Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988)
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Villian(s)
Cenobites
Actor(s):
Clare Higgins, Ashley Laurence, Kenneth Cranham, Imogen Boorman
Brief Description
Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988) is a supernatural horror fantasy film directed by Tony Randel, written by Peter Atkins, and based on a story by franchise creator Clive Barker. Serving as a direct continuation of the 1987 horror classic Hellraiser, the sequel significantly expands the franchise's dark mythology by taking audiences directly inside the labyrinthine dimension of the Cenobites.
Plot:
Picking up shortly after the harrowing events of the first film, Kirsty Cotton (Ashley Laurence) is confined to the Channard Institute, a psychiatric hospital, deeply traumatized and plagued by visions of her father suffering in Hell. While the police discount her stories of demonic puzzle boxes, the facility's head doctor, Dr. Phillip Channard (Kenneth Cranham), is secretly an occultist obsessed with the gateway to Hell. Using the blood of a psychiatric patient, Channard orchestrates the skinless resurrection of Kirsty's wicked stepmother, Julia Cotton (Clare Higgins).
To explore the underworld further, Channard utilizes Tiffany (Imogen Boorman)—a mute patient with a genius-level aptitude for solving puzzles—to open the Lament Configuration box. As Channard and Julia cross over to seek demonic power, Kirsty and Tiffany are drawn into Hell's massive Labyrinth, forcing Kirsty to confront both the iconic leader of the Cenobites, Pinhead (Doug Bradley), and the malevolent entity Leviathan in an attempt to save her father's soul. While the original film was a claustrophobic, personal story of seduction and damnation, Hellbound scales up the narrative into an epic dark fantasy.