Sign up
Search
Advanced search settings

Search only in certain items:

Search results
All (957)
Content
People
Apps
Books
Orbs
Movies
Music
Podcasts
Shows
Tabletop Games
Tech
TV
Video Games
YouTube Channels
Videos
    Pirate Kings

    Pirate Kings

    Games

    (0 Ratings) Rate It

    App

    Join your Facebook friends & millions of other pirates from the 7 seas in the greatest pirates game:...

    Cookie Run: OvenBreak

    Cookie Run: OvenBreak

    Games

    (0 Ratings) Rate It

    App

    SEASON 2 - Wicked Breakout Party Update! Jump and Slide with GingerBrave through the wicked lands of...

40x40

LeftSideCut (3776 KP) rated Hellraiser (1987) in Movies

Nov 14, 2021  
Hellraiser (1987)
Hellraiser (1987)
1987 | Horror
8
7.9 (58 Ratings)
Movie Rating Watch
All these years later, and Hellraiser is still a treat. I've always had respect for Clive Barker's directorial debut. It came out in a decade where the genre had become more schlocky and less serious with each passing year, and dared to go for the jugular with its straight shooting, no nonsense brand of horror.
It has an engaging plot, focusing primarily on a forbidden love between Julia, and her husband's brother Frank. When Frank is quite literally torn apart after messing with an ancient puzzle box, it quickly becomes apparent that he can return to the land of the living through blood sacrifice, resulting in Julia luring unsuspecting victims to their doom in order to be with Frank once again. It's a twisted love story, effectively making Hellraiser a romance-horror, centering around a toxic relationship. The cast performances are varied for sure, but of course Clare Higgins is a stand out. Her portrayal of Julia is sympathetic as she is quite clearly besotted with and somewhat scared of Frank, whilst also managing to be a confident and calculating villain.
Then there is the iconic Pinhead, one of several cenobites that are summoned when the puzzle box is completed, and a horror antagonist that stands shoulder to shoulder with the likes of Michael Myers and Freddy Krueger. His presence here is effective in the way that it's seldom. When he does appear, Doug Bradley delivers every line with terrifying conviction, with some hugely memorable dialogue.
The practical effects on display are fantastic as well. Frank's ressurection scene in particular is striking, and one of the finest examples of practical horror effects out there. The cenobites themselves boast some memorable designs, and looks suitably unsettling. It also has a haunting and beautiful music score, courtesy of Christopher Young, that really ties everything together nicely.

Hellraiser is an all timer. A film that deserves its place in the horror hall of fame without question.