never felt well translated to film, imo.
It’s the BDSM party you can never leave
Wasn't there a moment when a blind girl messed with the box, but Cenobites left her because she had no idea what was going on?
Barbarian's first act was horror/thriller genius to me. It does such a great job of leading you to believe that Bill Skarsgard is and will be the main villain of the movie but then does a complete 180. I also thought the set pieces were extremely well done. You can feel the darkness down in those tunnels, everything in your brain is telling you that nothing good can come out of the dark but you're locked in at that point. And the transition from the first to second act was genius by itself.
I love the scene where she's absolutely convinced she should NOT go down there, but she cares about him and she's just SO curious what the heck happened to him.
I also think the first act is superbly written and directed.
Yeah the most effective horror elements for me was just looking into those dark corridors not knowing what could be down there. As soon as they showed the lady, it kind of deflated it for me and by the third act it had lost that tension by having revealed too much too early. I think if they had not shown the lady until the end, it would have kept that tone and been much more effective.
First part was by far the best in my opinion I'd have given the movie an 8/10. But act 2 and 3 just didn't land for me.
@@TheEsperKing1 same. Act 1 was filled with tension
Seeing Adum enthusiastically talk about a movie he clearly enjoys and appreciates is refreshing and welcome
Justin Long measuring the basement square footage had me DEAD!!!😂💀
I was dying as well
it really drove home how much he is up his own ass.
We see a girl getting genuinely unnerved and distressed by the passageway, and then literally 15 minutes later, that same exact setting is used to complement an utterly hilarious scene. Such clever use of comedy by juxtaposition. The second act is where the movie peaked for me. Unfortunately, the third act fizzled out fast, and the ending really sucked.
@@rapidreaders7741 Literally measuring the square footage of a rape room to up his Zillow rate LMFAOOOO
@@rapidreaders7741 His reaction to that room was basically the confirmation that he was guilty of assaulting that woman. Looked past all of the obvious signs that something was wrong and instead took advantage of the moment.
I watched barbarian completely blind last night and honestly enjoyed it because that second act was such a jolt.
The scene transition between act 1 and 2 was such a shock that I actually wondered for a moment if the theatre had screwed up and somehow jumped into the middle of a totally different film. If we were still in the analog era, I'd have thought they swapped in the wrong reel by accident. Brief confusion aside, I really liked the movie and the second act was probably the most I've ever heard an audience laugh at a horror film.
I seen it and the jolt took me out of the movie. A nice build up to something then felt wasted.
I think it would've worked if the movie was longer. But IMO it was way too short to have to basically start the movie over again. I mean I still loved the movie but it really does speed through the actual horror elements.
@@BayviewGhost I was watching it on a totally legal website 😉 and when the second act hit I genuinely thought the website glitched and I went to a another movie. I had to do a double take because of how jarring it was
i also went in totally blind and i liked it a lot
The fact a 13 reasons why actor didn’t bring down the whole movie is truly an accomplishment
Always great to see you in YT comments, Jack
Fr fr
Was it the asian guy from 13 reasons why?
@@VoIacious sup Kanye
A 13 Reasons Why actor was in Xenoblade 3 and she did great. It’s surprisingly possible
c'mon adum call it heckraiser, theres children in the room
C’mon dude!!
the subtitles called it "L raiser" - which I suppose is more child-friendly-ish
'Some people love it, some people hate it...'
"I'm gonna give it a 5/10; it's closer to a 5 than a 5." -Amum
Adad
That shot in the van of the hell dimension seeping into our reality through the edges of the van's geometry...
That was something Clive Barker himself described in the book but the effects at that time weren't like they are today and it would've cost way too much to pull off practically for the movie. As a Hellraiser fan, it was awesome to see that moment finally realized on film.
Felt the same way when Jurassic Park 3 finally gave us the giant bird cage
@@CharlieBrown20XD6 I couldn't help but picture a T-Rex-sized Robin Williams and Nathan Lane sassing park visitors from behind an electrified fence. That would've been a much better film.
Not one for one, but all the transitions to hell had more of a Hellbound Heart feel to them.
One of my favorite aspects of the movie really. The first one in the public restroom in particular filled me with awe.
Personally I thought the scare when Keith crawls from out of the darkness and the scare when he is quickly followed by the woman were the most effective scares I have seen in years. I loved barbarian although after a second watch I found inconsistencies but I still think it is a great film overall
The original Hellraiser has always been impressive to me considering it had a relatively small budget (I think less than $1 million if I remember correctly), which explains why it was so limited in terms of things like locations, yet they managed to pull off a pretty compelling narrative and some incredible effects. Despite harsh budget cuts, Hellraiser 2 also went on to have a surprisingly grand scope. I'm glad the series finally got an entry that doesn't further tarnish the work that went into those first two
that's a bit of a theme when it comes to older horror movies. it feels like half of them are made by amateurs with a lot of passion. you gotta respect the production, even if you don't tink the movies are anything incredible.
I really enjoyed Barbarian. The flashback scene especially stuck with me for a while, I love the way that bit was shot.
Agreed. Very creative and fun horror movie.
“Who knows, maybe I’ll watch some of the sequels”
Famous last words.
His suffering will be legendary - even in Hell!
I'll be honest, even the forth film will be enjoyable to Adum, less for the flick itself but more due to the BTS drama. The first 4 films are watchable, everything else were afterthoughts from other scripts. The 2022 movie is the first true Hellraiser script since Bloodline.
@@DokkaChapman i didn’t know the fourth film had some production issues. i’m not surprised though. i only watched it for Adam Scott lmao
@@natalie_the_ratalie Basically the original script was torn apart by the producers. Originally it was going to just run in chronological order and the space bit was gonna be at the end. There was going to be cenobites in 18th century France, Adam Scott's character death was gonna be way more impressive and Merchant died next to Pindhead on the spaceship. There's more to it, but I'm currently writing an unofficial novel using the original script so folks can experience what the film was supposed to be.
