TR reviews horror franchises: "Hellraiser"

[Lick Ness Monster]

HELLRAISER
1987
Director: Clive Barker

I'm back...after a three month layoff from these reviews, just in case five people noticed. ;D

At the time this movie was released and Clive Barker was set to make his directorial and screenwriting debut, he was a huge name, being called "the future of horror" by no less than Stephen King himself. Barker's writing style in his "Books of Blood" were indeed a breath of fresh air; while other writers had beaten the "horrors of suburbia and everyday life" template into the ground a la King, Barker preferred a more artful approach, exploring the themes of pain and pleasure and some of the most gruelingly descriptive gore scenes in the history of literature (I'll never be able to forget the secret of the "Midnight Meat Train" - I HOPE they get that movie right).
So here we are - "Hellraiser," based on Barker's novella "The Hellbound Heart." Once again, Barker didn't disappoint, with a strikingly, artfully created modern horror classic. In fact, when paired with the following two movies in the franchise, this movie takes on the tone of tragic back story with its use of flashbacks and expertly used details to set up the following story.
Frank Cotton (Sean Chapman) leads a life looking for one thing - pleasure. While he thinks he has found it with his numerous trysts, he seeks the ultimate pleasure - found in a small, innocent-looking puzzle box legendary for its supposed power to grant the holder their deepest, darkest wishes. In an excellent use of symbolism, the box contains beings known as the "Cenobites" - eternal spirits decked out in S&M gear who come to represent the marriage of pleasure and pain. And ol' Frank has certainly got more than he bargained for with the Cenobites...
Months after Frank finds the box and seemingly disappears, the Cotton family moves into his old house. The wife, Julia (Clare Higgins) had an affair with Frank before marrying his brother, casting a strange promise to him and giving this story a strange yet somehow stirring undertone. While Frank's body appeared to be destroyed, his spirit lived underneath the floorboards of the room where he found the box. After some blood revives Frank's body, Julia goes body-hunting to revive Frank fully - and then the Cenobites come, and the real fun begins.
The Cenobites themselves rank among the best horror villains of all time. This movie, however, is MUCH more about story and humanity than the other films in the series, and indeed Pinhead (Doug Bradley) himself is only onscreen for a few minutes, and is credited only as "Lead Cenobite."
While the main hero character, Kirsty Cotton (Ashley Laurence), is a little weak, this is an insanely engaging story filled with some excellent music, more than a few memorable scenes, and some truly ingenius special effects. The final death of Frank is one of the most excruciating scenes in movie history.

*** 1/2 (out of four)

[B'Cup x]

I like the first one, The second one is ok, the third is shit awful

[Maidpool w/ Cleaning Action]

I love some Hellraiser. I want to get a box for decaration around my house. However, I want to get one that actually opens up and all... and if my friends ever play with it... I'm gonna plant meat hooks in them!

[Mister Pigwell]

Hellraiser is actually one of the only "Horror" movies that I can sit through without getting bored silly (the genre usually isn't my thing" and the entire series... even the bad ones never cease to entertain me in some way.


By far my favorite Horror Franchise that doesn't have comedic elements involved.

[Maidpool w/ Cleaning Action]

I love some horror movies Cornfed.

We aren't friends anymore.

[Mister Pigwell]

Ok. This is obviously a disagreement that can not be settled.

I propose a death fight to solve this. Car combat style.

[Maidpool w/ Cleaning Action]

I say we meet in 2 weeks, to get our cars ready. Obviously, a disagreement like this can only be settled by the likes of Calypso.

[Jiren]

I love the Hellraiser series 1 - 3 (They SUCK!!!! afterwards).

I have the Lament configuration box set.

[Maidpool w/ Cleaning Action]

What movies come in that box set, Doom?

[Jiren]

agentdeadpool said:

What movies come in that box set, Doom?

1, 2 & 3 aka The good ones ;D

III is bad but it's cheesy fun but the films after are just abysmal

[Mister Pigwell]

cropsy13 said:

agentdeadpool said:

What movies come in that box set, Doom?

1, 2 & 3 aka The good ones ;D

III is bad but it's cheesy fun but the films after are just abysmal

I disagree with that, a couple of the stand-alones I find to be unique and enjoyable from a brain f*** standpoint... but I can easily see how someone could rather hate them.

