Hellraiser: Bloodline

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Hellraiser: Bloodline
Directed by	Kevin Yagher Joe Chapelle
Produced by	Clive Barker Anna C. Miller Paul Rich
Written by	Peter Atkins
Starring	Bruce Ramsay Valentina Vargas Doug Bradley
Music by	Daniel Licht
Cinematography	Gerry Lively
Editing by	Randy Bricker Rod Dean Jim Prior
Distributed by	Dimension Films Miramax Films
Release date(s)	March 8, 1996 USA
Running time	86 min.
Country	USA
Language	English
Budget	$4,000,000 est.
Preceded by	Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth
Followed by	Hellraiser: Inferno
Official website
IMDb profile

Hellraiser: Bloodline (also known as Hellraiser IV: Bloodline Story) is the fourth entry in the Hellraiser series of films. It was released in 1996. The film was directed by Alan Smithee (Kevin Yagher) and Joe Chapelle (uncredited).

Contents 1 Plot 2 Reactions and filming 3 Alternative Versions 4 External links

[edit] Plot

The film tells the story of the original creator of the Lament Configuration, a toymaker named Philip Lemarchand, commissioned by a Duc de L'Isle, a wealthy Aristocrat, master of the dark arts who wished to open a gateway to Hell in order to enslave a demon. It presents the story of the later Lemarchand/Merchant bloodline and their unconscious bond with the Lament Configuration, and a plot to create a new design, the Elysium Configuration, able to close the gateway opened by the first box and banish the Cenobites.

[edit] Reactions and filming

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It is considered by some to be a low-quality film, because the film was re-edited without director Kevin Yagher's consent by Dimension Films and Yagher substituted the generic Director's Guild pseudonym "Alan Smithee". They called in director Joe Chappelle to re-shoot large amounts of material and the eventual film made very little narrative sense. The original film was more story-based with little Pinhead airtime until halfway through the film. The version released by Dimension, was filled with gore that some felt was pointless, had an illogical plot with no narrative structure, and had too many gratuitous Pinhead scenes. ^{[citation needed]} Some fans disagree and feel that it is arguably the best of the franchise after the original two, and commend its breadth in scale, as it swings from historical fantasy to modern-day horror to science-fiction, moving between three generations of Lemarchands (all played by the same actor with a different hairstyle).^{[citation needed]} The sci-fi element of Bloodline is sometimes compared to Aliens, Pitch Black, the first Resident Evil movie, and especially Event Horizon, which has several embedded Hellraiser references in it.^{[citation needed]} The short historical macabre segments of the film are reminiscent of Nosferatu-style classic horror, with vaguely Lovecraftian themes, as well as the "Faust" story and other general "Pact with the Devil" motifs, with an admixture of modern horror components perhaps inspired by Stephen King or Anne Rice.

[edit] Alternative Versions

The original script can be found by following the following link, the script was typed up by the webmaster of The Hellbound Web from a hard copy: *Bloodline Original Script. This version is essentially what Kevin Yager filmed and the studio rejected at the last minute. Most of the material exists but has never been seen.

[edit] External links

• Hellraiser: Bloodline at the Internet Movie Database
• Hellraiser: The Hellbound Web
• Revelations - The Official Clive Barker Resource
• Bloodline: Hellraiser IV

The Hellraiser Series
Films: Hellraiser | Hellbound: Hellraiser II | Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth | Hellraiser: Bloodline Hellraiser: Inferno | Hellraiser: Hellseeker | Hellraiser: Deader | Hellraiser: Hellworld
Cenobites: Pinhead | Chatterer | Female Cenobite
Other topics: Philip Lemarchand | Lemarchand's box | Clive Barker | Doug Bradley | The Hellbound Heart