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Andy K (10821 KP) rated Hellraiser (1987) in Movies
Jun 8, 2018
Still a masterpiece!
The first time I saw Hellraiser I was amazed and disgusted simultaneously which doesn't happen too often when going to the movies nowadays.
I was thoroughly mesmerized by the gothic world Clive Barker had created and the interesting, yet enigmatic characters he created. The film has a unique look which is impressive considering the low budget.
I can see how those seeing it for the first time now would consider some of the optical effects dated by today's CGI perfection standards, but the ideas and themes are still compelling.
I have revisited often when I want a good creep.
I was thoroughly mesmerized by the gothic world Clive Barker had created and the interesting, yet enigmatic characters he created. The film has a unique look which is impressive considering the low budget.
I can see how those seeing it for the first time now would consider some of the optical effects dated by today's CGI perfection standards, but the ideas and themes are still compelling.
I have revisited often when I want a good creep.
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Hellraiser: Bloodline (1996) in Movies
Mar 22, 2022
Honestly, I can't help but admire just how much batshit-crazy content is crammed into this film. The established lore from the first two movies is more or less out of the window by now, with the narrative concentrating on the guy who originally invented the lament configuration in the 1700s, and then subsequent members of his bloodline trying to stop hell on earth once in 1996, and then again in the distant future aboard a space station. Like I said, batshit.
It also happens to be stupidly entertaining. It never threatens to get boring at any point. Pinhead has been scaled back once again to a more menacing presence as opposed to his pantomime villain from Hellraiser III, and the new cenobites looks suitably evil and gross. Angelique (Valentina Vargas) is a great new villain to stand alongside Doug Bradley, and goes someway to making sure Bloodlines has its own identity. Hats off to Bruce Ramsay as well for effectively playing three separate characters. There's liberal splashings of decent and practically done gore, and the CG effects for the space station still hold up for the most part. There's really not a huge amount to complain about in my opinion, and I can't quite comprehend where the general disdain comes from.
Hellraiser IV is certainly not a perfect movie, and doesn't reach the lofty heights of the first two, but it does enough different to ensure its a memorable entry into the franchise.
It also happens to be stupidly entertaining. It never threatens to get boring at any point. Pinhead has been scaled back once again to a more menacing presence as opposed to his pantomime villain from Hellraiser III, and the new cenobites looks suitably evil and gross. Angelique (Valentina Vargas) is a great new villain to stand alongside Doug Bradley, and goes someway to making sure Bloodlines has its own identity. Hats off to Bruce Ramsay as well for effectively playing three separate characters. There's liberal splashings of decent and practically done gore, and the CG effects for the space station still hold up for the most part. There's really not a huge amount to complain about in my opinion, and I can't quite comprehend where the general disdain comes from.
Hellraiser IV is certainly not a perfect movie, and doesn't reach the lofty heights of the first two, but it does enough different to ensure its a memorable entry into the franchise.
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988) in Movies
Nov 24, 2021
Hellbound is a sequel that stands next to it's groundbreaking predecessor as a proud equal. It's quick turnaround and it's returning crew ensure that it feels like a smooth continuation, and both films could easily be watched back to back.
The visuals go bigger and harder this time around. A longer portion of the movie is spent in the cenobites' hellish dimension, and it's a striking and otherwordly design. Once again, Pinhead and his cronies don't take up too much screentime, ensuring that they're presence is impactful. The narrative does explore the background of these antagonists a little more, but thankfully, doesn't completely destroy the mystery surrounding them, and provides an interesting plot device a bit later on.
The main villain is Dr Channard, a psychiatrist who has a dangerous obsession with the legend of the Lament Configuration. Kenneth Cranham steals the show in the role, and makes for a memorable bad guy, especially during the last half. He also has the best line - "and to think... I hesitated" - definitely a top moment in the history of horror.
Clare Higgins is another highlight, as she is in the first Hellraiser, her character delightfully more sinister than before.
Once again, Hellbound boasts some top class practical effects, contributing to its unique aesthetic, and Christopher Young absolutely smashes it out the park with another incredible music score.
Both Hellraiser and Hellbound are astonishing examples of how excellent, nightmarish, and beautiful this genre can be, and will always be hailed as high points. Great stuff.
