Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth
Short description
A nightclub owner named J.P. Monroe acquires an unusual sculpture that contains a puzzle box. When the box is opened, it unleashes the Cenobites, the supernatural beings led by Pinhead. Meanwhile, a television journalist, Joey Summerskill, witnesses the violent death of a young man and begins investigating, following the trail to the club and to Terri, the victim's girlfriend. The puzzle box passes into Joey's hands, and the Cenobites, led by Pinhead, are set loose in New York City, where Pinhead seeks to rebuild his power and create a new group of followers.
Anthony Hickox directed the film, the third entry in the Hellraiser series, following his debut Waxwork (1988) and preceding Waxwork II: Lost in Time, released the same year, along with later titles such as Warlock: The Armageddon, Payback and Prince Valiant. Peter Atkins wrote the screenplay, and Lawrence Mortorff produced. Terry Farrell plays Joey Summerskill, with Doug Bradley returning as Pinhead and Elliot, Kevin Bernhardt as J.P. Monroe, Ken Carpenter as Doc, Paula Marshall as Terri and Philip Hyland as Brad.
Made for about 5 million dollars, the film took roughly 13 million dollars worldwide. On IMDb it holds 5.5/10 from 38,000 votes, while on TMDB it stands at 5.6/10 from 877 votes; a critics' rating of 4.6/10 from 23 reviews places it below both audience scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- Hellraiser III was the first film in the series shot not in England, but in America.
- Pinhead was not depicted on the original American poster for the film, as officials stated that the character was 'too frightening' for American children.
- The film's producer, Lawrence Mortorff, played a homeless man who 'pushed' the statue of Pinhead onto the club owner.
- According to Clive Barker's original idea, as one of the film's executive producers, the events of the third part were to completely tell the backstory of the appearance of the 'hell puzzle' and unfold in a pyramid in ancient Egypt, which was the very first incarnation of the portal to Hell.
- Peter Jackson was considered as a director.
- The filming of the black mass caused a scandal in conservative North Carolina, where filming was taking place. Director Anthony Hickox was denied permission to film in a real church, so he used paintings as a backdrop on set. When he was pointed out the inappropriateness of such filming, he cited precedents – films produced by “Hammer Film Productions” about Dracula, in which the vampire played by Christopher Lee rampages in churches.
- Initially, Tony Randel was hired as the director of the film, but his services were soon rejected, deciding that the film would be too dark. Instead, Anthony Hickox was hired at the suggestion of one of the actors, who had worked with him in 1991 on the horror film “House of Wax 2”. Clive Barker did not like Hickox's previous work, believing that he made comedic horror films, which was not very suitable for the “Hellraiser” franchise, and he told Hickox this in a personal meeting, demanding that he take the project seriously. Hickox, a fan of the franchise, immediately agreed.
- Anthony Hickox was given six weeks for filming. Hickox was already known for shooting very quickly, but this invariably required long working hours and complete dedication from the actors involved in the project. According to Doug Bradley, he once filmed for 17 hours straight. The large number of scenes shot in a single workday meant there was little time to refine and film each scene. Furthermore, simultaneous filming on multiple sets was complicated by the fact that they were located almost directly next to each other, so sounds from one set carried over to the other.
- Peter Atkins, the screenwriter for all three Hellraiser films, made a small cameo as a bartender. The director himself appeared in the movie as a soldier in Vietnam and as a member of the audience in a TV show.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