I mean, he already watched the new sequel and liked it, and it's about on par with part 3 and 4, so...
Wish Adum would make another one of those Underrated Horror Movies videos he did many years ago. It's how I discovered Martyrs and great horror movies are a lot rarer than any other genre.
That would be so good if he did
Same is how I discovered his channel and martyrs ❤
@@Sky-tg5rt watch High Tension (2003)
There is a good portion of us that think Hellraiser 2022 is a great addition to the ip because it took a lot of details from the original and expanded upon it. Good example being that the Hell Priest (known as pinhead from the layman) was considered to have a feminine voice rather than a masculine one. But you could think of this hellraiser as part of the canon since there was a written part in the notes that depicted that there was a male pinhead visiting the guy before it changed to female.
7
The original movie was considered to be a kink movie because the original idea came from when clive barker visited a club with alot of leather and body modification.
The Cenobites were originally not villians. The box was a demonic artifact that had it's rules. Whosoever solves the box will be treated to pleasures unimaginable and unattainable to the mortal soul. The Cenobites were just it's compatriots to fulfill the will of leviathan (their god). The rules get muddled as the movies go on due to the cenobites acquiring the initial draw from crowds and the execs wanting to push them into a more prominent villainy role. This sadly backfired after the second movie as pinhead started to get the kreugar treatment. In Hellraiser's series history, there were a number of scripts that were not originally for hellraiser but the company wanted to add them in to keep the franchise in their possession. There was even one that was put together in a few weeks because someone found out that the rights was about to expire in a couple months.
I side on the word of caution if you decide to watch the rest of the hellraiser movies. After the second movie, the franchise has a hard downturn in quality. But it is a good way to experience why a majority of hellraiser fans really enjoyed this new installment. It's a new breath of fresh air after basically a decade plus of bad content. Plus the redesign of the cenobites really makes more sense than the use of leather. I want to see a sequel connected from this story but I also feel this story can hold it's own in the end.
Which Hellraiser do you prefer? The original or this re-imagining?
@@Ergeniz 2022 is a far better film, but the original film, sequel, and book are a much better horror concept.
Fans like *the movie*, but hate the direction taken with the cenobites. As a new viewer, you won't have this problem.
@@BLaRgXrvbX I'm not a new viewer. Why would you assume that?
@@BLaRgXrvbX no its not, and ratings are showing that. Original and it's seque(i preffer to think of it as a dialogy) are far better movies than this boring trash.
@@Ergeniz The context of your question implied you were looking for an entry point into the series.
Most people who are already very familiar with a series would either provide context clues to that, ask different questions, or state their own opinions on the titles alongside such a question. Since you did none of that, I assumed you were unfamiliar. An honest mistake.
I read the Hellraiser novel a few years back. It is extremely more creepy because of how sexual it is. It gets you off guard. I'm not sure I would recommend but it is sure left a mark on me!
-guard-
I really enjoyed Barbarian despite its flaws. For a big studio to green lit this is amazing because it brings something new to the table.
Honestly, I loved _Barbarian._ Definitely the most original horror movie I've seen since _Hereditary,_ and likely the most effective mix of horror and comedy since _Drag Me to Hell._ I thought the first act was a really strong buildup to a fantastic payoff, then we immediately jump into the comedic second act and it somehow works perfectly. Then the third act made everything come together super well. When the credits rolled I just sat there with my friend like "what the fuck did I just watch?"
Loved it, and would certainly watch it again.
Hellraiser 2022 is surprisingly good. The bad/mixed reviews for it blows my mind
You should do watchalongs with the next two of the original Hellraiser movies. Hellraiser III is a perfect film for "Adum & pals", it's one of the best "so-bad-it's-good" cheesy horror movies I've ever seen.
The fucking cenobite with a camera in his head killing people and making camera puns
the fourth film would be interesting to see an adum and pals on because its one of the most infamous train wrecks in film history.
@@ghiaccio1452 "Ready for you close-up, Joey?" It sucks because Doc was probably the most human person in that film from a moral standpoint.
@@ghiaccio1452 The one with the CDs in his head
I'm pretty sure all he needs to learn is that one of them is an Alan Smithee film. That'll guarantee that he'll watch them.
I will say despite the problems with barbarian (films like a good 7/10 for me) I can’t praise the dialogue enough. Feels so natural and perfectly awkward
The Cenobite mythos has gone through a couple soft reboots through the movies. The “accepted” canon is mostly fleshed out (hah) in the comics. Barker’s personal canon for the Cenobites is pretty much exclusively found in his lit (Hellbound Heart/Scarlet Gospels).
That's really interesting! Would you be at all inclined to explain the different mythos around them?
@@havendidit again, that would depend on whether you want the comic, cinematic, or literary version of the lore. My BEST advice for if you want the essential idea of what they are is to read Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker, then watch the movies 1/2/4 (4 in my opinion is definitely worth it, as the movie is entirely based around the lore even if it eschews some ideas about the labyrinth/hell).
The problem with Hellraiser is that there are basically two competing lores. One of which is basically that Cenobites come from a more Abrahamic version of Hell, and the other lore involving them being from a labyrinth world filled with cults and factions, ruled over by a God/ being called Leviathan. This is the preferred and more common lore.
Two of my favourite pieces of lore are that Chatterer is one of if not the favourite of the Gash to Leviathan due to the fact that he was created from a child (which is why he keeps coming back in various forms) and secondly in the comics Jack the Ripper became a Cenobite named Saucy Jack.
@@DokkaChapman Saucy Jack and the Clown Cenobite are both great ones
Wow, I thought hellraiser sucked balls, as a person who read the novel and also enjoyed the original. I couldn't empathize with any of the characters, they felt blank, one-dimensional, like the drug addiction of the main character for example, it's just thrown in at the beginning to make you care about her and never really brought up again. The evil white guy villain was comically evil with no depth at all. The rest of the friends were so boring i couldn't care less about any of them. The cenobites are beings that can tear portals in reality, yet a fucking gate stops one of em, like he's a dumb mummy? And there's also a deep psycho-sexual element in the book that was only superficially present in this movie. Past the cenobites design, which was cool, and some nice creative choices you mentioned, I couldn't find anything else worthwhile.
