Hellbound: Hellraiser 2 - 1 star out of 10

Hellbound: Hellraiser 2 - 1 star out of 10

I swore that I would never watch another one of these films but curiosity got the best of me.  Big mistake.  Even though I hated the first film in the franchise, "Hellbound: Hellraiser 2" cheapens the sadistic nature of its predecessor.  The disturbing malicious tone of the first film is lost because of a poor script, an incoherent plot, and the weirdest make-out scene ever - who makes out with a skinless human?!?!?!?  The creators of this film seemed to be looking for a medium to present more hellish creatures but these creatures aren't scary without an effective story to tie them together.  After the first film, I was scared of puzzle boxes and had difficulty sleeping but this film didn't even make me flinch.  The first third of the movie basically just retells the first film through flashbacks, serving as a “greatest hits” compilation of the bloodiest scenes.  Later in the film, none of the scenes related to the sequel's story can even begin to compare to the recently recapped scenes and the only sadistic torture is the fact that you have to watch this terrible film.  There was some decent potential as we are given the opportunity to see the sadomasochism that actually takes place in the Cenobite realm... but the torture is uncreative and boring (for which I was thankful, but is a discredit to the franchise after the first film set the highest expectation for the horrific torture in this realm).  There is way too much skin peeling, but it actually made for a decent surprise.  In spite of the good twist, the special effects are awful and made me wonder when the silhouettes of the Mystery Science Theater 3000 guys were going to appear on the screen.  On a positive note, Imogen Boorman is adorable, though I wish my first impression of her didn't have to be this film.  I decided to watch "Hellbound: Hellraiser 2" because that sick sense of curiosity made me wonder how anything could be more horrific that some of the imagery from the first film, but in the end it is the same sequence over and over again, only less effective.