Hellraiser: Quartet of Torment Is the Pick of the Week

The Hellraiser franchise is obviously not the most consistent saga of horror cinema, but each of the movies (even the bad ones) have something to them. However, Arrow has only released the first four films in their new Quartet of Torment box set (available in both 4K UHD and Blu-ray editions).

When legendary and darkly imaginative writer, filmmaker, and visual artist Clive Barker unleashed Hellraiser, his nasty new vision of horror upon unsuspecting audiences in 1987, he changed the genre forever, especially during an era where the genre was growing stale. In it, sleazy Frank Cotton (Sean Chapman) buys a mysterious puzzle box and solves it, opening the door to a sadomasochistic world where pleasure and pain intertwine and summon the Cenobites (including the now-iconic Pinhead), a group of wicked monsters who will tear his soul apart. When he escapes from Hell and returns completely skinless, he gets his former lover Julia (Claire Higgins) to kill hapless men to become whole again. Unfortunately for him, the Cenobites have other ideas. Hellbound: Hellraiser II has Julia and the sinister Dr. Channard (Kenneth Cranham) battling her stepdaughter Kirsty (Ashley Laurence) in the Cenobites’ domain. Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth sees Pinhead wreak havoc in New York City to create a fresh spawn of Cenobitic kin. Hellraiser: Bloodline, explores the origins of the configuration puzzle box (introduced in the first film) and Phillip LeMarchand, the 18th-century toymaker who made it. Yes, the first two films are the best, but the latter two are entertaining and gory in their own way, with the club massacre in Hellraiser III being a particular standout.

Reading the list of special features on all four discs, there seems to be hours and hours of them. They include multiple commentaries, interviews, behind-the-scenes footage, visual essays, featurettes, image galleries, trailers, and much more! It also includes an exclusive 200-page hardback book with new writing from Clive Barker archivists Phil and Sarah Stokes.

I bet this release will be a huge winner for many collectors all over the world, regardless of what they think of the films themselves. It should definitely be a keeper this Halloween season.

Other notable releases:

Gummo (Criterion): Harmony Korine’s bizarre indie about lonely residents of a tornado-stricken Ohio town who wander around the deserted landscape trying to fulfill their empty, bleak lives.

The Sixth Sense: M. Night Shyamalan’s 1999 modern classic starring Bruce Willis, a recently guilted, child psychologist who comes to the aid of a troubled kid (Haley Joel Osment) who can sees ghosts.

Death Becomes Her Collector’s Edition (Scream Factory): Meryl Streep stars in the black comedy cult favorite as an aging star who discovers an immortality treatment, and uses it outdo her longtime rival (Goldie Hawn).

In a Violent Nature: Collector’s Edition (RLJ Entertainment): The newest splatter sensation about the enigmatic resurrection, rampage, and retribution of a brutal, undead monster in a remote wilderness.