Disagree on both counts.
3.5/5 for Barbarian.
2.5/5 for Hellraiser 2022. Here's my Letterboxd review, for anybody interested:
I prepped myself for this film by re-reading The Hellbound Heart the day before. This was a mistake. I'd meant to come into this film with an open mind, not expecting anything considering how lousy the franchise has been after the first 2 films, but reading the original story raised my expectations too high and I can't deny my feelings of disappointment.
Hellraiser 2022 plays out like a Blumhouse-esque cursed object film, with Clive Barker's creations plugged in as the big spook that's gonna get ya if you fail to follow the pointless rules found within the enclosed Hellraiser strategy guide. The exposition, the early inclusion of certain aspects of lore, felt unnecessary. The original story was very intimate, with no need to explain itself beyond what was critical to the narrative. Hellraiser 2022 overcomplicates itself with contrivances that do little more than guarantee a body count.
The film is overly long, with no real character development. There are plot holes that render the protagonist's presence utterly unnecessary. Instead of a darkly perverse rumination on the limits of love, pleasure and pain, meaning and nothingness; instead of any deep statements about the nihilistic wages of a hedonistic lifestyle, we're given a surface-level parable about addiction that's been tackled with more maturity in made-for-TV teen dramas.
I can tell that our lead actress is good at her craft, but her character is quite unlikable. In fact, nobody is really all that likeable and due to the stagnant character arcs, nobody is really that interesting either.
There is nothing terrible about the cinematography although I'm struggling to think of anything all that memorable. I would call the direction competent overall, It's just that the story isn't very good. Aside from the classic Hellraiser themes the music felt very stock as well. The Inception-style opening stings sounded very dated and the rest of the score not provided by Christopher Young amounted to generic ambience that could've fit in any random horror film; nothing memorable.
The Cenobite designs weren't bad. I didn't like how they were presented but I appreciated the effort in making them distinct. They were a little "cleaner" than I would've liked. I missed the black leather, to be honest.
The dialogue, especially that attributed to the cenobites themselves, fell flat. Part of it had to do with how far removed this film was from the original concept. The recycled lines uttered by the Hell Priest sounded aimless and out of place.
As far as its position in the franchise, I would put Hellraiser 2022 well below the original and Hellbound. It's probably better than Hellraiser 3, though I haven't seen that one in a long time, I still feel confident in saying that.
Here's hoping the long awaited Nightbreed series will fare better.
@@666slateran666 I'm interested
@@UmJammerChelle Thanks for reading.
Felt like Barbarian needs an extended edition, the final act felt rushed and the parts that were supposed to be huge revelations didn’t land as well because of it
Exactly. That was why I had a problem with it basically restarting with the second act (though I still loved it). It made the film completely rush the actual horror/mystery elements. If the movie was 20 minutes longer I wouldnt even think it was a problem.
@@Dielawn69 what else did you guys really need to know? SPOILERS: the father and justin long were the actual barbarians and the monster was some wretched victim of severe inbreeding. what else is there to do there, i would get bored if there were just more scares of the monster popping out
Barbarian was the best cinema experience id had in ages
Go watch good films
@@atulyabharadwaj2279 have a day off 😂
"good movie, 5/10"
Is it me or are the characters of Hellraiser (2022) kind of whatever and the main character, Riley was pretty unlikable? I genuinely don’t understand what Adum is talking about. 😂
Rare miss. I didn't feel like any of the characters in the new Hellraiser were characterized particularly well. Can someone tell me a quality or character trait of Nora other than "roommate"? What about the gay boyfriend? The film gives you nothing about them. And the two characters it does give attention are not very likable, imo.
Some of the decisions made were infuriating, esp. regarding the box and the Scooby-Doo-ass mansion nonsense. And as far as having reasons for everything happening, Trevor Nora and Colin showing up out of nowhere in the mansion didn't make sense / wasn't really shown well in the film.
The whole vibe of the film felt very "basic modern horror movie" to me, which was really disappointing given such a cool universe to explore.
My one major criticism with Barbarian was that I didn't see it with a crowd.
Me too, I just saw it today and I was literally the only person in the theatre, I've never experienced that before.
The biggest criticism I have with the new Hellraiser is the number of times there was a struggle regarding the box that ended with one of the characters being like "NYAHH GIMME THAT BOX" and cutting themselves on it. These were characters that knew that the box would take you if you hurt yourself with it. You'd think they'd either be more careful around it, or get as far away from it as possible.
Exactly it was insane how that happened what three or four times? That felt extremely lazy to me. Also, just the fact that the box even functioned that way in the first place. The whole point is to solve the box. But with the way it funtions in Hellraiser 2022 it had nothing to actually do with solving the box.
dude it is 100% like that lmao
The intro guy solved it and got stabbed himself.
The brother was trying to help his unconscious sister.
The Gislaine Maxwell lady was the one you’re describing.
Nora got stabbed by Roland, someone that knew the box intimately well.
Riley was forced into by the hell priest.
Riley stabbed the Chatterer.
Then Roland stabbed somebody again.
Then Riley stabbed the boyfriend.
What you described literally only happens once.
The stabby stabby was the common one.
@@orgywithpigs6 GISLAINE MAXWELL 💀
orgywithpigs6 is right, there was only one struggle with the box that led to a stab. Did we watch the same movie?
