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You can't be a horror fan and not be familiar with Clive Barker's "Hellraiser" movies. And as a horror fan chances are that you will enjoy them - the first few movies at the very least.

The core of the story of the "Hellraiser" franchise revolves around a mysterious artifact - an intricate puzzle box - which is said to be able to grant people what they desire the most. But it comes with a price, a terrible, terrible price. And it is guarded by the vile Cenobites.

The warped mind of Clive Barker really came up with something wonderfully morbid and disturbing when "Hellraiser" was first unleashed upon the world. Especially the Cenobites, they are grotesque but interesting at the same time.

In the first movie Larry and his wife Julia moves into Larry's old family house. The very same house where his brother Frank tried to unlock the puzzle box and was sent to Hell. An accident causes Larry's blood to be spilled on the floor, bringing back Frank from the dead. But in his flayed and fleshless state of being, Frank needs the blood and flesh of the living in order to regenerate his own body. But no one escapes Hell that easily.

For a 1987 movie, I will say that the effects still hold their own today, having withstood the test of time. Especially the rebirth of Frank and his transformation back to fully human. And the Cenobites, lets not forget the Cenobites; they were just amazing.

With this now classic horror movie the World saw the likes of Doug Bradley like never before and he instantly became a horror legend, just as Pinhead became a horror icon.

I grew up with these horror movies along with other horror franchises, and I love them even today and make frequent visits back to them. If you are not familiar with "Hellraiser", shame on you. Then I would strongly recommend that you sit down and watch it, perhaps even do a movie marathon of the series.

In a decade of cheap, exploitive slashers, we finally get this one. Relief.

Instead of some maniac ripped from Halloween, we get a simple wooden box. Simple, or so Frank thought.

What results is a cinematic masterpiece, a great mix of gore and violence, as well as a great musical score and some nice drama. The acting is fine, but there are imperfections. One common complaint: The characters are not pleasant enough we can latch onto them. Maybe that's because these seem more realistic than the characters we CAN latch onto. Just a thought, don't jump on this.

What really gets me, though, is the people calling it down, saying it's not quality entertainment. Come on guys, if it was SUPPOSED to be Shakespeare, it would not advertise as being able to "tear your soul apart."

The presence of the cenobites was originally intended not to carry the story but to emphasize it. As usual, the sequaes ignored it. Hey, merchandizing.

This is the only one of the series that depends on the story more than the demons. We hardly ever see the infamous Pinhead at all.

all in all, this was a fun movie. No Shakespeare, but it's not supposed to be. Just dramatic, gory, groundbreaking horror, delivered to us excellently by Mr. Barker.

Despite appreciating horror very much (with a lot of classic ones out there, such as 'Halloween', 'Nightmare on Elm Street', 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre', 'Night of the Living Dead' and 'The Exorcist', plus the best of Hammer House of Horror), even if not my favourite genre, it took me a while to get round to watching the 'Hellraiser' franchise. Due to having so much to watch and review, and the list keeps getting longer and longer.

This is the film that started the franchise off, and not only is it by far the best of the 'Hellraiser' films it also for me, and quite a few others it seems, is one of the stronger horror films of the 80s, though not quite of all time. What is meant by being by far the best of the 'Hellraiser' films is that it is the only one to be above very good, the nine sequels were very variable (leaning towards the disappointing) and the latter films particularly are suggestive of the franchise having run its course.

'Hellraiser' is notable for being the directing debut of celebrated and extremely talented author Clive Barker. His books have always been hugely compelling, with intelligent exploring of ambitious themes, vivid attention to detail and characterisation, meticulous atmosphere and distinctive chills and sense of dread, his popularity is more than well deserved. He also adapts his source material 'The Hellbound Heart', a terrific book and even better than this already very good film, and all those qualities are lifted off the pages onto the screen. It is also notable for introducing us to Pinhead, who would justifiably become a horror icon.

By all means 'Hellraiser' is not a perfect film. The ending is schlocky and at odds with the rest of the film, which was up to then very disturbing and remarkably intelligent and the ending felt like it belonged somewhere else.

Also felt that Barker's direction did occasionally show his inexperience, namely in some unfocused and not always necessary close-ups.

Most of the time though he does a great job, capturing the spirit and atmosphere of the book with ease and the momentum is never lost. 'Hellraiser' is genuinely scary with plenty of chills, unnerving dread, nail-biting suspense and a hair-raising sense of claustrophobic tension. It is very graphic but not in a cheap way, going over the top with the shock value and not pointlessly so, traps that it could easily have fallen into and ones fallen into so many times in horror. Personally thought the Cebonites were used well, they are still terrifying and using them as catalysts rather than focusing too much on them (mentioned already very well) added to the mysteriousness, they look good too.

It's not just scary though. 'Hellraiser' has truly inventive storytelling stemming from a unique premise back then and seldom equalled now. It also has some abitious themes like pain and desperation that are handled intelligently, giving the film some emotional power and surprising dimension not always found in horror, it is just so wonderful to find a film with a great concept seen recently that lives up to it and exceeds it even. Just want to say this is not trying to knock the genre at all, in case it's sounding that way. 'Hellraiser' holds up well on the visual front, some eerie camera work and lighting, the effects are far from amateurish and the make-up manages to be some of the most effective of the 80s.

The script is thoughtful with Barker's prose all over it and the characters show his attention to detailed characterisation, nobody is bland or annoying. The music doesn't seem to have pleased everybody, for me it was haunting and didn't dimish the atmosphere at all. Was surprised too by how good the acting was, have seen some terrible acting in horrors recently so this was refreshing. What a staggeringly frightening performance from Doug Bradley and Clare Higgins is particularly good of the rest of the cast.

