I have to agree. That film is my least favorite in that series because it feels like a cheat. If you knock off Halloween III however, it is actually a really good movie. I definitely agree they should have just released it as Season of the Witch. As for the topic, there are no horror films that I can think of that I hated when I first saw them, but love now.

Considering that from halfway through part III and onward, they're pretty shitty. The first two are akin to a Ingmar Bergman film comparatively. lol

Personally, I loved the first one. Thought the second one was really good, but not near as good as the first. The third one was pretty good, I would say about as good as the second (I especially like when Pinhead goes into the church, that is pretty funny). As for the rest, they are not really that good, I still watch them from time to time though. I will say the exception would be Inferno, which I thought was really good.

I loved the first two. Especially the second one. The special effects were awesome, and the visual motif was perfect. The third one was okay, all of Pinheads lines were awesome, but it fell into absurdity in its last half hour which was a bit inconsistent in my eyes. From there on, it just got worse and worse. I think that Inferno would have faired better if it were a standalone film, not linked in any way to the Hellraiser series. Alot like Halloween III.

I definitely agree that Hellraiser III was sort of on a different plain than the first two. I think what I liked most about the third film was Pinhead's lines. I agree about what you said about Inferno, but I will say that I really do enjoy Inferno. Honestly, when I watch Halloween III, I just try to forget that it is in the Halloween series. I do the same with Inferno.

I still have Inferno in my collection (it came in a 3 pack with III and Bloodlines) so I'll definitely re-watch it sometime.