The visuals go bigger and harder this time around. A longer portion of the movie is spent in the cenobites' hellish dimension, and it's a striking and otherwordly design. Once again, Pinhead and his cronies don't take up too much screentime, ensuring that they're presence is impactful. The narrative does explore the background of these antagonists a little more, but thankfully, doesn't completely destroy the mystery surrounding them, and provides an interesting plot device a bit later on.
The main villain is Dr Channard, a psychiatrist who has a dangerous obsession with the legend of the Lament Configuration. Kenneth Cranham steals the show in the role, and makes for a memorable bad guy, especially during the last half. He also has the best line - "and to think... I hesitated" - definitely a top moment in the history of horror.
Clare Higgins is another highlight, as she is in the first Hellraiser, her character delightfully more sinister than before.
Once again, Hellbound boasts some top class practical effects, contributing to its unique aesthetic, and Christopher Young absolutely smashes it out the park with another incredible music score.
Both Hellraiser and Hellbound are astonishing examples of how excellent, nightmarish, and beautiful this genre can be, and will always be hailed as high points. Great stuff.
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Hellraiser: Hellseeker (2002) in Movies
Apr 27, 2022
The first five Hellraiser movies range from love to like for me, which means that Hellseeker is the first in the series that I downright dislike.
The narrative is purposefully confusing, but not in a clever way. It's frustrating and has an underwhelming payoff, whilst not even trying to make any sense. Something will happen to the painfully bland main dude, and then it's like "lol, that didn't actually happen you mad bastard" over and over again for 90 minutes, whilst every female character inexplicably tries to shag him. Most importantly, it manages to be horrifically boring. It's nice to see Ashley Laurence back, but she's under utilised, as is Pinhead with his 3 seconds of screentime.
An absolute chore of an experience.
The narrative is purposefully confusing, but not in a clever way. It's frustrating and has an underwhelming payoff, whilst not even trying to make any sense. Something will happen to the painfully bland main dude, and then it's like "lol, that didn't actually happen you mad bastard" over and over again for 90 minutes, whilst every female character inexplicably tries to shag him. Most importantly, it manages to be horrifically boring. It's nice to see Ashley Laurence back, but she's under utilised, as is Pinhead with his 3 seconds of screentime.
An absolute chore of an experience.
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Hellbound Hearts
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Clive Barker's iconic masterpiece The Hellbound Heart, the novella adapted into the film Hellraiser,...
Sarah (7798 KP) rated Hellraiser (1987) in Movies
Feb 2, 2020
Classic 80s
Hellraiser terrified me as a youngster, and even now it stills scares me yet not quite in the same way it used to. It is your typical 80s horror film - questionable acting, typical fashions, a rather overbearing score and some pretty impressive (for the time) physical effects. The story is an interesting one and actually quite good, it’s just a shame it’s very over the top 80s. The physical effects are very good but again watching it back now, they’re rather dated and it’s surprising that Pinhead and his friends get such a small amount of runtime despite them being the most memorable things about this film. It’s definitely a horror classic and I’m fairly surprised this is one that hasn’t been rebooted for the modern generation. I’d love to see a version of this that was a scarier and a little less 80s. Still this original is the stuff nightmares are made of!
Chris Sawin (602 KP) rated Book of Blood (2008) in Movies
Jun 20, 2019
"The dead have highways. Highways that lead to intersections and intersections that spill into our world. And if you find yourself at one of those intersections, you should stop and you should listen because the dead have stories to tell."
Mary Florescu, writer, teacher, and overall expert of the paranormal, is still looking for the distinct evidence of supernatural occurences. A house catches her eye that has been on the market since the daughter of the couple living there before had been murdered. It's said the original homeowner was thrown against the wall by an invisible force so hard that shards of his broken bones pierced his lungs and he choked to death on his own blood. During each incident, the message, "Don't mock us," was found written in blood on the closet doors. Mary decides to move into the house to find proof of the supernatural, bringing an audio/video technician, Reg Fuller, to help document anything they find. A new student, Simon McNeal, transfers into Mary's class. He seems to have a special gift related to the paranormal and is brought into the house to help work with Mary and Reg on the project. Strange occurences seem to begin immediately and only get more violent as they occur. But as things progress, the relationship between Mary and Simon turns physical and suspicious evidence is found in Simon's bag that point to him being a fake. Is the house actually "haunted," or is Simon playing everyone for a fool?