Summing, very good with many great elements. 8/10 Bethany Cox

I have seen Hellraiser many, many times; but my most recent viewing of the film was different to the rest. It was different because this was the first time that I've seen the film since reading Clive Barker's novel "The Hellbound Heart". The novel both enhanced my enjoyment for the film, and exposed some of its flaws. With the book, Barker really allows the reader to get inside the character's head, which ensures that the horror is more shocking. His descriptions are also a lot more macabre than what is shown in the film, and the way that certain things in the book are missed out/abridged shows some of the wasted opportunities of the story. This isn't really a criticism of the film, but rather of books being turned into movies on the whole. People often say that the book is better than the movie; and in this case it's true! Even so, Hellraiser is an absolute classic horror film, and easily one of the best of the eighties; not to mention all time. The plot simply follows Frank Cotton. Frank is a man in search of unknown pleasures, and in order to achieve that he buys a mysterious music box. This box does give out pleasure; but it's inflicted by a band of demons, known as 'Cenobytes' - and their idea of pleasure differs from Frank's! The story picks up when Frank's brother and his girlfriend, Julia, move into the house where Frank was taken...

The main reason Hellraiser stands out among horror films is because of its themes. Barker weaves shades of love, eroticism and, of course, pain and pleasure into his tale of demons and scarred flesh - and this really makes the film. We can care for the characters and what happens to them because of what Barker puts between them, and it's always evident that this film is head and shoulders above the rest of the schlock-horror sub-genre. The special effects, particularly on the screen time surrounding Frank, are simply stunning and show how real effects beat all this CGI rubbish hands down, while also showing that a low budget can be overcome. The film is never gratuitous with its gore or effects either, and everything in this film is there because it has to be. This is what annoys me about non-horror fans - films like this are dismissed by them because they're "too gory" or "stupid" - but Hellraiser breaks the mould because it's a truly original story and the way that Barker implements a macabre love story amidst a plethora of shocking horror is extremely skilfully handled, and more than challenges many of the so-called 'A-class' films.

A writer directing his own work tends to ensure that it will get proper treatment, and this is mostly true here. Some things have been changed from the book for no apparent reason (mostly with the characters of Larry and Kristy), but the only thing that really annoyed me was the ending. I suppose it's due to the time that it was made, but the ending feels tacked on to me. Barker's ending in the book was perfectly judged - just open enough to hint at more, while closing the story enough so that the reader is satisfied. Here, we have a schlock finale that is entertaining, but pulls away from the closed atmosphere that Barker has spent the film creating. This film differs from most other eighties horror films because of the fact that the actors are a talented bunch. You come to expect bad acting from this sort of film - but Hellraiser has none of it! The entire cast shine, with Clare Higgins making the biggest impression as the evil Julia. This was Clive Barker's directorial debut, and at times, it's clear that this is the case; but Barker makes the best of his locations, and while his camera sometimes feels enclosed; it fuses with the tragic music brilliantly, and all this helps the film to create that fabulous atmosphere so convincingly.

Overall, I have pointed out a couple of flaws here; but I really can't bring myself to give this masterpiece any less than full marks. The originality on display throughout Hellraiser is astounding, as is the atmosphere and the performances pulled out of the actors, along with the fact that this film has entertained me many times and is still as good today as the first time I saw it. All of this ensures that Hellraiser will be an endearing favourite of mine for the rest of my life. If you consider yourself a fan of horror and haven't seen this; shame on you. Make sure you read the book, too!

Adapted by Clive Barker from his own story "The Hellbound Heart" this has long been a favorite among horror-film devotees. Clive Barker is an outstanding writer. In terms of literary style light years ahead of Stephen King. His awesomely unhinged imagination is given free rein in this tale of the darker side of the human psyche.

Frank Cotton (Sean Chapman) is as immoral and perverted a scumbag as you could hope to find in the English speaking world. Ever alert to the potential for some new thrill (sexual or otherwise) Frank comes by a small carved wooden cube that just happens to be (in the right hands) a gateway to Hell. Not your normal run of the mill pit of hot sulphur fumes presided over by a horned Lucifer wielding his time-honored pitchfork, but a most unpleasant parallel dimension, home of the wickedly inventive Pinhead and his cenobite cohorts. As the series worked its way onwards, Pinhead (Bradley) became a retro cult hero much like Freddy Kreuger and was given increased screen-time!

Frank ends up paying the ultimate price in his search for new pleasures and to his everlasting discomfort, inevitably discovers the real meaning of the film's tag-line "He'll tear your soul apart." This leaves Frank's ex well and truly home-alone and she takes up with his wimpy brother Larry, crawlingly played by Andrew Robinson.

Things might have worked out for Julia (Higgins) and daughter Kirsty (Ashley Laurence) had not Larry cut his hand badly and the blood run beneath the floorboards where Frank's decimated but undead corpse responds dramatically well to the corpuscled cocktail! Frank's gory resurrection is actually one of the film's highlights, aided and abetted as it is by a superb musical score from Christopher Young!

Frank of course is a little miffed over Julia's dalliance with his brother and persuades her to bring him an assembly line of fresh meat to ensure his complexion is brought up to scratch. The demise of the first victim especially is quite shocking horror and on its own would have earned the film its "R" certificate.

Without giving anything else away, it is left to daughter Kirsty to combat both Frank, her socially distasteful step-mother and Pinhead. It is the ultimate learning curve you might say. One hell of a lot goes wrong before it starts getting any better. Frank's second whirl on the block is distinctly gruesome. Kirsty who under normal circumstances would be left a gibbering idiot, survives to take on the sequel and a further appearance by her awesomely repulsive stepmother!

You want horror? you want originality? you like blood on tap? you need HELLRAISER!

For all the above though, Barker's CANDYMAN was still better!