Review of Hellraiser (1987) by Rob C — 26 Apr 2012

Director Clive Barker is the master of his craft. Doug Bradley as the lead Cenobite, Pinhead, gave me nightmares as a child, so much in fact that I wanted to be him when I got older. Weird complex, huh? I'm rating this film from my nostalgia point of view as a child.

Even now when I view this film, it still brings me back to my childhood sitting in front of the television wondering if this world Barker created was real or just an illusion. The creepy atmosphere surrounding Hellraiser is demanding of your fears, with the power of the film coming from it's characters; namely the Cenobites.

These otherworldly beings were neither good nor evil, in which Pinhead stated, but explorers in the further regions of experience. They can either bring you pain or pleasure, it varies for many. This type of information makes you wonder on whether how much pain or what kind of pleasure these beings can introduce to you.

But, the horror surrounding this film only shows the pain they dish out, so the pleasure part becomes irelevant. The lighting distributed gives you that spine-tingling feeling as the gore factor resonates the time of it's creation, being a bit dated, but still fantastic---Uncle Frank's resurrection being one of the standout scenes in the film.

Hellraiser is a Pandora's Box-like tale of horrific proportions; the chills from this film are a welcomed treat. One of the best horror films Clive Barker ever directed.