Dir: Clive Barker
Cast: Andrew Robinson, Clare Higgins, Ashley
Laurence, Sean Chapman, Robert Hines,
Doug Bradley, Oliver Smith
Rated R, Approx: 91 minutes
Anchor Bay Entertainment, Video & DVD
Human Condition...and One Hell of a Gore Flick to Boot...
author himself. Written for the screen and directed by Barker (in his directorial debut), Hellraiser is a heavy film
experience. An intense tale of twisted family secrets, sexual desire and an emphasis on sadomasochistic desires,
Barker's film was a modest box office success. Earning mixed reviews from critics but striking a real chord with horror
fans, the film became an immediate cult sensation with genre audiences. A film that happens to have a train of
sequels in tow can often turn off people, but Hellraiser's impact hasn't been dulled by the roman numerals, it
remains a thoroughly fascinating, entirely gruesome fairy tale.
Cotton (Andrew Robinson and Clare Higgins) move back into the Cotton family home, it revives a series of shameful
memories in Julia. It seems that before their wedding, Julia had an affair with Larry's brother, sleazy drifter Frank. As
the couple moves into the house, Frank returns as a shriveled corpse and almost immediately, preys on Julia's
emotional weakness, coaxing her into luring 'blood sacrifices' back to the house. Julia seduces a string of men and
brutally murders them so Frank can feast on the corpses and eventually, become flesh and blood again. When
Larry's twenty something daughter Kirsty (Ashley Laurence) accidentally stumbles firstly upon Julia's killing spree and
secondly, upon the existence of Frank, both she and her father become targets of the twisted duo. Kirsty gets hold
of Frank's strange puzzle box and manages to open it unwittingly unleashing the Cenobites, bizarre 'demon-like'
creatures who thrive on pain and pleasure, bent on exploring and unlocking the "secrets of the flesh." When these
creatures attempt to thrust Kirsty into her own personal hell, she tells these demons about Frank's escape from
them. This builds to a bizarre, nightmarish and gruesome conclusion where Kirsty attempts to deliver Frank to the
Cenobites in an effort to save her very soul.
well-written characters for this film and ties them all together with uncommonly clear relationships and motivations.
One of Barker's most common literary themes is the dark side of humanity, that is to say humankind's lust for flesh
and power. It's conveyed perfectly in this film within the characters. Their depth is the center of the film, infused with
several terribly abstract and abnormal situations; the film is given its nightmarish feel. Adding to the atmosphere is
some beautiful photography and some wonderfully unique locations that also contribute to the uneasiness of the film.
Horror fans will find much to savor in these respects as well as the gore factor, another field in which Barker proves
he's no slouch.
hammer killings and skinless people are only some of the gruesome sights to be encountered in this film. The effects
team, headed up by supervisor Bob Keen are effectively convincing, faltering just a bit in the guise of 'The Engineer',
a rubbery creature guarding one of hell's corridors. That creature falls short of believability, but lambasting the brief
appearance of one creature is carping. When dealing with grisly killings and the sight of other creatures,
Hellraiser's effects team pull off some true magic. The make-up for the Cenobites are quite macabre, and provide
for some of the most unforgettable visuals you'll ever see in a film; coupled with some unflinching murders, there are
moments in this film that are truly uncomfortable, making the finished effect of this horror film even more powerful.
talented performers and some spectacular splatter, Barker has made the best fairy tale of the 1980's, complete with
the wicked stepmother and all the fixings (twisted of course, to tailor Barker's style). Horror fans will love it of course,
but even those just looking for a brilliant, different kind of film to watch, should find much to savor here. It's
interesting to note, that the film's poster boy and sequel regular, Pinhead (Doug Bradley, right, who shines in the role
and would return to play the character in every sequel) has a very limited amount of screen time, a time that would
increase over the next three films only to be reduced once again in the fourth sequel. Hellbound: Hellraiser II
(although Barker wouldn't direct, he wrote the story) followed one year later and is a film well worth checking out for
fans of this original masterpiece.
* * * * * out of 5
Reviewed by Matt Serafini 1/26/02
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