The Beauty

Bloodline’s workprint isn’t the mythical first cut of Kevin Yagher unfortunately and doesn’t really do that much different from the theatrical cut (running the same duration almost) but it’s a really nice get for the set. And whilst not listened to in their entirety, the new commentaries with Newman and Jones appear to be a really fun listen that lets them both bring a wealth of horror history and experience to the fore, again giving a great new perspective on the films and their supplements. The Beauty of Suffering - brand new featurette exploring the Cenobites' connection to goth, fetish cultures and Bdsm Experience the sublime agony of this quartet of torment like you never have before in all new 4K restorations from the original camera negatives. Hell has never looked better! FOUR DISC ULTRA HD LIMITED EDITION CONTAINS Being Frank: Sean Chapman on Hellbound - archival interview about the actor’s return to the role of Frank CottonUnboxing Hellraiser – brand new visual essay celebrating the Lament Configuration by genre author Alexandra Benedict (The Beauty of Murder) Hellraiser is a series that took risks when it first came out, that challenged the sensibilities of the time, and was something of a subversion of the horror genre that people were used to. It ushered in a new kind of horror, and created an icon of the genre that has become instantly recognisable. Whilst the subsequent films in the series vary greatly in quality, with some decent psychological horrors to be found in the later movies alongside some absolute trash, the first four movies are a pretty good representation of the franchise as a whole, and show off some of the different directions it would take. This new set might be pricy, but it offers up some great movies, and if you love going behind the scenes and learning more the extra features are a goldmine.

That Rat-Slice Sound - brand new appreciation of composer Christopher Young’s scores for Hellraiser and Hellbound: Hellraiser Ii by Guy Adams Hellraiser 3: Hell on Earth then followed, something of a soft reboot for the franchise as it followed investigative reporter, Joey Summerskill ( Terry Farrell) as she looks into a murder which occurred when chains with hooks on them reportedly sprang out of nowhere and took its victim. Arguably Pinhead’s finest hour as it not only digs into his origins, but also gives Doug Bradley a chance to truly flex his muscles as Pinhead’s powers come into full effect. Not without some questionable early Nineties weapons of choice though (death by CD anyone?). Brand new audio commentaries for all four films by film critic Kim Newman and Hellraiser unit publicist Stephen Jones, also joined by screenwriter Peter Atkins on Hellraiser: Bloodline Hellbound: Hellraiser Ii expands on Barker’s original vision as screenwriter Peter Atkins takes Julia Cotton, her step daughter Kirsty (Ashley Laurence) and the sinister Dr. Channard (Kenneth Cranham) into the dominion of the Cenobites themselves. Hellraiser Iii: Hell on Earth sees Pinhead set loose on the sinful streets of New York City to create chaos with a fresh cadre of Cenobitic kin. Then, Hellraiser: Bloodline sinks its hooks into past, present and future with the story of Phillip LeMarchand, the 18th-century toymaker who made the lament configuration puzzle box, his descendent John Merchant - a 20th-century architect whose most recent building bears a striking resemblance to the lament configuration - and Dr. Paul Merchant, a 22nd-century engineer and designer of The Minos, a space station which is a great deal more than it seems. Power of Imagination - discussion about Hellraiser and the work of Clive Barker by film scholars Sorcha Ní Fhlainn (editor of Clive Barker: Dark Imaginer) and Karmel Kniprath – NEW (58 mins)Horror, Thriller | UK/USA 1987, 1988, 1992, 1996 | 18 | 23rd October 2023 (UK) | 4K UHD | Arrow Video The Pursuit of Possibilities – brand new 60-minute discussion between acclaimed horror authors Paula D. Ashe (We Are Here To Hurt Each Other) and Eric LaRocca (Everything the Dark Eats) celebrating the queerness of Hellraiser and the importance of Clive Barker as a queer writer A histrionic, hyperbolic quote it may be…but when it comes from the lips of one Stephen King (himself referencing it from a quote about, ironically, The Boss…Bruce Springsteen), it really shouldn’t be so easily dismissed as mere marketing fluff. And into this morass of stagnating blood and guts came Barker’s bizarre creation, itself a Frankenstein of unlimited imagination and horribly suffocating production restrictions, a film that at once showcased a first-time film maker and an author (the film is based on one of his novellas, The Hellbound Heart) whose worlds far exceeded anything in horror or dark fantasy before and arguably since. Far more than the sum of its parts, it opened up a landscape of twisted sexual fantasy intertwined with equally perverse physical torture; it parlayed a prosthetic-driven creature feature into the midst of a very suburban melodrama; and it delivered a sense of the dreamily uncanny, of the off-kilter shot through impossible environments (is it set in the UK? The US? Even our world? Who knows?) and nightmare logic with no discernible rhyme nor reason… Hellraiser: Quartet of Torment is on 4K Ultra HD™ blu-ray from Arrow Video in both 'Limited Edition' (pictured above) and 'Arrow Exclusive Limited Edition' and will be available from the 23 rd October, and will also be available in 4K on ARROW-Player.com.

