"Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth"/"Burial Ground"

Finishing up The Scarlet Box, "Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth." I hadn't seen all of this one before, as the prior DVD releases were all pan-and-scan chop jobs, and I just couldn't make it through it. This time, with a pristine transfer, was much more enjoyable, and it's not a bad movie.....although you definitely get the feeling of "franchise mode." Actors are less memorable, plot is less daring, and I could swear Pinhead's head gear looks like a slip-on job. And we're on to showing a metal band in a club.....Armored Saint, in this case.

Despite those trappings, the movie isn't bad. Once the killings roll in, things start moving, and I did like the dichotomy of Pinhead and his human antecedent (forgot the name). The only appearance of someone in the first two movies is by Ashley Laurence, via videotape. Well, outside of Pinhead. And his human antecedent (gotta look that name up).

One note I'll make about the Hellraiser films.....there is more smoking in these movies than in anything since the 1940s, it feels like. A minor point, maybe, but noticeable, certainly now.

Still, the movie closes The Scarlet Box nicely. I have not seen any of the Hellraiser films past this one, although I've read that "Bloodlines" is okay. Maybe I'll hit that one soon.

And now, let's Italian it up a bit: "Burial Ground: The Nights of Terror." This is from 1981, during the massive Italian zombie movie flood following Fulci's "Zombi 2." Andrea Bianchi is the director of this one; he's mostly notable for the sleazy (and entertaining!) "Strip Nude for your Killer."

Now, you have to know going in that this movie has almost no plot. Really. After a prologue showing a curator being chowed upon by zombies, a bunch of folks go to a house....and get chowed upon by zombies. There is one scene that is famous in horrorland, though, and it does not disappoint. There is the character of what is supposed to be the young son of one couple, but he's played by a 25-year-old smallish man. (Many sources say a midget, but I'm not sure that's true.) In a setup scene, the boy obviously has incestuous thoughts about his mother. And this is all so he can.....well, I won't spoil it for you, but it happens in the last five minutes of the movie. Let's say that you'll view breastfeeding a little differently after seeing this.

For a film with virtually no plot, it's actually fairly entertaining. The zombies, while in some ways looking cheap, are effective. Lots o' maggots, Fulci-style. Lots o' gut-munching, every-director-Romero-and-beyond-style. Enjoy! (Not finding a trailer....)

By the way, I watched the Shriek Show DVD of this....did not go for the recent Severin Blu-ray.