Review of Hellraiser (1987) by Zachary H — 01 Aug 2011
Acting as my favorite horror movie, Hellraiser has that weird but good combination of horror and disgust. While the story of the film is surprisingly complex and interesting, it isn't really delved into until the sequels and it is a weak pay-off.
The strength of this movie is in its ability to explore the themes of pain and pleasure while obviously showing graphic depictions of violence and gore. WHile we surely wouldn't enjoy being torn apart by hooks, this film compares it to poking at injuries and scabs when you were a child and making you realize that maybe pain is just a kind of pleasure threshold that (once crossed) can become ecstasy.
It is a chilling movie with great performances (certainly better than a horror movie called Hellraiser by a man who is directing his first feature really calls for). Balancing terror, disgust, horror, pain, and pleasure, Hellraiser is a crowd pleaser that never disappoints.
This review of Hellraiser (1987) was written by Zachary H on 01 Aug 2011.
Hellraiser has generally received positive reviews.
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