Review of Hellraiser (1987) by Victor T — 09 Jul 2017

Throughout the history of horror films there have being iconic villains that have haunted moviegoer's dreams for decades: Freddy Kruger, Jason Voorhees, Leatherface, Michael Myers/The Shape, the Xenomorph, etc. However in the huge pantheon of horror icons lies an often overlook gang: Pinhead and the Cenobites. Does the Cenobites deserve more recognition than they get?

Frank is sociopath that buys a mysterious box from a sex shop under the promise it will deliver pleasure unlike any other. However what Frank doesn´t know is that the box is actually a portal to hellish realm where pleasure and pain are one and the same.

Since "Halloween", the horror genre has been criticized for focusing on gore and makeup rather than story, characters or style, and while filmmakers like Carpenter or Cronenberg have proven this wrong, Clive Barker´s directorial debut is the embodiment of those accusations. "Hellraiser" has all the trademarks of a second rate horror movie: Horrendous acting that´s either hammy or deadpan, a nonsensical story that leaves the door open for a sequel, uninteresting and disposable characters and a good amount of gore. However Barker´s directorial debut has two elements that make it stand out: Cool looking makeup on its villains and a disgusting but interesting concept at the center of it. Out of the four Cenobites we get, three of them look absolutely disgusting and terrifying (they undeniably deserve a place in the horror pantheon just by their looks alone), and the idea of focusing on sadomasochism as a weapon of destruction is disturbing but quite fascinating. But sadly, this film fails to live up to its premise. Excluding the already mentioned Cenobites, the special effects and make look so dated that they come off as cheesy and Barker´s direction is so amateur that not only does the film lack any style whatsoever but at times the editing makes some scenes feel disconnected from the previous one.

"Hellraiser" is a dated horror film that's filled with incredible and peculiar horror ideas but sadly they aren´t well executed. Clive Barker shows that he´s a noteworthy horror writer but an amateur director that lacks vision. While it is easy to understand its cult appeal, this is a dated and barely mediocre body horror film.