I loved the new Hellraiser! My only issue is the new design of the cenobites. The original made it very clear that their designs had intent. The S&M gear, tight leather, and how each character is mutilated is directly tied to BDSM practices. It relates the hedonism that can come from sexual gratification. The theme was clear and that’s why it feels like a kink movie. It was supposed to feel romantic and empathetic, really understanding how someone can lose themself so willingly. It seems as though they toned back hard on those things in favor of a more franchise-friendly type villain. They weren’t ever supposed to be the focal point if i recall correctly
So happy to see Zach get recognition. Everyone here should check out Whitest Kids U Know, it's way too funny and honestly the Humor is kinda similar to what I'd think most YMS watchers would enjoy.
A gallon of PCP?
Just don't play with the... NAIL GUN!!!!!!
*_I HAVE TO GO SEE THE MOST LOVELIEST BRIDE!_*
He's hammering me in the butt! Please don't hammer my butt!
@@Mattizzle9 listen to the woman jooohhnnn
Didn't really connect with the new Hellraiser but I do agree that certain aspects of the film were handled very maturely. The horror part however just flew past me and didn't leave a mark
Yes, I saw Hellraiser 20 years ago, and I loved it. I still vividly remember the music and certain parts of the movie. And while the new one has some great scenes and the cenobites look awesome, there were scenes that completely pull me out of the film. It didn't help that I couldn't connect with the majority of the characters, as I found them too artificial.
To me the movie got extremely boring at the halfway mark, couldn’t pay much attention to it and did not care for the characters. I honestly don’t understand why so many people are praising it. I will say that the Cenobites we’re well designed at least.
The hellraiser is a painfully mediocre horror movie, while barbarian is original and has genuinely chilling moments.
Adum: “Who knows? Maybe I’ll watch some of the old sequels.”
Everyone: “Don’t.”
11:28 - "Who knows, maybe I'll watch some of the old sequels" Ohhhhh Adam, don't do it, don't do it, don't do it hahahaha
I enjoyed the new Hellraiser. It was so refreshing to watch a Hellraiser made by people who care. When talking about it with others, some would say that they thought it was too shallow or just didn't dive into enough lore, and I'm like, "I don't think we watched the same movie." My only complaint relates to some of the acting. The rest is genuinely captivating and makes me want to see more.
What put me slightly off were the acting, the main characters insistence to immediately try and figure out what the deal with the box was and that goofy looking thing one of the characters had attached to his body.
But I will likely watch this again some day, absolutely worth it.
When you mentioned Drag Me To Hell, I had some flashbacks, I was a mere teen with a fear of the elderly, and all the jumpscares got to me. I made an excuse and left the theatre out of fear. I'm near 30 now and I still haven't gone back.
I just saw hellraiser 2022 and I absolutely loved it, the moment the interior throat shot showed up it blew me away and I was just morbidly transfixed for the rest of the movie, and I also loved the ending. I'm trying to imagine wtf the gift of knowledge would be from the cenobites 😳
Totaslly agree. I watched Hellraiser too and I was surprised at how well this one was executed.
"It feels very much like a kink ___" is a pretty good summary of Clive Barker's entire career, TBH. In a complimentary way.
I actually really liked Barbarian. Watched it with a group of buds, which adds a rose tint, but I still think it's a lot more unique and thrilling than many others I've seen. If anyone is half interested, go watch it!
Adam gushing about Hellraiser legit made me double check that this wasn’t an April fools video. But since it’s about as far from April fools day as possible, I have to assume it’s genuine. And damn, now I really want to watch a hellraiser film wtf
I actually saw this movie when it came out on Hulu because I saw it pop up and I'm a huge hellraiser fan and I just fucking adored this movie
It is just absolutely fantastic and the fact smile is outperforming it angers me greatly because this movie is just fantastic
Barbarian definitely needs to be seen without knowing any of what is in it, and partly because it toys with your expectations its a fun ride to watch. And while i agree it was not really "scary" (granted i dont really find any horror movie scary) it was a good story that unfolded and i _really_ like what was done with Justin Long in the movie, and how early on there may be some ambivalence in his character, but at the end its finally answered in a smart way.
Also the entire section with the flash back was great. The pacing, the visual story telling, the camera work. All top notch.
I would say a lot of people when they go into Horror films they want more visceral cheap thrills. You know a popcorn experience. Hellraiser is less concerned with scares and more with creating a disturbing atmosphere and exploring the concepts around consequences of actions and what individuals are willing to do for rewards and pleasure. Which was actually what a lot of people were complaining about that it wasn't scary enough. I mean its not perfect but it actually has something it wants to say beyond just using the story as an excuse to slaughter teenagers. Yeah fully support more movies like this.
I have shifted from criticizing the film for not being scary to acknowledging it more as a hopeless gothic tale. The horror atmosphere is great and the film has my attention but I’m not really scared nor am I really scared for the characters because it all feels inevitable.
I dunno what Adam is on about the characters in the new Hellraiser... they were the weakest part. Everybody was a scumbag and the nicest guy gets killed off immediately. Also he's like "they really developed the characters" and then he goes onto say "they barely talked but also I felt so bad when they died." The main character does some really stupid stuff and I didn't really find any of the main cast all that likeable. Realistic? Maybe. Likeable? Not really.
Giving the original 5/10 and gushing over the new one sounds like you're watching it with David Bruckner tinted glasses. You like the guy so you're more likely to enjoy it. That being said the new one is solid, refreshing and it's been the best in the series since the second Hellraiser. The addiction symbolism was also nice.
I honestly have never laughed so hard at any movie in a theater until I saw Barbarian, and it wasn't just the obvious comedic relief but the ending scene of the first act took everyone so off guard in my theater (especially the creature design and how sudden it all was including the transition into the second act) that we all burst out laughing and continued to do so long after Justin Long first appeared on screen.
The "Vocal chord needle" scene in Hellraiser is one of the sickest things I've ever seen.
It was awesome.
A decent Hellraiser movie for once? Damn
Not so fast….His review makes no sense lol
Has that happened... Ever
i quite like how the Cenobites aren't classed as true villains, just... different.
