HELLRAISER: EVOLUTIONS is a cheap 50-minute documentary retrospective looking at the massively popular HELLRAISER series. Various cast and crew members from the original films are interviewed and offer some brief insights into the franchise and what made it work; Doug Bradley is a welcome presence although Clive Barker is notable by his absence. One of the main problems with this is that it was made as a special feature for a DVD release, and only footage from the first three films has been licensed, so the latter films are discussed but remain unseen.
3 Reviews
Interesting Insights into this Unlikely Franchise
Reviews_of_the_Dead29 June 2023
This was a documentary that I decided to watch late in my workday. It sounded interesting since this is a franchise that I've seen every canon movie that's come out. Learning a bit more about the series since it takes an odd turn as it goes one intrigued me as well.
Now if you don't know, Hellraiser is based off the Clive Barker short, The Hellbound Heart. Barker directed the first movie and then from there they started to build on the mythology. This documentary starts with the origins and then later in the series, there started to be movies that were shoehorned in so Dimension studios didn't lose the rights. I will say, despite the lesser efforts, I still enjoy the franchise. It's been a while since I've run through them and never with a critical eye. It is on my docket though.
What works here is interviewing important people for these movies. They have Doug Bradley who plays the iconic role of Pinhead. What is interesting there is that he wasn't even supposed to be the main drawer, but marketing saw an opportunity. This also Rick Bota and Scott Derrickson who have directed. Stuart Gordon is a voice that I enjoy so hearing him was good. There are also others in front and behind the camera to give their insight as well.
I'd also say that Arrow did a great job here. This was informative just going through how this caught lighting in a bottle. How it shouldn't have worked as well as it did. The legacy and why it continues on like it does. This is well-made as well. It is put together in chapters that make sense. I rather enjoyed my time here as a fan of the franchise. I'd recommend if you are one as well to just potentially learn more about why this worked as it did.
My Rating: 7 out of 10.
Now if you don't know, Hellraiser is based off the Clive Barker short, The Hellbound Heart. Barker directed the first movie and then from there they started to build on the mythology. This documentary starts with the origins and then later in the series, there started to be movies that were shoehorned in so Dimension studios didn't lose the rights. I will say, despite the lesser efforts, I still enjoy the franchise. It's been a while since I've run through them and never with a critical eye. It is on my docket though.
What works here is interviewing important people for these movies. They have Doug Bradley who plays the iconic role of Pinhead. What is interesting there is that he wasn't even supposed to be the main drawer, but marketing saw an opportunity. This also Rick Bota and Scott Derrickson who have directed. Stuart Gordon is a voice that I enjoy so hearing him was good. There are also others in front and behind the camera to give their insight as well.
I'd also say that Arrow did a great job here. This was informative just going through how this caught lighting in a bottle. How it shouldn't have worked as well as it did. The legacy and why it continues on like it does. This is well-made as well. It is put together in chapters that make sense. I rather enjoyed my time here as a fan of the franchise. I'd recommend if you are one as well to just potentially learn more about why this worked as it did.
My Rating: 7 out of 10.
The Closing of the Series
Michael_Elliott5 April 2017
Hellraiser: Evolutions (2015)
*** (out of 4)
This documentary is the closing to Arrow Video's massive HELLRAISER boxset, which included countless documentaries and featurettes. This documentary clocks in at 48-minutes and features a great number of people including Tony Randel, Christopher Young, Stuart Gordon, Tim Day, Doug Bradley, Peter Atkins and many more. Basically this closing chapter talks about the lasting legacy of the series and why it has became so popular with so many movies. As with the other documentaries in the set, this one here is a rather mixed bag. If you're a die-hard fan who wants to know everything then there's a lot of information and discussions here that you're going to enjoy. The problem I had is that there's really no clear direction and there's no real story being told here. Quite a few times subjects are just there and then go into another direction without a real connection. Again, if you're a fan, it's certainly entertaining but I wouldn't say it was the greatest thing ever made.
*** (out of 4)
This documentary is the closing to Arrow Video's massive HELLRAISER boxset, which included countless documentaries and featurettes. This documentary clocks in at 48-minutes and features a great number of people including Tony Randel, Christopher Young, Stuart Gordon, Tim Day, Doug Bradley, Peter Atkins and many more. Basically this closing chapter talks about the lasting legacy of the series and why it has became so popular with so many movies. As with the other documentaries in the set, this one here is a rather mixed bag. If you're a die-hard fan who wants to know everything then there's a lot of information and discussions here that you're going to enjoy. The problem I had is that there's really no clear direction and there's no real story being told here. Quite a few times subjects are just there and then go into another direction without a real connection. Again, if you're a fan, it's certainly entertaining but I wouldn't say it was the greatest thing ever made.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
