Review of Hellraiser (1987) by Emily H — 31 Jul 2014

A far from perfect but none the less, daunting, iconic and totally ahead of its time. Hellraiser follows a family with a troubled past to a new home and hopefully a new life. When it turns out Larry, the husband of Julia, has a brother, who has mysteriously went missing, but has went a realm beyond and has a vendictive plot to become human again.

The concept is magical, Clive Barker really ramps his story and imagination up to 10 in order to get such an iconic image for the film industry. However as cult classic and essential it may seem, Hellraiser is far from the masterpiece you would expect it to be, yes the guts, gore and body mod is definately striking and holds its own, even after 20 years, but its the films rushed feel, pacing and ultimately lact luster minor decisions that leave this film being short of a masterpiece rating.

The acting for the most part is there, but mainly its the script that carries through. The practical effects are also of their time and very effective, giving modern day horror movies a real run for their money.

Its just that Hellraiser feels like it should be much more. I know Pinhead was never intended to be such the iconic character as he became and that Clive was severley under budget but, this is dare I say it, one film in dire need of a good quality remake, by people who care for the fans.

Its a strong piece of visual cinema and helped sculp the horror movie into what it is today, but I cant help but feel that barkers mind had a fuller, violent and depraved image while making.