Hellraiser: Bloodline
Movie, 1996, The original series, Set in 1796 to 2127
Hellraiser: Bloodline is #4 of 11 in release order and #4 of 11 in chronological order in the Hellraiser.
The story
Three generations of the same family deal with the consequences of unleashing the forces of hell.
Hellraiser: Bloodline recap
Hellraiser: Bloodline (1996) traces the puzzle box from the French toymaker who built it in 1796 to his descendant's space station in 2127. Kevin Yagher started it and Joe Chappelle finished it after studio reshoots; Yagher took the pseudonym Alan Smithee. Bruce Ramsay plays all three men of the bloodline. In 2127, engineer Paul Merchant seizes his own station and is arrested, so he tells his story. In 1796 Paris, Phillip LeMarchand makes the box for the Duc de L'Isle, who uses it to call up the demon Angelique (Valentina Vargas), and LeMarchand's line is cursed. In 1996, architect John Merchant has built a Manhattan tower shaped like the box; Angelique and Pinhead (Doug Bradley) come for him and his family before he can finish a box made of light that would close Hell. It is both a prequel and a sequel.
Hellraiser: Bloodline ending explained
Hellraiser: Bloodline ends in 2127, after Pinhead's Cenobites, Angelique now among them, slaughter the crew. Merchant escapes in a pod with the guard Rimmer and triggers the station itself, revealed as the finished light-trapping configuration. Lasers fill it with perpetual light that destroys Pinhead. It was the last Hellraiser film to reach cinemas, and later sequels are set in the present day despite its ending.
Post-credits scenes
No. Hellraiser: Bloodline has no mid- or post-credits scene.
Where to watch Hellraiser: Bloodline
Hellraiser: Bloodline is streaming on fuboTV, Philo, and MGM Plus in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 5.1/10, Rotten Tomatoes 22%
Where it fits
- Release order: after Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth, before Hellraiser: Inferno.
- Chronological order: after Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth, before Hellraiser: Inferno.
What to watch before Hellraiser: Bloodline
In release order, the essentials before Hellraiser: Bloodline (1996) are Hellraiser (1987), Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988), and Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth (1992).
Cast
- Bruce Ramsay as Phillip L'Merchant / John Merchant / Dr. Paul Merchant
- Valentina Vargas as Angelique
- Doug Bradley as Pinhead
- Charlotte Chatton as Genevieve L'Merchant
- Adam Scott as Jacques
- Kim Myers as Bobbi Merchant
- Mickey Cottrell as Duc de L'Isle
- Louis Turenne as Auguste
- Courtland Mead as Jack Merchant
- Louis Mustillo as Sharpe
- Jody St. Michael as Die Bestie
- Paul Perri as Edwards
Directed by Alan Smithee, Kevin Yagher.