An almost naked man, Frank sits cross legged holding a puzzle box. It is a dark room and he sits in a square of candles. And Arrow have delivered top notch restorations and a wealth of new and interesting supplementals to help ease the pain for those double and even triple dipping on these films. It’s a handsome set both on-disc and off and should make fans very happy indeed. Loaded with special features, Hellraiser Quartet of Torment is released on 4K blu-ray on 23rd October and will surely thrill genre horror completionists.Hell Was What They Wanted! - appreciation of Hellbound, the Hellraiser mythos and the work of Clive Barker by horror authors George Daniel Lea (Born in Blood) and Kit Power (The Finite) – NEW (85 mins) And so the sequel, Hellbound: Hellraiser II, was rushed into production during the finalisation of the first film and released barely twelve months after. Problems plagued the hastily assembled production, from actors refusing to return forcing script rewrites, to financial problems with production company New World Pictures, the final film is a scruffy, messy expansion of the first that still manages to offer up some stunning designs and scenes and a delicious peak into the mythos of the Cenobites and of Hell itself. Anyway, here's the point: Arrow Video has a brand-new Hellraiser collector's set headed our way, one which includes each of the franchise's first four films in a 4K UHD set. Included amongst that lineup is Hellraiser: Bloodline ... and the never-before-seen "Workprint Version" of Yagher's film, which we assume will restore some of the footage Dimension unceremoniously removed from it. If you're the same kinda Hellraiser fan I am, this is very exciting news, indeed. Archival features, including Hellraiser Evolutions documentary, Books of Blood and Beyond literary appreciation, theatrical trailer and image gallery

Books of Blood and Beyond: The Literary Works of Clive Barker - archival appreciation by horror author David Gatwalk of Barker’s written work, from The Books of Blood to The Scarlet Gospels Hell Was What They Wanted!, a brand new 80-minute appreciation of Hellbound, the Hellraiser mythos and the work of Clive Barker by horror authors George Daniel Lea (Born in Blood) and Kit Power (The Finite) Unboxing Hellraiser - visual essay celebrating the Lament Configuration by genre author Alexandra Benedict (The Beauty of Murder) – NEW (21 mins) Being Frank: Sean Chapman on Hellbound - archival interview about the actor's return to the role of Frank Cotton

‘Hocus Pocus’ Cast Returns to Salem for a Special 30th Anniversary Celebration [Event Report]

Under the Skin: Doug Bradley on Hellbound - archival interview with the iconic actor about his second appearance as ‘Pinhead’ Hellbound: Hellraiser Ii expands on Barker's original vision as screenwriter Peter Atkins takes Julia Cotton, her step daughter Kirsty (Ashley Laurence) and the sinister Dr. Channard (Kenneth Cranham) into the dominion of the Cenobites themselves. Hellraiser Iii: Hell on Earth sees Pinhead set loose on the sinful streets of New York City to create chaos with a fresh cadre of Cenobitic kin. Then, Hellraiser: Bloodline sinks its hooks into past, present and future with the story of Phillip LeMarchand, the 18th-century toymaker who made the lament configuration puzzle box, his descendent John Merchant - a 20th-century architect whose most recent building bears a striking resemblance to the lament configuration - and Dr. Paul Merchant, a 22nd-century engineer and designer of The Minos, a space station which is a great deal more than it seems. But the return of Barker to being a much more active participant in the fourth film, Hellraiser: Bloodline, promised much…an anthology structure across multiple timelines to explore the origins of the box (now wonderfully known as The Lament Configuration). Yet its strangled production and sadly typical studio interference gutted a lot of what could have been, leaving an interesting but hugely flawed curio that remains to this day the last Hellraiser film to see the inside of a cinema… Hell Was What They Wanted! - brand new 80-minute appreciation of Hellbound, the Hellraiser mythos and the work of Clive Barker by horror authors George Daniel Lea (Born in Blood) and Kit Power (The Finite)