Friday, October 9, 2015

Hellraiser Fan Films Part 1

All three of the fan films I'm reviewing this week are view-able online. Links are included at the beginning of each review. The actual video quality on all three are lacking, having been posted on Youtube before higher fidelity was available, or having been made before higher fidelity was available, on equipment that is old or outdated by today's standards. 

Hellbent: A Hellraiser Chronicle (Fraught Productions, Dir. by Geoff Harner, 1993)

Hellbent is the first film  I watched for these reviews, which is fitting because it was the first fan-film made based off the Hellraiser IP. It tells the story of Whitfield a drug addict looking for a fix in his small British town. Trying several friends and potential hook-ups he finally finds himself wandering the streets empty handed when a transient offers to to sell him a box that will give him the pleasure that he seeks. He buys the box and, locked in his garage, he solves it. Instead of summoning the cenobites however the box begins to bleed. Unfathomably, Whitfield decides to taste the blood which seems to cause him agony, making his eyes bleed and him writhe in pain. His friend Owen arrives moments later to discover Whitfield in the garage surrounded by hanging hooks with his eyes bleeding. Whitfield tells Owen that he’s crossed over into “heaven” and tries to get Owen to try the blood from the box. Owen refuses and Whitfield summons the chains to hook Owens flesh then proceeds to cut him down with a sword. We see Whitfield one last time, his eyes blacked out and menacing.

The movie is rough, but considering it was filmed in 1993 for what was obviously a shoestring budget and on what appears to be a camcorder, this is no surprise. The effects are cheap but there are a couple of nice moments, a stop-motion cut of nails going in around somebody's eye, for instance. The acting is unconvincing and the actual framing of each scene is also somewhat poor overall with the camera shaking, and framing the action at odd angles.

It’s not a good movie, but given the nature of the film this is forgivable. These are obviously a group of friends who enjoy making film and have built up a large backlog of independent movies over the last 20 years, and still appear to be making films. Is it worth watching? Yes, but only if you like the Hellraiser franchise and want to see some love given to the IP by a group of enthusiastic individuals. It’s only 10 minutes, so it’s easy to watch and appreciate. Otherwise, give it a skip.
                                                                                                           

Hellraiser: Prophecy (Dir. Jonathan Kui, 2006)

The second film is Hellraiser: Prophecy. This tells the tale of the beginning of the second Angelic war that has begun between Michael and Gabriel. Interested in seeing Michael win in order to keep the status quo in Hell, Lucifer (Jeremy Yost) has come to earth in human form to find somebody to solve the Lamentation Configuration for him so he can access the Labyrinth and recruit the cenobites to fight on the side of Michael. He does so by tricking Natasha (Lori Pyzocha) a graduate student in theology who’s currently trying to translate a Grimoire of the Gash into solving the puzzle box. She does so and summons four cenobites who take her back to the Labyrinth. The lead Cenobite, Angelique (Monica Dus) listens to Lucifer’s proposal and agrees to help, but only if he comes back to the Labyrinth and speaks to Leviathan himself. He does so, but realizes at last minute that it’s a trick when the hooks appear and begin to tear his flesh. Angelique tells him that it this was the Cenobites plan all along. At that moment he appears to unleash his own power and the film ends.

It’s a rough film. There are some genuinely fun moments, and the plot is amazingly thought provoking and cool. Sadly the execution isn’t there. It’s a bad film, but only when compared to films that have a greater budget. Some of the special effects are clever and well done, like the hooks going into Natasha and Lucifer’s flesh, and the solution of the puzzle box (though that might be a borrowed asset honestly). The acting is poor. There are some performances better than others, Jeremy Yost as Lucifer has a few good moments, as does Monica Dus as Angelique. But none of the performances are great, though there are some passable moments. The makeup has the potential to be good but, it fails. Angelique’s makeup is almost awesome, except you can see parts of her hairline from under the skullcap. The other Cenobites appear to have masks on. Butterball’s mask is nearly convincing, but the “Spike” cenobite.... oh, what a terrible mask.

The filmmakers have made two Hellraiser films, as well as making of documentaries for the this film. I will look at the other film that they have produced next week (Hellraiser: Deader-Winter’s Lament). This film is short, about 20 minutes divided up into two parts on Youtube. It is worth watching, once again, if you’re a fan of the Hellraiser franchise, otherwise skip it.


The Tontine (Dir. Scott Hampton, 2006)

This film is only tangentially a Hellraiser film as it’s adapted from a story from the Hellraiser comics from the early 1990’s. The film is about a group of 6 individuals who enter into a tontine* with each other. They have each put in a small amount of money but who are really benefitting from increased luck that occurs after each individual dies. After the agreement is reached they play a game of Russian roulette until one of their numbers dies, increasing the luck of the remaining members. They agree to meet once every three years and play russian roulette, randomly killing off one of their members until only one remains, gaining the pool of money they each invested as well as the luck and fortune of each of the previous members. The tontine works. Their luck increases with each death, all of them becoming wealthy and successful in their various lives. The narrator of the film recalls how he met Eric, the first victim of the tontine and the one who proposed it. Noting how Eric arrived knowing his darkest secrets and seemed to arrive with this information from a mysterious book called the Drawn Veil. The other members note similar meetings with Eric. Each meeting goes similarly with only one hiccup through the course of the film.

This movie is well done. Very well done for what is a fan film. It’s not directly a Hellraiser film, it has no cenobites, puzzle box, or the Lamentation Configuration, but it was adapted from a story in the first run of Hellraiser Comics from the early 1990’s**. The plot is solid, the cinematography is fantastic as well. The acting, for the most part is good. In fact there are instances where the acting is very good. Unfortunately I am unable to find a proper cast list for this movie so am unable to give proper credit for the stand out performances. The actor who plays Eric does a great job, as well as the actor who plays Lloyd. The Narrator (Ryan) does ok. Well enough to carry the film though his narration is much better than his on screen time. The whole film could be expanded into a feature length, at thirty minutes though it’s doesn’t waste any of the viewer’s. time.

Sadly, it appears that Break of Dawn of Productions isn’t active any more. They have several more films on their Youtube channel, but the last update was four years ago. They are a talented group of filmmakers and know how to play to their strengths in order maximize the quality of their production. Should you watch this? Absolutely! Even if you’re not a Hellraiser fan, if you have 30 minutes check this movie out. It’s divided into three parts, having been put on Youtube back when only 10 minute intervals were viable. The quality of the acting, directing and cinematography makes this movie well worth checking out.



*A Tontine is an agreement between investors where the payout is increased by the other investor’s shares once that investor dies. They are not legal here in the US, but here is an article by the Washington Post that goes into what a tontine is historically and the potential for modern tontines.

**I have searched for which issue this particular story comes from and who the other is, but have thus far come up short on information. If any readers happen to know, please comment or email us so we can update this review.

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