Hellraiser Judgment

Is it possible to breathe new life into a horror movie franchise that's 30 years old? With a wildly unbelievable tenth installment in the Pinhead villain series, "Hellraiser: Judgment," the answer is a shocking yes. Lionsgate releases this straight-to-video Blu-ray with little fanfare but there's reason to celebrate for longtime fans.

My knowledge of the entire "Hellraiser" series is minimal, having only seen the first film from 1987. "Hellraiser: Judgment" may, in fact, reference others films in the franchise. But this quite low-budget number ten movie shows some originality, even if it takes some elements from the dreaded "Saw" films.

"Judgment" plays out like a procedural cop show, and at times can be very dialogue-oriented. "Hellraiser 10" concerns a series of brutal murders that take their cues from biblical passages. All of this happens after a rather lengthy pre-credits segment that would make fans of "The Human Centipede" squirm. And because of this in an unrated edition of "Hellraiser: Judgment," anything goes in the gore and nudity department.

Meanwhile, the killer with pins in his head (Paul T. Taylor) and the Auditor (Gary Tunnicliffe) get involved with one of the main characters. It all ends in a bloody showdown in the final 20 minutes that is both exciting and a tad predictable. Oh, and there's an open-ended final scene that hints at a possible ten more films to come.

For a film that's so extremely serious - there's not a hint of humor in it - the gag reel featurette on the "Hellraiser: Judgment" comes out of nowhere. One wishes it was longer than its five-minute running time. The extended/deleted scenes segment only features two scenes.

If there's one gripe to this new "Hellraiser," it's the minimal and sporadic appearance of the Pinhead character. And original series creator Clive Barker is sorely missed. Otherwise, a Blu-ray purchase comes highly recommended.

"Hellraiser: Judgment"
Blu-ray
$21.99
www.lionsgate.com