MPAA Rating: R/ Genre: Horror/Stars: Clare Higgins, Ashley Laurence, Andrew Robinson, Sean Chapman, Robert Hines, Doug Bradley, Nicholas Vince, Simon Bamford, Grace Kirby, Oliver Smith/ Runtime: 93 minutes
…..Well that was intense. Indeed if you want something that could easily be one of the horror genre’s textbook examples of how hardcore they could take something then look no further than Hellraiser. Indeed I say this because, despite being in possession of a easy-to-follow narrative, Hellraiser is a movie that is completely overwhelmed by its potent, graphic, and quite unnerving visual work. In addition this is also a film that, while most definitely not being a film for either the weak-of-stomach or those who prefer their horror films to be more tame in nature, is an uncompromising, gonzo to the max, almost grindhouse-level film that features everything from organs all over the place, horrifying and unnerving creatures, and icky torture equipment utilized to maximum apprehensible and skin-ripping efficiency in horrific detail. Yet even though it came out during the era where the slice-and-dice horror films were a dime-a-dozen, Hellraiser manages to choose a distinct and novel approach in how it does things. An approach that involves grabbing audiences by the hand and helping them navigate a road of terror beyond words, where agony and ecstasy are one and the same, where horror knows no limits, and where the grisly becomes either a work of art or a nightmare that will chill you to the bone and tear your soul apart.
The plot is as follows: Hellraiser starts off by introducing us to a man by the name of Frank. This is a man who, in addition to being the man the Lord must’ve been thinking of when he gave humanity the words “amoral”, “evil”, and “jerk” and not necessarily in that order, is also a guy who loves finding experiences of an….unusual or distinct nature. It is to that end that Frank, when the film opens, is in the concluding stages of purchasing an unusual-looking puzzle box from a shady dealer. It is through this box that Frank manages to come into….we’ll call it “contact” for lack of a better word with a group of beings known as the Cenobites. A group we soon learn are a group of macabre-looking ambassadors from a dimension where agony and ecstasy are one and the same. Yet they are also a group that, upon Frank solving their puzzle box, “reward” him by unleashing their nightmarish torture devices upon him and tear his physical body to shreds as if it were nothing, but paper and take him away. Following this quite surreal experience, we then watch as Frank’s brother Larry and his wife Julia are in the final stages of moving into the old house where Frank had, unbeknownst to them, been living when he summoned the Cenobites and they took him away. However when Larry badly cuts his hand and his blood falls on the attic floor, it inadvertently provides Frank’s physical form the opportunity to regenerate….to an extent. It isn’t long before he confronts Julia, whom he had an affair with at one time, in his new form and makes a request of her. He would like her to use her beauty and powers of seduction to obtain for him a series of victims so that he may use their blood to revitalize his own, and thus get out of the Cenobites’ grasp forever. Suffice it to say that this is a request which Julia, who has always loved Frank more than his dolt of a brother, is eagerly willing to accept. To that end, and while Larry is at work, she begins seducing men and bringing them back to the house and…..you can figure out the rest. However, as Frank begins to regain his composition for lack of a better word, an unexpected wrinkle pops up in he and Julia’s plan. A wrinkle that takes the form of Larry’s daughter Kristy returning home to see her dad and beginning to suspect that something isn’t quite right. Thus it is up to the ruthless and determined to retrieve their captive Cenobites, led by the imposing Pinhead along with Kristy herself to thwart Frank and his desire to cheat his menacing and other dimensional captors and come back to our world no matter what the cost…..
Now the primary reason that this film manages to be such a stand-out, even when compared to its peers from the 80’s, is because of the concepts that this one presents audiences with. Indeed within one film, Barker manages to thread together the ideas of love, passionate lust, and obviously, agony and ecstasy, into a narrative involving terrifying beings and torn-up flesh and these are what really make the film work on the level that it does. This is because we find ourselves actually caring about these people and what occurs to them because of the beings that Barker puts in their path. Indeed it has always been fairly obvious in many respects that this film is significantly better than the vast majority of the schlocky section of the horror film world. Another area where this film truly soars is in the special effects work particularly with regard to the effects done on the character of Frank. Indeed they are absolutely incredible and honestly offer up grade-A proof for real make-up work trumping solidly a lot of other films that use CGI while also providing evidence that a low budget can be overcome if one has creativity. Not only that, but the movie, thankfully, never goes completely over the top with either effects work or gore to the point that everything in the movie is there because it needs to be. Yet even though non-horror films may try to dismiss this by calling “idiotic” or “too bloody”, I would like to point out that this film is different from all of that. I say that because this film is based on a truly original and unique concept that also has quite the grisly romance thrown in for good measure. Indeed suffice it to say therefore that this is one film which has been skillfully and masterfully crafted and handled.
