When we opened the box, and they came, for the first time in 1987 with the original Hellraiser, we were thrilled. However, here we are, ten films later, and I almost wish that someone would close that damn box already.

The latest installment to the seemingly unending franchise is Hellraiser: Judgment, and trust me when I say I am indeed judging it. Over the past several years, we’ve had a cornucopia of Hellraiser sequels, and while most waited with baited breath for Pinhead’s return, we were woefully underwhelmed by it. While this new film doesn’t do much to foster any goodwill toward the franchise, it is at least marginally better (not by much), and attempts to answer some plot threads left open by the most recent sequels.

The film opens with a scene that was obviously written by someone who enjoyed the first season of American Gods on Starz, because it plays out like a lesser version of the show. Pinhead (Paul T. Taylor) and the Auditor (writer / director of this film, Gary J. Tunnicliffe) speak of old sins being replaced by new, “shiny” ones.

Best Bros.

The story itself revolves around three police officers investigating a ‘serial killer’ of sorts, who may or may not have supernatural abilities. Of course, being a Hellraiser film, we know they do. If you ever thought “Hellraiser would be better if it was a police procedural,” then this film is undoubtedly for you. Not only to the cops follow things by the book, but even in Hell, things are more of the same. While Pinhead spends most of the film sitting (or napping) in a chair, the Auditor takes the spotlight, recording the sins of the people he interrogates into some sort of device, before the titular judgment is doled out by naked women. Or something.

An obviously limited budget does hamper some of the effects, but what they do try to pull off is mostly respectable, and at the very least, better than the last three films combined.

A sort of “reboot” for the franchise, it tries to navigate the labyrinthine mythology that came before it, all while crafting groundwork for what’s to come next. In some ways, it is almost like the recently released Jigsaw; both have massive plot holes and threads from previous entries that they try to tidy up, ultimately still don’t make sense, but they forge ahead anyway. Because movies, am I right, you guys?

The film looks and sounds pretty great, though, so that’s something to look forward to. The Blu-ray disc also includes deleted & extended scenes, along with a gag reel, because why not?

Hellraiser: Judgment is available now on Blu-ray, DVD, and Amazon Prime Video.