786 Hellraiser III ( 1992 )

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785 Raising Cain ( 1992 )

 Brian De Palma returned to the pyschological  horror/thriller after eight years away with this  enjoyably  silly romp which  often lurches into self-parody without becoming too arch.  You're  thrown into it  mid-plot with no preamble, having to piece things together through flashbacks with a shedload of red herrings to distract you. John Lithgow plays Carter/Cain , an apparently sensitive husband and father with an adulterous wife  who is nevertheless  on a murderous mission to collect children and dispose of their mothers for some nefarious purpose  because he has multiple personalities. Lithgow holds it together with a tour de force performance as five "separate characters" although the climax  is surprisingly clumsy.

Lola Davidovich ( as Jenny)

Sex : Jenny has alfresco sex with an old boyfriend though it could be an illusion

Death :  Survives

Lolita  is a Canadian actress of Serbian descent who began acting on US TV. After a few bit parts in films in the eighties she broke throuh as the title characterin director Ron Shelton's Blaze . She appeared in four more of Shelton's films and has been married to him since 1997. From the noughties on. she dropped down to supporting roles but she is still active.

Mel Harris ( as Sarah)

Sex : No

Death : Survives

Mel  was born in Pennsylvania  and made her film debut in 1986 in the Rutger Hauer vehicle Wanted: Dead Or Alive. The following year, she started in the role that made her famous, that of Hope in the series Thirtysomehing. After that she worked more in TV than film up to 2020. She ha been married six times.

Teri Austin ( as Karen )

Sex : No

Death : Killed by  Cain offscreen after being chloroformed

Teri is from Toronto and came to prominence in the mid-eighties as Jill Bennett in the TV series Knots Landing .Her career after that was mainly on TV. In 2001 she  retired to become a full time animal activist, setting up the Amanda Foundation.

Gabrielle Carteris ( as Nan )

Sex : No

Death : Stabbed in the chest by Cain

Gabrielle was born in Arizona and first appeared on TV in 1987. She achieved fame in Beverley Hills 90210 though  she lied to get the part, being much older than her character. This was her second film and she has been much more active on TV than in films. From 2016 to 2021, she was President of oe of the major acting unions.

Kathleen Callan ( as Emma )

Sex : No

Death : Dies of heart failure in hospital

This was Kathleen's only screen role.

784 Split Second (1992)

 This  Anglo-American co-production mashes up the science fiction, monster movie and  buddy  cop genres with unconvincing  results. Set in the near future/recent  past -2008 - in a mildly-flooded and rat-infested London  Rutger Hauer  is Harley Stone, a half-insane cop chasing a serial killer who killed his partner. He is assigned  Dick Durkin ( Neil Duncan) an inexperienced academic as his new partner  by his barely-acknowledged superior (Alun Armstrong)  and they eventually  realise their  quarry is not exactly human. Nothing really hangs together. Despite the odd flash of wit in their exchanges , the  development of the two men's relationship is no more  believable than the rubber suited monster who can tie knots despitte having huge claws for hands. The plot is illogical and the world-setting half-hearted at best.

Kim Cattrall ( as Michelle )

Sex : Michelle has been having an affair with Harley 

Death : Survives

Kim  was  born in Liverpool but the family emigrated to Canada when she was still a baby. She studied  drama in both London and New York and made her film debut in the action thriller Rosebud in 1978. For the next few years she alternated bewtween Canadian films and frequent guest star roles in popular US TV series (Logan's Run, Starsky and Hutch, The Incredible Hulk, Charlie's Angels). She made more impact in US films in the eighties with the lead female role in Mannequin probably the pinnacle of her film career. Her star was fading in the nineties until Sex  And  The  City in 1998 spectacularly  reignited her  career. She  is  still very active.

Tina Shaw  (as nightclub stripper)

Sex : She reveals her breasts during her routine

Death : Survives

Tina  was a bit part actress active  since 1986 who often played strippers. This was her final screen appearance.