I recently watched the Exorcist for the first time and I loved it. The thing you mentioned about horror movies having empathetic characters really enforces why I thought it was so scary, it was horrible to see Reagan go through that whole ordeal
I really wish I enjoyed the new Hellraiser more because I loved both the original and The Night House, but it just felt like any other horror remake to me. I knew pretty much everything that was going to happen, and predictability doesn't necessarily make a movie bad but it didn't have any of the mystery that The Night House had and that kind of threw me off. I guess I was just expecting more out.
Except it wasn't a remake. It was a completly different story. It had so much in it that wasn't in the original to expand on the lore. I love the original and Clive Barker so, I was suprised I didn't hate this movie.
clicked on this so fast to hear your thoughts on barbarian
I'm having a surreal experience listening to Adam praise everything I hated about this movie
The main character is an incredibly unlikable selfish addict who had a stash of pills, was willing to put herself in danger not caring what it did to her brother, and she was in a relationship fresh out of rehab all of which implies she was not going to stay sober anyway which means he was well within his right to kick her out and the only well acted scene in the entire film because it communicated how many times this exact conversation had taken place between her brother and herself.
The boyfriend character makes no sense he should have just turned the guy into the police or threatened to do so in exchange for money but instead he goes along with a plan to murder his girlfriend but then let her get away with the box and never checks in to see what she's doing with it. why wouldn't he have just stabbed her in the first place if that's what he wanted to do for money. Couldn't the villain have just made somebody else use the boon to see that it worked without testing it on himself after he realizes that it's all f***** up and based on sadomasochism?
Why do they get two wishes: the removal of the torture device and she gets to leave the box and live out her life they only killed seven people one of which was an alien which is just cannibalism.
why would they want to kill themselves do they not have self preservation then why don't they just have ritualistic orgy suicides why do they even bother mutilating themselves in such a way that they can continue living if they actually reward you for killing them why does he build the device to trap them if he did trust them but he was willing to trust them enough to have them put the device inside of him are you telling me he built the trap after while the device was still inside? how is he building it how is he dressing himself how is he cleaning the wound?
The box itself is terribly designed it has a weird awkward little cat claw poking out of it clearly designed to be self-inflicted but there's no reason anyone would inflict it on themselves knowingly to not get the reward at the end of completing the seven murders so why doesn't it turn into an offensive weapon
it does when she decides she wants to kill her boyfriend a decision which she spent zero time thinking about and was not a source of internal conflict whatsoever she just makes up her mind and then it's a f****** sword and she kills him like it was nothing.
none of the deaths have any satisfying impetus because they're all completely accidental they're not brought on by a decision they're not earned the box just randomly bursts open in ridiculous ways that moves the story forward. Realizing by the first death when he gets stabbed in the hand trying to pick up a box when the knife wasn't even pointed outward just made me want to see all the characters die so I can see what she gets at the end which is nothing.
the ending is a horrible way of justifying her addiction. we're told that you have to pay a price in the rewards she probably could have gotten her brother back but she would have had to have suffered physical agony or probably been murdered by the cenobites in order to do so but she's not willing to suffer for her brother because she's only willing to make other people suffer for her benefit.
the scene in the van is horrible and a wasted opportunity to explore visual storytelling and the world of the cenobites and the physical logic of having a entire hallway inside of a moving van. They could have had to have gone inside to try to find her and get her out they could have tried to move something between that barrier but instead they basically teleport her just with more steps nothing on the outside impacts her on the inside so what's the point?
the blue light that follows them looks horrible and is clearly only there to cover up the bad practical effects.
the acting is horrible with the main actresses injected lips failing to move correctly when she talks and her hair masking her face during all important acting scenes to hide the fact she can't emote, the writing is horrible the deaths are not fulfilling whatsoever the monster designs are just butchers of the original film that contribute nothing new to these characters except make me thirst for pinhead which like, good job I guess? It never explores the sexualities of these non binary creatures despite giving pinhead a trans actress and a sultry ASMR voice. The torture device looks nothing like the designs established and they could have just had the guy be physically deformed and he wanted the cenobites to return him to the way he used to look out of vanity perhaps even enjoyed the torturing he just didn't want it to be permanent. that would still leave him in a condition where he would be able to build an elaborate trap and get people to do what he wants and run around poking people in a Scooby-Doo maze which comes absolutely out of nowhere and clearly is just designed to move the story forward.
Them crashing the car so they can't get away is a convenience
the box popping open and stabbing people is a convenience when they easily could have just put it in a lock box and been done with the entire thing. Or thrown in the f****** ocean. the box turning into a knife so she could physically overpower a man twice her size is a convenience,
The subtle bites letting her live the rest of her life despite that not being established as an option and taking away the craving for the box which was suggested throughout the entire movie was convenience just to make the movie end without her actually having to do anything except allow her brother to die which had she done in the beginning could have prevented all of these other casualties. It doesn't even make any sense why the cenobites would have wanted her to kill people specifically because she's shitty at killing.
If you do interpret this movie as a story about addiction then what it says is that all of the people that make up your support network should be well prepared to die horrible deaths due to their own incompetence and you will be able to leave scot-free and recover without any trouble as a reward for all of the people that suffered simply for knowing you
the cenobites offer her the ability to choose who she wants to sacrifice so why don't you just go to a prison and poke somebody there why don't you find someone on death row why don't you find someone hooked up to life support why do you have to choose between killing people you already know. There could have been this whole element where the main characters have to choose who dies and who lives based on what they know about each other or with their constantly trying to backstab each other because they know the only way that they'll get out is by being the last one left alive and so they're incentivized to kill each other even if they don't want to but instead that decision is stolen from them by a character who up until that point in the story was certainly dead.
If the goal of the cenobites is to have human sacrifices then why would they have the rewards be so obviously s***** and designed for their own species and not human beings. Wouldnt you want word of mouth to make this a profitable business for you in the original film the entire point is that you want the sadomasochistic torture they're giving you and she accidentally agrees to something she didn't mean to which is the horror of refusal of consent. this movie is just the horror of accidentally doing something stupid. The scene where they're using chains from the original film doesn't obey gravity in any way which is never brought up again. I refuse to believe that anyone would pick up some creepy ass box and just randomly start playing with it unless they knew what it was going to do to them which none of these characters do and even if they did they wouldn't want it. Piece of garbage and I didn't even like the original movie, just wanted something that actually explored the aliens and what they can do.
