Review of Hellraiser: Hellseeker (2002) by Benjamin O — 25 Mar 2016

Hellseeker is the sixth instalment of the Hellraiser franchise and the first bad sequel.

Hellseeker follows the husband of the recently deceased Kristy (Ashley Laurence, Hellraiser 1&2), as he battles with nightmares and reality after a car accident which killed Kristy. A detective believes him when he talks about the accident but with Kristy's body missing it makes him look bad.

Like Hellraiser: Inferno (2000) before it, "Hellseeker" was originally a non-Hellraiser related horror script owned by Dimension. To save money on writing a completely original Hellraiser story, the script was quickly edited to insert the Cenobites and references to Kirsty's past with them. A scene written specifically to try and bring the largely unrelated plot in line with the canon of the first two Hellraiser films was subsequently cut.

The writing, production, cast performances and direction is terrible but somehow watchable. The plot is a bit of a mess to start with but does become clearer as the film moves on, but although a watchable sequel just avoid it, not unless theirs nothing left to view. It's a bit camp & is sold on Ashley Laurence's return to the series, but sadly It's in a smaller role but still an important one.