Arrow Video
4K UHD Release: October 22, 2024
Video: 1.85:1/2160p (HDR10/Dolby Vision)/Color
Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo and 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH
Run Time: 93:11 (theatrical cut), 96:21 (unrated cut)
Director: Anthony Hickox
Note: This disc is currently only available as part of Arrow’s 4K UHD Quartet Of Torment collection, which also includes Hellraiser (1987), Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988), and Hellraiser: Bloodline (1996).
J.P. Monroe (Kevin Bernhardt), the scumbag owner of the Boiler Room nightclub, purchases the Pillar of Souls, unaware that it is acting as a prison for Pinhead (Doug Bradley). This purely evil version of the Cenobite is reawaked and promises J.P. power in exchange for the blood needed to free him. Meanwhile, upstart reporter Joey Summerskill (Terry Farrell) is contacted from beyond by Pinhead’s human counterpart, Captain Elliott Spencer (also Doug Bradley), with instructions on how to send his counterpart back to hell using the Lament Configuration.
Hellbound killed off its star monsters too quickly and without much of a fight, but the twist that the Cenobites were all once human beings works and leads into Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth’s (1992) strongest narrative thread, that of Pinhead’s ‘human’ side acting as a sort of guide for franchise newcomer Terry Farrell, one year prior to her leading role on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (the second DS9 alum in the series, following Andrew Robinson). Hell on Earth’s other characters, including the purely evil incarnation of Pinhead, are less interesting than those of the previous two films, though I appreciate that screenwriters Peter Atkins and Tony Randel (the previous film’s director), bereft of Ashley Laurence (who only cameos) and Clare Higgins, continued the series’ tradition of casting women as their leads.
Hell on Earth’s weaknesses are rarely the fault of director Anthony Hickox, though rumor does have it that, at some point, producer Harvey Weinstein brought Barker on to fix some issues, namely a lack of crowd-pleasing violence (Hickox himself claims he was the one responsible for reshoots, not Barker, and that Weinstein was very cordial about wanting more ‘trailer shots’). The budget limitations here aren’t as obvious as they were for Hellbound, partly due to its less ambitious script, but also because of Hickox’s strong, music-video-inspired visual instincts. The stiff dialogue and stock characters don’t even feel out of place, thanks to the maximalist, almost comic book-like imagery (it helps that the actors know and embrace the hyperbolic approach).
Hickox is remembered as one of the late-’80s/early-‘90s most reliable workhorse horror directors. The son of Theatre of Blood (1973) director Douglas Hickox and Lawrence of Arabia (1962) editor Anne V. Coates, Hickox made Hell on Earth between Waxwork movies (1988, 1992), Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat (his best and most underseen film, 1989), and the slightly superior Warlock sequel, Warlock: The Armageddon (1993).
Video
Hell on Earth was, like Hellbound, released on R-rated and unrated VHS, but, for some reason, only the R-rated cut made it to stateside DVD. I’ve only recently, while researching this review, learned that Arrow’s original 2K remastered Blu-ray (the first 1080p version available in the US) was pretty controversial. It was framed wider than previous editions and the entire image seemed to be slightly shifted to the right. This 4K, 2160p remaster appears to have corrected the issue, as seen in this Movie-Censorship.com comparison post. All in all, the UHD transfer and its HDR/Dolby Vision boost is in-keeping with the other Quartet of Torment transfers. The darkest scenes have a slightly muddy, arguably overly-warm quality, but overall clarity is fantastic, including possibly the crispest edges and elemental separations in the entire collection. I’m also really impressed by the consistency and brightness of primary & secondary colors. This is also perhaps the most inconsistent transfer in the set. Some of the brighter outdoor scenes have a slight wobble and some of the composite shots are particularly grainy.
The unrated inserts were, unfortunately, taken from the ‘best available’ standard definition, cropped, 1.33:1 video source. Arrow has run the footage through some filters to clean up analog artifacts, but no viewer is going to mistake the inserts for 4K footage. Curiously, the unrated version didn’t reinstate much of the violence supposedly cut at the MPAA’s behest, it’s mostly brief nudity, story beats, and a handful of post-massacre bodies.
Audio
Like the other three movies in the Quartet of Torment set, Hell on Earth is presented with 2.0 and 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio options. This is another case where I prefer the stereo original, but both tracks are lively and aggressive when necessary. The busy Boiler Room club scenes with their live music and crowd ambience, the short, but noisy WWI and Vietnam sequences, and bombastic climax are all highlights. Composer Randy Miller recycles Christopher Young’s main theme and does an admirable job recreating his style, but the music is a less impactful element, overall.
Extra
Commentary with Stephen Jones and Kim Newman (unrated version) – The only new (to the US) extra here is the third of Quartet of Torment collection’s fact-filled, newly-recorded tracks, featuring Jones, the editor of Shadows Over Innsmouth (Del Rey, 2001), and author of Nightmare Movies: Horror on the Screen Since the 1960s (Bloomsbury, 2011) Kim Newman. Once again, Jones has the insider knowledge, having worked as a unit publicist on this and other Barker films, while Newman acts as a sort of moderator while supplying wider critical context. Subject matter includes the shift from shooting in the UK to shooting in the US, Barker’s minimal post-production involvement, abandoned concepts (some of which popped up in further sequels), Hickox’s other work, and the North Carolina (not New York) locations, among other production anecdotes.
Commentary with writer Peter Atkins (theatrical version) – This track was recorded in 2015 for Arrow’s previous Blu-ray.
Commentary with director Anthony Hickox and actor Doug Bradley (unrated version) – This track was recorded in 2004 for Anchor Bay’s UK DVD.
1992 EPK footage:
Complete electronic press kit (12:15, SD)
Raw FX dailies (23:49, SD)
Archival extras:
Time with Terri (14:53, HD) – An interview with actress Paula Marshall taken from Arrow’s 2015 Blu-ray. She chats about being cast, the make-up process, working and living on location, her castmates, and being recognized by John Cusack at a Springsteen concert.
Under the Skin: Doug Bradley on Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth (13:46, SD) – The third of three interviews that Bradley recorded for the Anchor Bay’s UK DVD.
Raising Hell on Earth (13:59, SD) – Another Anchor Bay interview, this time with Hickox, who talks about the production, casting, locations, learning new filmless editing, and special effects.
Theatrical trailer
Image gallery
The images on this page are taken from the 2K mastered BD – not the 4K UHD – and sized for the page. Larger versions can be viewed by clicking the images. Note that there will be some JPG compression.
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