[Jiren]

valens said:

cropsy13 said:

1, 2 & 3 aka The good ones ;D

III is bad but it's cheesy fun but the films after are just abysmal

I disagree with that, a couple of the stand-alones I find to be unique and enjoyable from a brain smurf standpoint... but I can easily see how someone could rather hate them.

I just thought they were atrocious

And i like bad movies (I have a soft spot for Battlefield Earth)

[Maidpool w/ Cleaning Action]

I like... one or two of the last ones, as stand alones as C-Fed said. Not so much within context of the series.

[CJ Denton is Egon]

I only saw the first one myself, and not much of it, but I did like that it was good horror, not cheap scares, gore thats so common today. Also, Cenobites are the best horror monsters ever.

[plushtar]

You can tell where Barker leaves the series. It's a shame that whoever greenlights films doesen't really appreciate Barker's creativity by making the Cenobites into the villains instead of the freaks who play with the box.

[Jiren]

I'm actually looking forward to the remake

Hopefully Barker can fix this mess of a series

[Lick Ness Monster]

Like I said - I STILL don't get why everybody just thinks III is so God-awful. When I get to it, I'll hopefully explain it better, but the third one just has this feeling about it. Yeah, parts of it are cheesy (like some of the Cenobites - the CD and flamer ones, particularly), but that one just feels so much BIGGER than the other movies in the series.

cropsy13 said:

I'm actually looking forward to the remake

Hopefully Barker can fix this mess of a series

I too am looking forward to the remake. Really, the only reason I didn't give the original "Hellraiser" four stars is because of the acting - hopefully, if they can get better actors for the lead roles, and with Barker in charge, it will be even better.

HOPEFULLY - because we know how horror remakes usually go.

[Lick Ness Monster]

HELLBOUND: HELLRAISER II
1988
Director: Tony Randel

With a story by Clive Barker himself and an excellent Peter Atkins script, this might very well be one of the best horror sequels of all time.
Even better, this is indeed a TRUE sequel. Characters are furthered, new chess pieces are introduced, and several of the same themes (sex & pain, what hell really is, moral dilemmas and choices, etc.) are explored more deeply. In short, this is an awesome movie.
The plot, briefly: Kirsty (Ashley Laurence - much better in this film than the last) is in a mental institution after the events of the first film. In the film's only real logical flaw that I noticed, her ward at the institution, Dr. Channard, is extremely interested in the occult and the Lament Configuration. A little convenient, but we can get past it. Remembering how her uncle Frank (Sean Chapman - not the greatest actor, but what an awesome character Frank is) was revived after opening the box and meeting those deadly cenobites, she remembers the bed that Julia died on.
The Dr. Channard character sets the plot in motion. After reviving Julia, Dr. Channard shows that he is just as perverse and morally corrupt as Frank - perhaps even moreso. This character seems fascinated by, and almost turned on by, ANY act of evil. Channard, in this excellent original story arc of "Hellraiser," represents absolute evil, and in act of evil greater than anything a character does in the first film, he sacrifices an entire room of patients to fully revive Julia and achieve the ultimate pleasure of finding the puzzle box.
Another cog in this film's plot is Tiffany, a puzzle expert also under Channard's care, and his key to finding what he deems to be his ticket to paradise. And all the while, Kirsty attempts to right the situation - but the Cenobites have a score to settle with Kirsty...
The final thirty minutes of this movie is some pretty kickass awesome stuff. All of the events of the first two films built up to it - with the return of Frank, the final confrontation between Julia, Frank and Kirsty, Pinhead himself remembering his past and achieving semi-redemption, and a truly evil character threatening them all.
Absolutely unforgettable film, great horror as well as great symbolism and morality lessons. One of the five movies that I watch every Halloween day, as well.

**** (out of four)

[Mister Pigwell]

Aww there we go... easily my favorite of the series.

[Lick Ness Monster]

cropsy13 said:

I love the Hellraiser series 1 - 3 (They SUCK!!!! afterwards).

I have the Lament configuration box set.

People always talk about this - is this only available in the U.K., because I can never seem to locate it on Amazon.