Hellraiser [DVD] [1987]

Hellraiser is an extreme horror lover's dream come true. Clive Barker's unique vision marked a virtual rebirth of the genre at a time when slasher sequels were the fun, yet predictable, norm. Although the premiere setting for viewing this movie is a crowded theater of screamers (and sick puppies like myself who find humor in gore), one can still achieve a quite satisfactory effect watching this movie alone in the dark. Some horror creators rely on blood and gore for its own sake, others rely on the story itself to produce the desired effect. Clive Barker is one of the few horror geniuses who can make copious amounts of gore an integral and necessary part of the story. Hellraiser can be deliciously gross, so those with weak stomachs should beware. It features rats; decayed, maggot-infested meat; and copious amounts of blood--and that's just the teaser. Later there are acts of cold-blooded murder, human dismemberment by arrays of chains, a partially formed, pus-dripping, oozing carcass, and then the incredible Cenobites themselves.

The movie at its simplest level is a retelling of a story that goes back to Goethe's Doctor Faustus and beyond--when you sell your soul to evil forces, you will regret it. Frank Cotton is a despicable, uncaring man who has grown bored with life's most extreme pleasures. When he hears about and eventually acquires a puzzle box which can open the door to a new world of perverse pleasures, he finds out that one man's pleasure is another man's pain under the tutelage of the Cenobites. Somehow, he manages to escape the other world, and when his brother's blood is spilled in his chamber of horrors, his body begins to reform itself. More blood is required to complete the job, and his brother's wife Julia supplies it by picking up men at bars and bringing them home for Frank's nourishment. The prim and proper Julia was ravaged by Frank soon before her wedding to Frank's brother Larry, and she enjoyed the experience so much that she will do anything to get Frank restored to vaguely human-looking life. Larry's daughter Kirsty, played by Ashley Laurence in her motion picture debut, discovers what is going on and manages to get her hands on the puzzle box. When she is introduced to the Cenobites, the fun truly begins.

The Hellraiser series degraded into a sad mimicry of itself in later movies, but the original vision personally sculpted by the masterly hands of writer and director Clive Barker is a horror masterpiece. The Cenobites are one of the most unusual, fascinating "bad guys" ever dreamed up in the imagination of man. They really don't appear too often in this film, and Pinhead (played by the great Doug Bradley) is never referred to by this name even in the credits. When they do appear, with Pinhead enunciating such great statements as "No tears, please. It is just a waste of good suffering" and "We will tear your soul apart," they are truly horrifying, mysterious, and larger than life. Less is definitely more when it comes to the prominence of Pinhead and his demonic associates in the movie.

Those who dislike horror probably have sense enough to stay clear of Hellraiser. Those of us who revel in extreme horror delight in watching it. If you are an intermediate-level horror fan initiated by the Scream and Freddy/Michael/Jason movies, here is your chance to really test your horror mettle.

Being a fan of horror films is a frustrating thing. There are hundreds of horror films out there and I guarantee you that the vast majority are utter, indefensible tosh. ‘Hellraiser’ though, is very much the exception. It is one of the very few horror films I’ve seen that genuinely conveys a sense of the horrific and, if watched in the right circumstances, can genuinely disturb. It is interesting that writer/director Clive Barker managed to improve on the novella from which the film was based (‘The Hellbound Heart’), as, as any fan of Barker will tell you, his books are simply fantastic – astonishingly inventive and twisted flights of fancy shot through with often darkly beautiful prose. As it is this tale lends itself nicely to the film format and against the odds improves upon the book.
The Cenobites are now well established within the pantheon of ‘classic’ horror icons – deservedly so. Sadly due to the success of the first film there have been a succession of sequels with increasingly diminishing returns and, crucially, a complete lack of the ‘grubby’ feel of the original (‘Hellraiser 2’ is still better than most horror licks that have been churned out in the last ten years though).
Unlike a lot of films that came from the same era and increasingly after (‘Nightmare on Elm Street’ for example), the film is refreshingly free of ‘irony’, which to my mind has been used over the years as a lazy directorial and script device to disguise the fact that ‘straight’ horror is hard to pull off without it seeming in some way comical (it’s so much easier for the lazy and unimaginative director to throw in a few self-referential and knowing gags and plot devices lifted from countless other films). For me ‘irony’ and ‘cool’ has caused the death of horror films (‘Buffy’ and ‘Angel’ typify this continuing trend).
That said ‘Hellraiser’ is still not without its lighter, albeit rather grim, moments – there are laughs to be had, but not at the expense of the films greater ambitions: to take you to a genuinely unpleasant place…
In short, one of the finest atmospheric fantasy-horror films ever.
NB: If you can find the time read Clive Barker’s ‘Weaveworld’ (all his books are awesome –in the literal sense- but this one is truly exceptional. Trust me). Now if only they could make a film of THAT!

Frank(Sean Chapman)has purchased a small puzzle box-the Lament Configuration Box- and summons the "Cenobites",physically & mentally deformed inhabitants from another dimension.Led by Doug Bradley`s Pinhead,their guiding principle of "pain as pleasure" sees them endlessly rip & flay Frank`s body to shreds with their infernal torture devices. When his brother Larry cuts his hand & blood seeps through the floorboards nourishing & re-invigorating Frank`s torn remains, a means of escape opens up for him. But he needs lots more blood to live again & for his shredded carcass to be whole. He persuades his brother`s wife & former lover Julia(Claire Higgins), to lure men back to the house & butcher them. Unfortunately, Pinhead & his minions won`t give him up that easily & follow him into this world to re-claim his body. Directed by the author, Clive Barker, Hellraiser is full of disturbing & graphic images of violence, terror & sadistic pain. The special effects still retain the power to shock & turn the stomach in their visceral intensity. Pinhead is a malignant, elegantly sinister & evil character who dominates every scene he`s in. Unnatural & terrifying, Doug Bradley`s Lord of Pain dominates all around him. Having seen the U.S. disc, I think the Blu-ray picture & extras are excellent for a movie of this vintage & see no reason why the U.K. disc will be any different. The acting, special effects, script & direction elevate this movie above it`s rivals. If you`ve got the stomach to watch the gore, Hellraiser is an outstanding horror movie that raises the infliction & depiction of extreme pain to an art form. Highly recommended.