Hellraiser: Judgment (2018)-Fitz of Horror Review

Written by Bryan Fitzgerald (Fitz of Horror) February 18, 2018

I’m not going to get too in depth on this review so I will just say up front that it (in my opinion) wasn’t as bad as I had heard before going in but it also wasn’t as good as I hoped it would be.

Synopsis-Detectives Sean and David Carter are on the case to find a gruesome serial killer terrorizing the city. Joining forces with Detective Christine Egerton, they dig deeper into a spiraling maze of horror that may not be of this world. 

The movie seems to be somewhat self aware with the opening scene explaining why the Lament Configuration box may not be as effective on today’s society with it’s ever present technology. This is where we are introduced to the newest Pinhead and cenobite “The Auditor” (played by director Gary J. Tunnicliffe).

The movie plays out a bit like Se7en or a new SAW installment, whereas Pinhead and the Cenobites lure bad people to the an old abandoned house which is apparently also a portal to hell. Within this house lies Pinhead, The Auditor, The Assessor, The Butcher, The Surgeon, 3 strangely hot Jury members, The Cleaners and Jophiel (Who seems to hold a higher place in Hell than Pinhead).

I feel like director Gary J. Tunnicliffe really tried to capture the feel of the original 3 Hellraiser installments and bring back the pure evil and atmosphere that those movies were so beloved for but also add his own “modern” touch to the franchise. In doing so I feel like he may have “humanized” Pinhead and the Cenobites too much. It seemed as though The Auditor had what could be called sympathy at moments and I was finding myself wondering why Jophiel (the glowing lady) had so much power over all of them. There were definitely moments that made me feel like this was a worthy sequel to the original 3 (one moment in particular).

The twist of the film didn’t have enough build up to really have the impact that it intended but set up for an interesting “Good vs Evil vs Evil” remainder of the film. The brutal nature of the killings was decidedly on point and graphic and Paul Taylor‘s portrayal of Pinhead I though was actually very well done. Obviously we all want Doug Bradley back in the roll, which isn’t going to happen, but if/when they release another Hellraiser movie Paul Taylor needs to reprise his role.

I pride myself in giving spoiler free movie reviews so I will tiptoe around the somewhat confusing ending by saying that I was perplexed by the one that Pinhead did what he did to and also the fact that that person had so much power. We are definitely set up for another Hellraiser and I am very excited to see the direction it takes after the events of “Judgment”.

People, be your own judge of movies. Don’t listen to all of the haters and negativity because that’s all some people give. Think of it like this, the more bad you hear about a movie the lower your expectations will be going in. This usually leads to a better overall viewing experience. Embrace the haters;)

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