Hellraiser Puzzle Box [1987] [DVD]

This box set, (quite literally a box), gives Hellraiser fans like me everything they could ask for from the first three movies, including the totally uncut version if ever they were censored in any ways, (the amusing director to the third movie showed appreciation when a head exploded, as this was previous cut out of the video version; I must note that the goriest parts of the films are quite a bit more disturbing now that they are uncut.. particularly in the second movie, with at least two obviously uncut versions of scenes). Anything you could ever need to know about the first three movies, (let's face it, the only three that most Hellraiser fans could care less about), is all here, with ample commentary and interviews, and uncut movies. The box is also extremely good value for money, given that the first three disks at least are more/much more feature-packed than most other standalone dvd's are, and even for three great dvd's this would be excellent value for money, but then there is the fourth disk with even more stuff on it).

The film is no stranger to most people. Based on Clive Barker's brilliant novella The Hellbound Heart, it is a simple story of selling your soul to the Devil - or in this case the Cenobites who are masters in body reconfiguration and refined pain and pleasure. But it goes deeper than those things but I'll let you watch it yourself. Visually, I'm convinced it's one of the greatest films ever made - the image of the lead Cenobite, whose head is a geometric network of squares intersected at each apex by a nicely driven pin, is just brilliant stuff. He represents pain and pleasure. No other film possesses such a unique vision. You'll really see nothing else like it, and for that reason alone you need to get it.

Unfortunately, Hellraiser fails in storyline and acting. Clive Barker is a brilliant writer - anyone who's read his books knows that - but as a scriptwriter he's lame. The dialogue is horrible in this and even more horribly delivered by actors who are unbelievably wooden (with the exception of the excellent Kirsty and Pinhead). There are some unforgettable one-liners from Pinhead but the script otherwise is annoyingly bad. It just doesn't seem to flow.

What's more, the last fifteen minutes of the film are just plain terrible. Like the house, the story just completely falls apart into mindless oblivion. When Kirsy's friend (or is it boyfriend?) comes into the house and suddenly becomes part of the fight without blinking an eyelid. I hate stuff like that. It's like they've worked hard on the first hour of the film but got incredibly lazy which is why we're ill-rewarded with a really crap ending.

That's why it only gets four stars in my books, but I can put those things aside because it's visually amazing, especially on a large screen and on DVD. Just a shame about the ending, script and acting. I nearly gave three stars cos of that but I didn't have the heart to. If you haven't seen it,then do cos you'll be missing out.

For those who want more of the Cenobites (who don't feature a great deal in this), then check out Hellbound: Hellraiser 2. But please don't watch the third one because it's a joke.