Quick Look: Hellraiser: Revelations (2011)

This is the ninth film using the Hellraiser name (Hellraiser is not a series, hence why I did note it as such).  I suppose I would call it a "re-imagining" of the original theme, and use of some of the original Hellraiser elements, but I would not call it a 'reboot', and definitely not a remake.  The film was allegedly thrown together in a matter of weeks, so Dimension would not lose the Hellraiser rights.  The film's budget was meager and there are no stars of note, although Steven Brand may be recognizable from some TV roles, and The Scorpion King.  'R' rating is for violence, language, nudity and sexual situations.  This movie would probably be best seen and thought of as a stand-alone.
I had no real expectations about this movie, and I did not even watch a trailer for it prior to viewing.  Hellraiser: Revelations had some entertaining moments, and some low-budget horror moments, but overall I would have to say I was pleasantly surprised, which I will now explain.
**spoiler alert**
The Plot: The film is presented as a some flashbacks and point of view video involving two friends named Nico Bradley and Steven Craven, interlaced within a "present" timeline that has Steven and Nico's parents having a dinner party.  Steven's sister Emma is also in the house with the parents.
Nico and Steven head to Mexico from southern California on a hedonistic binge of booze and having sex with prostitutes.  Nico ends up killing a girl and blackmails Steven into keeping it a secret.  A homeless looking man soons shows up in a bar and gives Nico a gold and black puzzle box about the size of a Rubik's cube.  Nico solves the puzzle and opens a gate into a dimension where cenobites, lead by Pinhead, torture pleasure seeking masochists to death.
Flash forward one year.  Steven and Nico are still missing, but the authorities returned a bag with Steven's belongings including the puzzle box and a video camera.  Steven's mom seems to suffering from PTSD, while Emma wants both of the families to talk about the missing boys.  Steven seems to "appear" out of nowhere, and the rest of the movie is spent detailing the horrors in Mexico and witnessing the new horrors Steven has brought to his parents house.  Emma is only one alive by the time the credits roll.

The Bad: Doug Bradley turned down the role of Pinhead.  This would be the first time a new person would assume the iconic horror figure's mantle after the eight prior films.  This fact, in and of itself, was enough to turn many fans against the film.  Clive Barker, after receiving creative credit, denounced it stating Hellraiser: Revelations "..is NO FUCKING CHILD OF MINE!.."; again likely further inflaming long-time Hellraiser fans against this movie.
The acting (and possibly the direction), especially from the actors playing the 4 parents, was very shaky.  Their emotions and fear did not seem to come out at the right moments and came off very much like a low budget horror film. 

The Good: The film is only 75 minutes long, so there is truly no fluff.  (Is it sad that I noted the length of the film being the first positive?)  Despite a small budget, I think that movie did a pretty good job of capturing some good gore/splatter moments, both in number/body count and realistic visuals.  The original Hellraiser mythology was not copied, nor was it bastardized - there was a nice balance of homage to the original Pinhead, but still still clearly different.
The character of Emma, Steven's sister, was the most interesting in the movie.  She touched the puzzle box several times, and we are lead to believe it either transmitted or awakened some "darkness" within her.  I do not find it coincidental that she was dressed to almost look like a cenobite.

Final Thought: I think Barker's condemnation of the film, as well as the lack of Doug Bradley automatically soured many Hellraiser (and horror) fans, who never gave it a chance.  But I could respectfully argue that this film, as far as story and visuals, might be better than many of the prior Hellraiser installments.  I enjoyed it.  It is not my favorite Hellraiser, but it is certainly not the worst of the nine.  And let's be honest, this is not James Bond; when you are at the ninth film of a horror franchise you are usually not talking about award winning blockbusters.