Trivia / Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth

• B-Team Sequel: Tony Randel was attached to direct, but the producers removed him after they became worried that his vision for the film was to bleak.
• Troubled Production:
  • The film was stuck in Development Hell for several years, largely due to the underperformance of Clive Barker's then-recent film Nightbreed, New World's financial problems, and the actress who played Julia (who was set up to be the franchise's Big Bad) deciding not to reprise her role. It took former New World executives establishing a new production company, Trans-Atlantic Pictures, before a deal could be struck, and even then, the executives initially refused Barker's asking fee for the project, claiming that they wanted a "cheap and nasty" film.
  • While Hellbound: Hellraiser II director Tony Randel was originally intended to direct the film, he was replaced after his vision was deemed "too bleak" (it would have ended with lead character Terri making a Deal with the Devil to become Pinhead's bride in exchange for getting her "star reporter" dream). He was replaced with Anthony Hickox, who had to deal with a breakneck six-week shooting schedule, cast concerns (Doug Bradley has gone on-record as saying the makeup used on the film was irritating and his least favorite in the franchise, while actress Aimee Leigh complained about having to go topless in a sex scene, requiring the production team to work around it by having another character cup her breasts during shooting). Hickox also had to deal with the cast pushing back against the "Black Mass" scene, with them complaining that it was sacrilege due to being shot in North Carolina (which runs socially-conservative).
  • After filming wrapped, Miramax agreed to distribute the film in the U.S., but ran into problems during the editing process. Depending on which source is to be believed, Hickox either received rave reviews from Bob Weinstein and gave additional money for him to reshoot the ending, or Weinstein was swayed by Barker (who was approached to give his opinion on the film) to fix the film, via suggesting additional scenes like the extended gore shots in the nightclub massacre scene, and Terri's "bondage" during the finale. It was enough to get Barker an executive producer credit for the film. In a repeat of what happened with the original film, the first version of the soundtrack (which was heavily rock-influenced) was thrown out after test screenings and replaced with another orchestral score, which was hurriedly put together in just three weeks.
• What Could Have Been: Peter Jackson was asked to direct.

---