You talk about how other horror movies don't develop likeable characters but this movie actually rewards you for not liking these characters making it obvious from the beginning that they're all going to die anyway so why I get attached? You might as well have had this take place in a prison like a battle royale where the inmates have to compete to see who can kill each other before someone else gets to them first with the box constantly changing shape and giving abilities like traveling through buildings or telekinesis like what was brought up in the first movie. Maybe I've been using the center bytes as a weapon against the other inmates as they kill off all of the people that have ever taken advantage of someone or refuse to consent with the only survivor at the end of the film being someone who is wrongly convicted because the cenobites saw his innocence or from the perspective of a hitman who had an incentive to go out and kill these people who the aliens would want to choose to represent them and commit these crimes as their champion and who the aliens would want to give rewards to do encourage the killings to continue.
The night house had a perfect encapsulation of a character who was addicted or fought with their
impulses a character who was conflicted with what they wanted to do and another character who struggled with grief and this movie has none of that it's like the writers were making fun of the genre and you liked it anyway
I'm actually remembering how mad I am about this movie seeing how much I love the director and now I'm losing sleep over it because of this review
I just really liked prey and I'm mad you liked this better when prey had a genuinely
likable protagonist and now I feel like a ranting crazy person which I am so eh
I'd really like to watch the sards to a review of all 9 hell raiser films tho.
Loved babarian. First and 2nd act are my favs. Justin long measuring the basement is the funniest thing ive seen all year
Wooo! That sequence, when she drifts away into the hellraiser world give the goosebumps
That throat shot with sound design was amazing. I also loved that they did it twice, not once or three times, but twice, perfect amount so you can appreciate it
I cant really recommend any of the original hellraiser movies atleast not after the fourth one, they’re pretty much all awful after that.
Most of them were supossed to be completely different movies but then a producer said “this movie probably wont make any money so lets just throw the hellraiser name on it and add some cenobites for a couple minutes”
i think alot of people are frustrated that the strong themes from the first two movies isn't carried into this movie.
one aspect of the lamentation configuration is that, originally, merely opening the box didn't do anything, you had to have some awareness that it was a magical device that would grant you great power or pleasure, you had to actually desire some kind of magical reward from solving the puzzle. the theme of the story is how unchecked rampant hedonism can turn on us. the cenobites are "explorers in the further reaches of experience" and they have explored pleasure and pain so much that to them there is no discernable difference. this is why when someone wishes for pleasure or knowledge they receive some kind of intense torture because the cenobites are not consciously aware of a difference any more, its a kind of dramatic irony that characters are punished for not having the good philosophical sense to want more out of life then mere pleasure or power or even "knowledge" if that knowledge has no moral or purpose frame of reference.
so in the new movie, you have people who are opening the puzzle box without actually consciously knowing what it is and without wanting to receive power, and they get attacked by the cenobites.
and for some reason you can get out of being attacked by the cenobites if you sacrifice someone else using the lamentation configuration, so one of the characters sacrifices one of the cenobites? but the cenobites have already been sacrificed? that's why they are cenobites? how can they be sacrificed again?
it kind of abandons its moral from the original films and its very frustrating for the people that appreciated the original series. the fact that the cenobites are not just out right villains but are more complex makes them interesting, other wise they are just monsters which is boring.
Yes totally agree on the new Hellraiser. Loved the lore and the realistic characters. And the way they expanded on the box was amazing. Plus having it all loop back around was so satisfying. Seeing a glimpse of some of the rewards was very cool and gave the whole thing more purpose. Loved seeing a cinobite actually be created. Perfect way to end the movie and once again have some great lore
I absolutely loved the new Hellraiser. I’m really bummed more people aren’t as appreciative of it
Lots of Hellraiser nerds offering some great info in the comments, but I thought I'd add one small detail. One of the sources of conflict in the original novel is that there is a huge difference between how humans define pleasure and how the Cenobites define it. When he first opened the box, Frank was expecting to fall into a never-ending orgy, but the Cenobites had much different ideas about his itinerary. Basically, it's unlikely anyone opening the box really understands what they're getting into.
The fact Hellraiser 2022 isnt available in Canada to rent/stream/buy digitally and I have to either pirate it or use a VPN is bullsh!t. Wish they put it on Disney+ like Prey.
How are the characters different in the new Hellraiser? Aren't they your usual paper thin dummies? Like what character traits does the asian girl have (besides being a girl and an asian)? How does actions of protagonist's boyfriend make any sense? Why didn't he ask a few bums to solve the puzzle? Why cenobites bargained about stubbed people, but instakilled one of their own? And so on, and so on. People hate this movie because its internal logic is nonexistent. Adam rating it 8/10 is the scariest part of the movie by far
Yessssss thank you just because the movie tells you the main character has a drug problem is not good characterization half of this movie is literally just them run after them in this museum like a scooby doo episode
You empathized with the characters from Hellraiser 2022? How? They were all insufferably moronic and terrible to each other.
8:10 To be fair, that's a good 75% of gay people/couples in media. Most directors feel it's better to err on the side of caution and depict them as omnipotent (see also: depicting women as Mary Sues, Black People as Magical Not-Gonna-Say-The-Word, disabled people as inspirationally disadvantaged, etc.). The best/most realistic gay couple I can think of is Ian/Mickey from Shameless.
