Grant Watson Fiction Machine Sep 9, 2026

In the end Hellbound simply cannot quite match the visceral effect of its predecessor, but Tony Randel understands that such a match was simply never going to be possible.

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David Day Horror Movie Talk Sep 23, 2025 9/10

While some of the plot is a little obtuse and hard to follow, it’s made up for with some of the gnarliest gore, and craziest worldbuilding I’ve seen in a long time.

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Patrick Cavanaugh The Wolfman Cometh Sep 11, 2025 2/5

Effectively explores the more grotesque elements of the original movie, which fans will surely enjoy, though it likely won't win over those who don't have an affinity for Pinhead.

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Joe Lipsett Horror Queers Podcast Jan 9, 2024 4.5/5

The sequel rightfully puts the emphasis on Clare Higgins' iconic villainess Julia Cotton. While Dr. Channard is a lackluster adversary, the depiction of Leviathan, the labyrinth and the Cenobite backstories are all welcome additions to the Hellraiser lore

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Trace Thurman Horror Queers Podcast Jan 8, 2024 5/5

Bigger, bloodier and messier than the original, 'Hellbound: Hellraiser II' is the poster child for everything a horror sequel should be.

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Mike Massie Gone With The Twins Sep 6, 2020 5/10

The stupefyingly graphic makeup effects and gore have gotten even better, although the story this time around is so surrealistic that almost nothing makes sense.

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David Nusair Reel Film Reviews May 8, 2020 1/4

A seriously underwhelming horror sequel...

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Matt Brunson Film Frenzy Oct 13, 2019 2/4

Far more sloppy and far less interesting than its predecessor.

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Christopher Monfette IGN Oct 5, 2018 7/10

The acting is good for the most part, though the second film (like most sequels) pushes plot aside in favor of spectacle. Hellbound is gorier, larger, and more accessible than the first.

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Caryn James New York Times Oct 4, 2018

Though the script for ''Hellbound'' is related to the Barker story, the film drops its plot whenever a fake-looking monster walks on the screen. Ogling strange creatures is the film's true reason for being.

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Chris Willman Los Angeles Times Oct 4, 2018

This follow-up is faster and campier than its mostly somber predecessor, but the basic grim tenets of British horror author Clive Barker's supernatural worldview are still intact.

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Brian Collins Birth.Movies.Death. Apr 11, 2018

It's...the best kind of sequel, one that lets the surviving characters continue their journeys while new characters get to kind of rehash the original's plot with different results.

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Brian Orndorf Blu-ray.com Nov 12, 2017 B+

"Hellbound" isn't pretty, but it provides a feast of repulsion, inflating the Cenobite reign to epic standards. For utter perversion and relentless ick, it's quite neat.

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Jennie Kermode Eye for Film Apr 13, 2017 2/5

Though there's some good work here, it's a classic example of how not to approach making a sequel. When everything is turned up one notch louder, it's hard to make out anything clearly at all.

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Jeffrey M. Anderson Combustible Celluloid Sep 13, 2013 3/4

When I first caught it around 1989 on VHS video, it was unlike anything I had ever seen before.

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Tim Brayton Antagony & Ecstasy Aug 14, 2011 7/10

A thoroughly worthy successor to the freakishly original Hellraiser.

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Felix Vasquez Jr. Cinema Crazed Aug 16, 2010

A mixed bag that I just didn't fully embrace in the end...

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Eric Henderson Slant Magazine Apr 20, 2009 2/4

It's probably a stretch to surmise that, just as the first film's subtext dealt with health fears, the sequel mines its dread from the horror of malpractice.

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