Now it is quite often a fact that when a writer decides to take on directorial duties for an adaptation of their work, it usually guarantees that the source material will get treated properly. Suffice it to say this is, for the most part, true in this as well even though a few things, mostly revolving around the characters of Larry and Kristy. Yet if I am being honest I think the only aspect that really irked me was what Barker does with the film’s conclusion. To be fair, it very well could be attributed to the era in which the film was created, but it just feels like they provided an ending that feels slapped on compared to the ending in the source material which was perfectly balanced in that it only hints at a follow-up while also wrapping things up to the extent that the reader is happy. In this film however, we have a schlocky in every sense of the word conclusion that is engaging, but withdraws from the closed-in mood that Barker had spent the entire movie constructing. Indeed this was his debut as a film director and trust me when I say that it is quite obvious that this is the case. Nevertheless Barker actually manages to utilize his shooting locales quite effectively and even though his camerawork sometimes feels closed-in and restricted, Barker manages to blend it with the tragic nature of the score wonderfully, and together they really aid the film in the construction of its wonderful yet convincing atmosphere.
Finally I would also like to point out that this movie also distinguishes itself from the vast majority of other horror flicks made in the 80’s due to the fact that the cast in this is actually a talented group of thespians. Indeed you may have come to believe that only over-the-top or cheesy acting could be in this kind of movie, but not so in this case. Yet even though the whole cast manages to do wonderful work, especially Clare Higgins having a blast as Julia, Hellraiser nevertheless manages to sport a dynamic duo of pretty decent turns that manage to raise both the film and the group of characters within. The first of these is Andrew Robinson as Larry and he does wonderful work at portraying an eternal optimist of a man who is so consumed with seeing the good in the world that he fails to see the evil headed right for him and his family. Yet as the movie goes along, it is most definitely worth noting that his role in the proceedings is thrown for a serious curve, and yet Robinson rises to the challenge and manages to make the necessary changes as needed for the part. Taking the show away from him and everyone else singlehandedly however would have to be none other than Doug Bradley as Pinhead in a role that, despite being low in terms of screen-time is nevertheless high in striking fear into the audience watching. Indeed Pinhead may not be as known as say is Jason, Freddy, or Michael, but I guarantee you that he is just as unnerving, ruthless, and horrifying in equal measure. Indeed Bradley manages to combine the elegance of Dracula with the terrifying and otherworldly build of Frankenstein’s monster in order to conjure up a pitch-black, unnerving, and very horrifying horror icon. An icon that also makes for the stuff that true nightmares can and are made of.
All in all Hellraiser is often considered by some to be apprehensible, wicked, repelling, and quite icky by some. To others however, it is a poster child for the gory horror films in the 1980’s. As it is however, this is the true definition of a cult film through and through. Indeed it may never have seen the mainstream triumph of a few of the 80’s other well-known series’ (Friday the 13th, Nightmare on Elm Street), but that’s not to say this film doesn’t possess a decent narrative or some visceral and downright unnerving work from the visual department; far from it actually. Personally I think that on some level maybe just maybe Hellraiser was just a tad degree too much for general moviegoers to stomach. However when it comes to die-hard fans of the Horror genre, this is one popular and perhaps even essential film that you must watch. If not for the intriguing narrative then at the very least for it’s uncompromising, persistent, and quite icky visual work that manages to go beyond simple blood and gore and instead leans more toward a ghastly style of movie art. An art that for some will be a pleasure and for others may just be the thing to give them nightmares they could never imagine….On a scale of 1-5 I give Hellraiser “87” a solid 4 out of 5.