HELLRAISER: DEADER (2005)
Starring Kari Wuhrer and Doublas Bradley
Best of the first three direct-to-video Hellraiser sequels -- which include "Hellseeker," "Inferno" and this -- "Deader" was actually spawned from a non-Hellraiser script adapted to fit the mythos of the franchise. Unlike the other two straight-to-DVD entries, it actually has a female main character we can care about. But like those flawed entries in the series, this one also only features Pinhead in a few cameos.
Kari Wuhrer plays an American working as a British journalist, sent on an assignment to Romania (where everyone knows it doesn’t cost much to make a movie) to investigate a strange videotape. In it, a girl commits suicide before a cult group, and is then resurrected when the leader kisses her corpse on the lips. The cult members call themselves "Deaders."
Of course, she’s going to discover that this cult is somehow involved with the puzzle box that shows up in all Hellraiser movies. Like the last two films, our hero begins having hallucinations with Pinhead after opening the box, and we think our hero is going insane -- or maybe just has unlocked the doors to hell?
"Deader" is an improvement because we do care about our hero. In "Hellseeker" and "Inferno", the protagonists are so despicable we don’t give a rat’s ass if they get chewed up into a million pieces. The final Pinhead scene is also almost worthy of Barker-produced entry in the franchise. But ultimately, this film just isn’t as good as any of the Barker entries, even "Bloodline," and it leaves one missing the late 1980s-early 1990s. If only they’d bring Barker back and give him a modest budget to make another one of these.
"Deader" is worth seeking if you’ve got nothing to better to do on a Monday night, but don’t mourn too much if your video store doesn’t carry it.
Followed the same year by "Hellworld."