A surprisingly stellar sequel, keeping the brutal special effects intact while also infusing the proceedings with a dark and gothic fantasy tone. There's still a ton of scenes that left me wincing, but there's also some stunning backdrops that harness the surreal. There's even a dip into psychological horror with the personal hells. This film really lets the cast shine too. Laurence is given the chance to really explore Kirsty's grief and trauma, giving her the depth I wanted to see in the first film and truly solidifying her as one of the upper tier final girls. Higgins is having an absolute ball going full tilt evil, displaying Julia's turn into her best worst self with such confidence and pleased aplomb you almost cheer for her. And Doug Bradley, while great in the first film, really shows what makes Pinhead so iconic with his performance here. The expressions flickering across his face as his past dawns on him, and the look he shoots Kirsty as he accepts his fate as a human being is surprisingly affecting. This film trades some of the grounded and sadistic darkness from the first film for the gruesomely and high concept fantastical, but that's not a bad thing. It stands in equal footing with the first as a visceral thrill of painful pleasures.