I love Ian and Mickey so much from Shameless. They are probably the best depiction of a gay couple I’ve seem in mainstream media (obviously I’ve seen more great depictions from queer authors but nothing really as mainstream as Shameless lol)
I felt pleasantly surprised when I saw Hellraiser 1. I always thought it was some third rate Jason or Freddy type movie, since it's a horror movie with a mascot and it doesn't get much press. But when they started setting up the brother and the cheating wife, I was like, "Oh, this is like a real movie". And yeah, I figure the real villain is the brother and "Pinhead" is just doing his job. I saw that as a positive, since I thought the whole thing didn't fit neatly into some mold.
But also, I thought that new one was great. I'm bummed out that it seems like it didn't do well, but at least it stands on its own really well.
I need to critique Adam here. I watched the new Hellraiser a few weeks ago, and just as I suspected when finishing it, I barely remember it. I haven't seen the old Hellraiser in a few years, but there is a lot of imagery and themes that stand out in my mind immediately when I think of the name.
Adam keeps bringing up characters and how empathetic and emotional they were. He argues that the reason people didn't like the movie is because modern audiences don't want to feel bad when characters die. I think this is a bit projecting because I didn't care much about anyone in the new hellraiser. Looking back, The names of characters have completely left me. I think Adam is assuming everyone didn't like feeling bad for characters, when in reality most people just didn't connect with them at all. Oh no, Girl #2 is having a needle pushed into her throught? Its neat imagery but why should I care about her. Unless I am an isolated expieriecne, I don't think these characters are emotionally resonating with most people. Don't get me wrong, there is a fair share of dumb audience members who like Smile, but I saw the trailer for Smile and thought it looked like shit. The audience who is unsatisfied with Hellraiser 2022 is not the Audience that loves Smile, it's the audience that has fond memories of the original, and only found bland characters and forgettable tropes in the new one.
What? The main character from Hallraiser (2022) should have died right away! She made all the wrong decisions and I wanted her gone immediately. It was a cool movie, though. I didn't think the character development was anything specific but the horror scenes were really cool.
As a HUGE fan of the Hellraiser book "The Hellbound Heart", the original Hellraiser is kind of a slightly 80s-ified version of the Hellbound Heart, but it is still very close to the book (except those shitty final 10 minutes, fuck that shit). HOWEVER, a few of the things that were changed in the OG Hellraiser are in the new film, the biggest example being the casting of Pinhead themselves. Really great stuff. Love that the film went entirely it's own way. I got to dive even further into the universe of Hellraiser while still getting some payoffs as a fan of the book.
Also, fuck this god damn gaslighting ass movie community for hating on Garland's Men & ignoring this wonderful Hellraiser movie *while simultaneously claiming Smile is some modern horror classic*. Fuck off.
I agree with your points on empathetic characters in horror movies. This is why Nightmare on Elm Street 3 and the It movies are some of my favorites, they may not be the scariest but the characters really make the movie an enjoyable experience all-round. Not to mention, more memorable.
I’m glad Adum liked the characters from the new Hellraiser, but I just found them incredibly annoying
That bit where you describe the film leaving you wanting more is something I'm amazed you aren't more familiar with. It's the best possible emotion to feel at the end, wanting to see and learn more about these characters, it means the film gave you just enough to keep you hooked, and left questions to answer that you genuinely want the answers for.
This alone means I'm gonna have to watch them both, though unlike you I've never seen the original.
the one time adam doesn't find the main character annoying / insufferable is where I do for once
I like you YMS, and I’ve seen “i’m thinking of ending things” about 26 times (no joke), but I felt like the new Hellraiser movie was the YA novelization of the content. The adult themes where practically absent, with most of the characters dying by accident
This might be the most excited I’ve heard Adum talk about a movie in a while
Big disagree on Hellraiser.... came into it hyped from Adam's description but its a movie about a girl randomly getting people stabbed by a box and then crying about it and acting irrational... agree to disagree.
Omg, kinda i agree with your thoughts on Barbarian. A little The second act was cool,but i just tuned out when it turned into a creature feature.
"cares about the consequences of the characters"
I wish I could agree but the main character seemed to step on dog turd after dog turd and everyone else paid for it. But that's just me I guess.
Your review for the new Hellraiser really intrigued me. I wasn't really planning on watching it since, like for you, the original didn't really do it for me, but I am heavily considering it now. Thanks Adum!
Man I hate these posters that say "from the producer of x or one of the producers of y, etc..." it means absolutely nothing
im so glad you mentioned on twitter about the new hellraiser coming out and how good it was because holy shit, it might genuinely be my favourite movie this year. It's even up there as one of my favourite horror movies ever.
I do really hope they get to do a sequel, they clearly did atleast a bit of setup for potentially doing one and it would be great to see where else they can go with this new interpretation on the story.
something i dont think you really touched on to was just how good the practical effects were in the movie. the cenobites looked AMAZING, and it was hard to tell what was and wasnt CG.
I really hope we get a behind the scenes look at the cenobites because i think there were more cenobites made for the movie that didnt end up showing up, as there was a glimpse at one that looked pregnant and that makes me think there might be even more cool designs not shown.
anyway, loved the movie, tysm for reminding me to watch this
I had no idea zack Creggar made this movie, I have to check it out now. But, man, we lost Trevor way too early.
As someone who recently read all the graphic novels by Clive, but hasn't seen the movies in a few years; the Cenobites aren't really supposed to follow moral guidelines. The ambiguity plays a big role in the story, and they definitely make a big effort to characterize "Pinhead" (who isn't even a specific person, it's more like a title) and the person still hiding behind the cenobite. I think Clive wanted people to remember that they're complicated; that real evil doesn't exist; real heroes by definition are flawed and doomed to self destruction. Everyone chose to get involved with Cenobites, in some weird cosmic way, even those who didn't seek it ended up being dragged in to become a core part of the story. "You opened the box, we came" will always be a phenomenal tagline, and I think encompasses the point of Hellraiser perfectly. As long as the movies don't start grandstanding about morals, they've probably succeeded. From what I remember about the original movies, they were fairly faithful to the idea.
