Hellraiser (1987)
"It will tear your soul apart . . . "
Allegedly once called Sadomasochists From Beyond the Grave
and based on the book The Hellbound Heart, Clive Barkers Hellraiser
was one of the first of a very small group of intelligent horror
films that went beyond the usual amusing slasher flicks of the
80s.
Hellraiser didn't rely on the shock, 'made-you-jump'
scares of the Freddie's and Jason's of the 80s, but was a very
unsettling look at the nature of desire and pain.
When Larry Cotton inherits a family home, he finds his brother
Frank had been there before him. A minor accident spills some of
Larry's blood in the room from which Frank disappeared - giving
him the chance to come back and escape those who took him to hell
- the Cenobites.
Frank may be back, but he's missing some fairly vital parts of
his body - like skin. But Larry's wife is all too willing to help
him get some, and evade the Cenobites who would take him back.
Stunning special effects by Image Animation and brilliant
acting by Doug Bradley as the "Lead Cenobite" (who would
later become known as 'Pinhead') make this film stand out.
Yes, there is a huge gore factor, and you can't help but wince
at the scenes that involve hooks and chains, but the Cenobites are
amazing creations. As Bob Keen of Image Animation said "There
would have been a way to portray a man with pins in his head and a
big bloody mess, but you wouldn't have wanted to look at it, our
way you have the geometry of the design drawing you in."
Another draw of Hellraiser is the whole mythos of the
story. So much is implied, and you get the impression there is a
lot more to the Cenobites than the fact they are psychos or out
for revenge like so many other horror movie monsters. They have
their own history and their own laws (which have been further
explored in subsequent films and comics) of which there are
hundreds.
To call the Cenobites, you must open the Lament Configuration -
A puzzle box. Open it, and they will come for you. Didn't know
what the box was? Tough! Don't fancy an eternity having bits
pulled off you in hell? Shame . . .
The film isn't perfect though, as Clive Barker himself will
tell you (If you ask him nicely). It does suffer from not being
sure where it's set. A lot of the cast are American, but the
landmarks are most definitely British, and the house was in Dollis
Hill, North London.
A 1988 sequel, Hellbound : Hellraiser 2 picks up
right after the end of Hellraiser with Kirsty waking up in
a psychiatric hospital under the care of Dr. Chanard. Hellbound
takes the original's premise and expands on it, realising the
disturbing and visionary hell that only Barker could create.
Ashley Laurence reprises her role as Kirsty, the only one to
defeat the Cenobites.
Further sequels followed in 1992 (Hellraiser III : Hell on
Earth), 1996 (Hellraiser - Bloodline), 2000 (Hellraiser
- Inferno) and 2002 (Hellraiser: Hellseeker). Hellraiser
is now available as a really cool box set with two of the sequels
and a load of interviews.
The budget of this movie was $1,000,000. It earned about
$20,000,000. It was the directing debut of Barker, who made only
two short films before.
Ian Eames
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