Arrow Films

Brand new 4K restorations of the first four Hellraiser films, taken from the original camera negatives.

Ask a selection of Hellraiser fans where the series properly stops and you’ll invariably get a range of answers from 2 to 4. Arrow previously thought that the first three represented the core movies and released a Blu-ray boxset of the trilogy. For this 4K set they’ve gone one further and included the troubled Alan Smithee-directed part 4, thus giving fans an extra reason to buy the movies again (albeit in greater resolution).

As with most 4K upgrades, it’s the HDR that features as the greatest upgrade, being presented in Dolby Vision and being HDR10 compatible. You can also choose whether to go for original lossless stereo or 5.1 surround on all four movies. This special edition also includes a book of new writing from Clive Barker archivists Phil and Sarah Stoke.

And instead of the same features being ported over from the Blu-ray trilogy box, there’s a bunch of new content to unbox, from new commentaries on all four by Stephen Jones and Kim Newman (joined by Peter Atkins on Bloodline), multiple visual essays, scholarly discussions and appreciations. Hell on Earth has an alternate unrated cut and Bloodline, which didn’t even get a Blu-ray release in the UK, has a VHS time coded work print. Most of the extras from the Blu-rays are here, but note that the feature-length Leviathan documentaries are not here.

Verdict: The Blu-ray trilogy felt exhaustive and has now been eclipsed by superior transfers and an extra movie. An essential purchase for Cenobites and other hell-dwelling beings, but it loses a point for not including the Leviathan documentaries. 9/10

Nick Joy