I'm a fairly big fan of Clive Barker's work. I've loved the books and stories (Books of Blood Vol. 1-3, Mister B. Gone, The Hellbound Heart) of his that I've read and several of his films (Hellraiser, Midnight Meat Train) are some of the best the horror genre has to offer. Midnight Meat Train was probably the best horror film to come out of last year, so my expectations were high when I heard about this film and saw the trailer. This was one of my most anticipated horror films of the year even though it seemed to get the short end of the stick with its release much like what happened with Midnight Meat Train. I can tell you that Book of Blood is a good watch, but it may not be what you're expecting.
Book of Blood has its bloody moments, but it's not an all out gorefest. It's actually more of a supernatural thriller. The director, John Harrison, described the film as being more along the lines of films like The Others and The Orphanage. It relies more on mood and atmosphere rather than blood and guts splattering all over your face, which isn't a bad thing at all if done correctly. Book of Blood almost pulls that aspect of the film flawlessly. I say, "almost," because certain lines of dialogue ("I promise we will listen and I will tell your stories to the world.") and a few of the things that happened in the final act of the film (steel briefcase...it'll make sense when you see it) seem a bit cheesy, but may sit better with me on repeat viewings.
The film actually reminded me of Hellraiser quite a bit throughout the film. Other than Doug Bradley's brief cameo (if you blink, you'll probably miss him), the opening scene of when Reg and Mary go into the room where everything happened just reminds me of Frank staying in the attic in Hellraiser. Hellraiser is one of my favorite horror films, so the brief nod to the film (whether intentional or not) was very welcome to me.
My main concern with Book of Blood was how they were going to turn a short story that was originally just an introduction to the actual Books of Blood by Clive Barker into a full length film. The concern wound up being for nothing as Book of Blood met nearly all of my expectations and was extremely faithful to the original material while bringing in elements from another one of his stories called, "On Jerusalem Street." The story fleshes out nicely and the acting is good, for the most part. I think the perfectionist in me kept me from rating this any higher, but I'd definitely recommend it as it's a worthy addition to any avid horror movie enthusiast's collection.
Mary Florescu, writer, teacher, and overall expert of the paranormal, is still looking for the distinct evidence of supernatural occurences. A house catches her eye that has been on the market since the daughter of the couple living there before had been murdered. It's said the original homeowner was thrown against the wall by an invisible force so hard that shards of his broken bones pierced his lungs and he choked to death on his own blood. During each incident, the message, "Don't mock us," was found written in blood on the closet doors. Mary decides to move into the house to find proof of the supernatural, bringing an audio/video technician, Reg Fuller, to help document anything they find. A new student, Simon McNeal, transfers into Mary's class. He seems to have a special gift related to the paranormal and is brought into the house to help work with Mary and Reg on the project. Strange occurences seem to begin immediately and only get more violent as they occur. But as things progress, the relationship between Mary and Simon turns physical and suspicious evidence is found in Simon's bag that point to him being a fake. Is the house actually "haunted," or is Simon playing everyone for a fool?
I'm a fairly big fan of Clive Barker's work. I've loved the books and stories (Books of Blood Vol. 1-3, Mister B. Gone, The Hellbound Heart) of his that I've read and several of his films (Hellraiser, Midnight Meat Train) are some of the best the horror genre has to offer. Midnight Meat Train was probably the best horror film to come out of last year, so my expectations were high when I heard about this film and saw the trailer. This was one of my most anticipated horror films of the year even though it seemed to get the short end of the stick with its release much like what happened with Midnight Meat Train. I can tell you that Book of Blood is a good watch, but it may not be what you're expecting.
Book of Blood has its bloody moments, but it's not an all out gorefest. It's actually more of a supernatural thriller. The director, John Harrison, described the film as being more along the lines of films like The Others and The Orphanage. It relies more on mood and atmosphere rather than blood and guts splattering all over your face, which isn't a bad thing at all if done correctly. Book of Blood almost pulls that aspect of the film flawlessly. I say, "almost," because certain lines of dialogue ("I promise we will listen and I will tell your stories to the world.") and a few of the things that happened in the final act of the film (steel briefcase...it'll make sense when you see it) seem a bit cheesy, but may sit better with me on repeat viewings.
