Before I start this review, I want to say that I will always find Doug Bradley the best actor for Pinhead, and no one else quite grasps the character. I wish he had returned, but understand that because he didn’t sign a non-disclosure agreement he wasn’t going to reprise the role. I do have to say the actor who plays Pinhead in Judgement was not as bad as the actor who took on the role in Revelations, and they took the makeup closer to what the original makeup looked like in the original movies.
Judgement involves a cop and his partner, who is also his biological brother, who are running after a serial killer who kills those who are “sinners” of sorts. As the movie moves on we find ourselves in the office of a cenobite who has the job of finding the guilty and punishing them.
There are little bits of both heaven and hell in this movie, as we get to see both sides of the story, and what happens when one side wants the accused to live. There are such sights to see, but the question is who is in control, and who gets to open the box.
A lot happened in this movie. A young female detective is sent to find out which brother may be having a breakdown. There is adultery, which is standard in a Hellraiser movie, as whoever opens the box has something to offer, and usually it is their destructing soul. In the end, everyone gets what they deserve, like most of the Hellraiser movies. And we get to see just what happens when one disagrees with Heaven and doesn’t quite do what is asked of them.
I thought this was more interesting than the last movie, but nothing could be worse than that travesty of a film. I enjoyed the direction and the new cenobites I was introduced to. I also thought the theme of being judged before being sentenced was interesting. There wasn’t quite enough Pinhead in this to make it follow the rest of the films, but that could just be me because I thoroughly enjoy the idea of him. I also have to say that I really loved the ending, and thought it was a creative way to end the film, sending someone back to be who they were, making them relive what they had tried to escape.
Don’t be afraid of this film. It is better than it looks and is 100% better than the last monstrosity was.