Review of Hellraiser (1987) by Aaron N — 14 Oct 2009

Kirsty Cotton: Who are you?

Lead Cenobite: Explorers in the further regions of experience. Demons to some. Angels to others.

From Clive Barker, this is a very sick and twisted horror film that brings nightmares to life. That is a fairly generous opening sentence, which makes the film sound better than it is. While certainly gorey, the film is not too scary. The story is ludicrous, however the redeeming factor comes from some of the ingenious work made possible by cool looking practical effects.

Lead Cenobite: No tears, please. It's a waste of good suffering.

A couple has moved into a house in New York. The couple consists of Larry and Julia. Julia is Larry's second wife. Julia once had an affair with Larry's dead brother Frank. Larry also has a daughter, Kirsty, from his first marriage, who lives in the city. How do all these things connect you ask?

Well, a mysterious cube, said to be the source of unbearable pain as well as unbearable pleasure was responsible for Frank's death. Of course, Frank died none other than in the very house Larry and Julia (who remember slept with Frank) have moved into. Soon, after an accident, blood is spilled in the attic, where Frank died I guess, which somehow brings him back to life. However, not completely, he sort of forms just enough bone and tissue to be around, but not whole.

Soon, Frank comes into contact with Julia and because of her undying attraction to Frank, she agrees to help Frank collect victims to help him reform his body, as long as the evil spirits behind "the box" don't find out about this.

Lead Cenobite: We'll tear your soul apart!

I hope this plot synopsis was helpful, because beyond the iconic Pinhead character, I had no idea what this movie was about and certainly did not expect what came out of it. The story is ludicrous. The actors get by, some better than others. Its really the production value that lets this movie get by.

While I don't follow Clive Barker's work very closely, what I know about him is his obsession with the dream/nightmare world. He does a lot here, on a fairly low budget, to try and bring theses aspects to life. Bringing forth a lot of abstract character and gore designs to make some memorably gruesome images.

So with all the ups and downs, I still found entertainment value in this film. The use of practical effects was a big plus. There are some fairly ingenious gore sequences in this film, particularly the resurrection of Frank towards the beginning. The very cheesy 80s feel of the film was certainly a plus as well. Christopher Young's orchestral horror soundtrack was also welcome.

By no means a classic to revisit, this is still a film made to be viewed nowadays with friends to celebrate its combination of gore effects and cheesiness.

Kirsty Cotton: You can go to Hell!

Female Cenobite: We can't. Not alone.