The film actually reminded me of Hellraiser quite a bit throughout the film. Other than Doug Bradley's brief cameo (if you blink, you'll probably miss him), the opening scene of when Reg and Mary go into the room where everything happened just reminds me of Frank staying in the attic in Hellraiser. Hellraiser is one of my favorite horror films, so the brief nod to the film (whether intentional or not) was very welcome to me.
My main concern with Book of Blood was how they were going to turn a short story that was originally just an introduction to the actual Books of Blood by Clive Barker into a full length film. The concern wound up being for nothing as Book of Blood met nearly all of my expectations and was extremely faithful to the original material while bringing in elements from another one of his stories called, "On Jerusalem Street." The story fleshes out nicely and the acting is good, for the most part. I think the perfectionist in me kept me from rating this any higher, but I'd definitely recommend it as it's a worthy addition to any avid horror movie enthusiast's collection.
drapedindarkness (1 KP) rated Hellraiser (1987) in Movies
Jan 20, 2018
Classic British Horror with a deviant slant
We'll tear your soul apart. With these words my mind was made up.
Move over Freddy, stand aside Jason because there is a new literal hellraiser and he cannot stand to see such a waste of good suffering.
Despite a very limited screentime, the Cenobites with their defacto leader Pinhead are at once both utterly terrifying and completely entrancing, they defy you to look away or even dislike them, they are beyond good and evil and are neither villain nor hero, what they are is absolutely right, you cannot cheat them or escape them.
I don't need to summarise the plot or detail anything about the other characters, they are really only there as window dressing for the real draw, the Cenobites, Chatterer, She, Butterball and Pinhead invite you to join them and you must not say no!
Move over Freddy, stand aside Jason because there is a new literal hellraiser and he cannot stand to see such a waste of good suffering.
Despite a very limited screentime, the Cenobites with their defacto leader Pinhead are at once both utterly terrifying and completely entrancing, they defy you to look away or even dislike them, they are beyond good and evil and are neither villain nor hero, what they are is absolutely right, you cannot cheat them or escape them.
I don't need to summarise the plot or detail anything about the other characters, they are really only there as window dressing for the real draw, the Cenobites, Chatterer, She, Butterball and Pinhead invite you to join them and you must not say no!
Matthew Krueger (10051 KP) rated Lord of Illusions (1995) in Movies
Sep 23, 2020
The Illusion
Lords of Illusions- is Clive Barker's last film he directed. He only producted movies and was a writer for movied afterwards. And wow what a good movie. Im not the hugest fan of hellraiser and didnt see nightbreeds yet. So i went into this film blind. I have heard of this film and wanted to see it for couple of years now. And it turns out that i liked it.
The Plot: Private eye Harry D'Amour (Scott Bakula) travels to Los Angeles and meets with a new client, Dorothea Swann (Famke Janssen). Swann reveals that she and her husband -- famed magician Philip Swann (Kevin J. O'Connor) -- have been targeted by a religious cult experimenting with reincarnation. After Philip dies on stage in the midst of a dangerous trick, D'Amour must struggle to protect Dorothea from the ruthless cult members and their newly reanimated religious leader, Nix (Daniel Von Bargen).
Its a good psychological film cause it does mess with your mind alot and in the end it is a good horror flick. I do recordmend it to others.
The Plot: Private eye Harry D'Amour (Scott Bakula) travels to Los Angeles and meets with a new client, Dorothea Swann (Famke Janssen). Swann reveals that she and her husband -- famed magician Philip Swann (Kevin J. O'Connor) -- have been targeted by a religious cult experimenting with reincarnation. After Philip dies on stage in the midst of a dangerous trick, D'Amour must struggle to protect Dorothea from the ruthless cult members and their newly reanimated religious leader, Nix (Daniel Von Bargen).
Its a good psychological film cause it does mess with your mind alot and in the end it is a good horror flick. I do recordmend it to others.
The Sussex Devils: A True Story of the 1980s Satanic Panic
Book
"Heartbreaking and breathtaking." (Clive Barker, author of Hellraiser). In 2012 Marc Heal stumbled...