When I got into horror movies starting with “Scream,” I subscribed to Fangoria, the cover of which often featured gore-horror that didn’t appeal to me. “Hellraiser” (1987) is among the poster children of that genre, the type of film where I’d see an image and say “That’s not for me.” While I wouldn’t exactly categorize myself as a gore-hound after finally watching it, I do admire it as a piece of art.
Practical effects achievement
Bob Keen’s work on the Hell-based, dimension-hopping villains — along with the gradual transformation of Frank (Sean Chapman) from a disfigured corpse back into a human — ranks up there with “The Thing” and “The Fly” among 1980s practical-effects achievements.
The most iconic of the Hell-beings is the Lead Cenobite (Doug Bradley), who is colloquially known as Pinhead. But they all remind me of the Yuuzhan Vong from “Star Wars” Legends in that they have purposely disfigured themselves. Another Cenobite is grotesquely fat, one’s lips are peeled off, and still another has his throat exposed, as if ritualistically.
“Hellraiser” (1987)
Director: Clive Barker
Writer: Clive Barker
Stars: Andrew Robinson, Clare Higgins, Ashley Laurence
Weirdly, “Hellraiser” is not totally off-putting. The practical effects hit that sweet spot where they are unrealistic but not cheesy. When hooks rip into Frank’s flesh, the skin is clearly a beige muslin or something, yet the idea is disturbing enough … and yet the film also spares us by not looking too real. “Hellraiser” functions as an entry point into this genre: It makes 1980s slashers look like kiddie films by comparison, but on the other side of the line, there are much grosser movies than this.
I also appreciate that this type of film could be made in 1987, but not anymore. Today it would look too realistic – just because it can — and be a turnoff.
Entertaining performances
Written and directed by Clive Barker, “Hellraiser” gains some depth with a decent story and entertaining performances. I’m not saying I was totally engrossed in the saga of the Cotton family (things unfold slowly and clunkily at times), but 20-something Kirsty is cute, at least. Ashley Laurence performs this weird material quite well considering it’s her first movie role.
Andrew Robinson plays multiple roles (the main one is father Larry) at the level of a guest star in an early “X-Files” episode. Stepmother Julia (Clare Higgins) – whose hair and fashion place her in the 1980s — is bland, but her situation is interesting, as she must deliver victims to her secret (and secretly resurrected) lover Frank so he can regenerate.
House of horrors
I dig the Cotton house, which is oddly vertical while still being a plausible design. It’s one of those houses like in “Home Alone” (except more rundown) where there’s a main floor, an upstairs, and then a third floor. In this case, the top floor is not where the kids sleep when company comes over, but rather a trio of ratty storage rooms with windows in need of replacement. Frank hides out in one of these rooms.
(I’m not sure what town “Hellraiser” is supposed to be set in. Some actors are British, some are American. But the location doesn’t really matter.)
“Hellraiser” has something to say about the thin line between pleasure and pain for the sadomasochistically inclined, as Frank – always portrayed as a self-centered person – purposely opens a magic box to venture into Hell for the sake of experiencing it. (When it comes to purchasing oddities from old Asian men, you’re honestly better off selecting a Mogwai.)
A decade later, “Event Horizon” would riff on pain-as-pleasure via Sam Neill’s character, who purposely and delightedly rips out his own eyes. (An artificially created black hole stands in for the magic box there.)
At first glance, Barker’s film is simple shlock and gore horror, but there’s more to it. It’s certainly of a higher quality and purpose than your average “Halloween,” “Nightmare on Elm Street” and “Friday the 13th” movie.
The work put into the special effects alone shows that this is a passion project for Barker and Keen and their team. It’s still not my cup of tea, and I’m not going to trip over myself to get to the nine sequels, but I do respect “Hellraiser’s” artistic merits.