Absolutely loved the Hellraiser reboot and I am glad Adam did too! I wish more people were willing to give it a chance instead of holding so closely to their nostalgia for the originals + Doug Bradley as Pinhead, I felt the new story (though not really attached to the originals) was well done and the new casting worked really well for Pinhead and the other cenobites.
Barbarian's first third was amazing. Then it was bleh
8:20 WOW Adam, I was planning on coming out to my parents in a few months once I felt more comfortable, but I guess they had to find out like this during our weekly family YMS watch party. I need to start vetting these first…
A rare swing and a miss for YMS…the main character of the new Hellraiser is so unbelievably unsympathetic everything is her fault. All deaths could be avoided his she wasn’t such a shit heel
She is responsible for two deaths. One was her brother (an accident and her main motivation to fix) and the other is Voight’s attorney who was complicit in sending 5 innocent people to eternal torture. Everyone else in the film is either killed by Voight or deserved it.
She is a suffering addict whose mistakes cost her the most important person in her life and she spends the whole film trying to undo it. And she even reaches a point where the other lives it’s costing is no longer worth it and tries to get rid of the box only for the Cenobites to force her to keep going. And even then she refuses to give up her friends even if it means she suffers for it instead.
How anyone with basic film comprehension can seriously get mad at her for the events over her dickhead boyfriend who literally set her up in the first place is honestly maddening. It’s either that or an absence of basic empathy.
@@drew1080 just because the first 10 minutes of the movie tells you she has a drug problem isn’t enough for most people to sympathize with your character it’s literally the most over done thing in bad horror movies now where they set up the main character to being going through some kind of problem or trauma for forced characterization that is literally just told to the audience very unoriginal
@@ttam2476 It's not just the "first 10 minutes", it's the whole movie. Also, "setting up the main character to be going through some kind of problem or trauma" is literally just describing the majority of stories. Lmao
@@drew1080 the story literally just uses her drug addiction in the first ten minutes to move the plot along and then it has nothing to do with anything lmao it’s just bad characters that no one cares about lol it’s the biggest trop in these bad horror movies so it can appear deeper then it really lol this movie has nothing to say about drug addiction
@@ttam2476 "This movie has nothing to say about drug addiction". Might I suggest rewatching the movie, but giving it an actual fair shot this time.
Riley literally loses her brother and gets the box because of her toxic behavior. Her constant need to fix what's already been lost throughout the movie is something a lot of people with addiction who have hurt others and themselves go through. The Cenobites promise delights and rewards beyond one's wildest imaginations except all they have to give is some twisted form of pain.
Very comparable to the promise of pleasure that drugs offer that only ends in pain and loss. In the end, Riley chooses to move on, no longer living in delusion or regret, and no longer chasing false pleasures like the Cenobite's rewards; basically overcoming her toxic behavior.
So I'm gonna have to give a hard disagree that this movie just uses her drug addiction as a setup and nothing more.
As a fan of the original series, I adore the reimagining. Yeah, they changed a fair bit, but it made it have its own identity, which I can’t say about most of the sequels to the original. I’m so jazzed that one of my favorite critics enjoyed the film as much as I did.
The Cenobites are supposed to be demon-esque beings from another dimension (sometimes referred to as “Hell,”) whose whole shtick is to blur the lines between extreme, eternal pain and extreme, eternal pleasure, but with consent. Kind of. Solving the box acts as an invitation and an agreement that you’re going to endure this suffering for eternity, even if the person who solves it doesn’t know it. These already vague rules get even vaguer as the series goes on.
Sequels you should watch:
Hellbound: Hellraiser 2 - it’s in many ways a perfect companion to the original and picks up right after. Some love this one even more. Spoiler alert: they go to the Cenobite’s dimension. It’s awesome.
Hellraiser 3: Hell on Earth - Not nearly as good as the first two, but it’s pretty entertaining in a popcorn kind of way. I wouldn’t say it’s super high-quality, though.
Hellraiser 4: Bloodline - It’s a straight up mess but a truly fascinating concept and watch. The behind-the-scenes story is even more fascinating. Plus Pinhead in Space! Ha. If you’re looking for more lore, though, this one spans centuries to tell us about how/why the box was made.
That’s it. And really those are the only bearable sequels that actually add anything proper to the lore and mythos. Even then, you could easily skip the latter two recommendations and just watch “Hellbound.” It’s pretty darn good. Also check out the source material, “The Hellbound Heart,” by Clive. The first movie is a pretty close adaptation, but he makes some interesting changes and the literature - as you would expect - delves far more into the lore. ‘Hope this helps!
I find it pretty cool that Adam knows every gay, I always thought that was a thing and having it confirmed was really cool for me.
One thing I love about the new Hellraiser is that the moment I and my friends finished watching it we just wanted to talk about everything! It had so much to over think about afterwards, you want to see more from the cenobites, the imagery of the film is insane! I've not seen much of the negative feedback (guess when it's online you tend to only see what the algorithm thinks you want to see), but the positive comments have been blossoming! If it doesn't get a sequel I'd be very surprised.
Actually stopped at your Hellraiser spoiler section to go check it out, and I’m glad I did.
What a rad horror movie, I haven’t felt actual awe and dread from a movie in a fat minute.
Honestly you only really need to see Hellraiser 1+2 since Hellraiser 2022 builds off of elements from those films and the text in some really interesting ways. And I say that as someone who has some fondness for the schlock and imagery of 3-5, like the scene in 3 when Pinhead walks into the church is so over the top it's both hilarious and appeals to the metal album cover in my soul.
Anyway I also really enjoyed Hellraiser 2022 though they could have done a better job of lighting some sequences and I hope it gets its own sequel exploring some new characters via the consequences from one of the other "rewards".
I'm SO happy you enjoyed Hellraiser (2022) as much as I did... I really connected with it too despite having many of the same issues you did... Incredibly creative and wonderfully made film. Grateful that this film exists.
I find it funny that Adam as a furry, a community many people find weird and alien, doesn't get the cenobites otherwordly pain kink.