The Forbidden

Forbidden, The (1978)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Second film from writer/director Barker is somewhat based on the tale of Faust but it certainly goes in its own way. The movie was shot on a 16mm negative, which gives it an overexposed look, which adds to the surreal nature of the film. I'm really not sure what Barker was going for expect to come up with some very strange and he certainly captures that here. The movie has a nice music score to go with it and the film really captures the mood of doom and death. There's an extremely bizarre sex scene and an even stranger scene where a man with an erection dances to something that I'm not quite sure what it is. Pete Atkins and Doug Bradley, both from Barker's Hellraiser appear in the film as well. I doubt horror fans are really going to jump all over this film but if you enjoyed Luis Bunuel's early "art" films then this might be more for you.

Salome (1973)

* (out of 4)

Early film from Barker tells the story of a beardless John who is loved and tortured by the mysterious Salome. At least I think this film is trying to tell the story from the Bible as it's rather hard to tell because I had a really hard time following the film. I think it's very safe to say that Barker hadn't yet gained his talent for constructing a story that the viewer is able to follow but I guess you can't really blame him considering how young he was. The film was shot on 8mm, which makes the visual look of the film very grainy but this actually works well and leads to some fairly well crafted scenes. Some of the lighting effects are also well handled but in the end the film is still a major drag to get through.

This film was inspired by the myth of Faust and already presented elements that would later be used in the Hellraiser saga, since the images of the film represent forbidden pleasures, which is a concept that Barker used later in his novel The Hellbound Heart and finally in the film adaptation Hellraiser and that is how one of the most popular sagas of horror cinema was born. The funny thing is that when Barker wrote the Candyman story, he also decided to call it The Forbidden, perhaps because he couldn't think of a better name. The Forbidden has a mix of negative tape with black and white, which makes it look very strange. It is a whole sequence of erotic, dark and nightmarish images which make it a very unusual and curious tape. With this film, Clive already gave a small sample of the chilling world of his works. My rating for this film is 8/10.

I´m very proud to be the first to comment on this film. Clive Barker is a true genius of horror art and all ready as a teenager he had the passion. Some of his unique ideas are shown in this great work of art where he transforms his apartment to something, I don´t know what. I think Salome and the Forbidden should be judged as one and the same film, so this is what my review is about. They are both excellent movies. There is a scene where a man is skinned by demons/angels - a very Barkeresque theme as we know but who had even thought about that before? It is supposedly very liberating to be skinned - I don´t know I wouldn´t try it. I cannot even stand the thought of giving blood. I heard he sent in this idea to a film studio where Clive wrote: "It ends with the sublime and wonderful moment where the main character is skinned alive." They rejected it and wrote back: "What is sublime and wonderful about being skinned alive?" Watch also out for Doug Bradley "pinhead" dancing around naked with a giant erection apparently dressed up like some kind of monster. There are many prequels to "Hellraiser" in these movies.

This is Barker's second movie attempt. Like Salome, this is short, black and white silent film, but this time a bit longer, printed in negative and combined with animation. Barker claims it's based on Faust. Technically it's very experimental and inventive, and special effects are fascinating considering almost no budget. Some elements from this film he later incorporates in Hellraiser. Although I'm impressed by results amateur achieved without budget, relying only on his imagination, cleverness and small group of friends, it would be lying to say I liked it. It's so boring that I barely endured till the end. I must admit that skinning scene is unbelievably convincing considering circumstances. When I found out how it's done I was sincerely stunned.

4/10

That's Clive himself doing the dance of the happy pizzle -- look closely at the *face* (if you can!) and you'll see it's him. He has been quite proud to take credit for the scene.

Apart from such prurient interests, this precurser to Hellraiser has many fascinating aspects from the skin-peeling scene and the puzzle to the weird shift of light. But only for the real fan or completist, or folks who like to watch Clive dance.

Of course, this film should not be confused with the short story, "The Forbidden" (although we can see how the concept is one Barker turns to again and again) which provided the basis for "Candyman."