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Steve Fearon (84 KP) rated Hellraiser (1987) in Movies

Sep 14, 2018

Hellraiser (1987)

1987 | Horror

7.9

(58 Ratings)

Movie Rating Watch

A wonderfully imaginative and creepy Mythos (1 more)

Doug Bradley becomes a horror icon

The Special Effects are a little dated (1 more)

Sometimes seems confused about what sort of film it is...

We have such Cenobites to show you...

Hellraiser is arguably the finest in the series, creating horror icons in Pinhead, Kirsty, Frank and Julia, whilst giving the viewer some of the most extreme horror scenes ever seen.

The mythos of Clive Barker's Hellraiser series is fascinating, and hints at underworlds, other dimensions, hell and all sorts of demonic entities, and although this first entry is mostly set in an indistinct U.S town, the feeling that hell is just under the surface haunts the movie.

What follows is a tale of morality, lust, love and judgement as our characters seek to fulfill their heart's desires, all whilst trying to make sense of the dark forces that seek to envelope their new home.

Our Heroine, Kirtsy, is played by Ashley Laurence, who has more than a dash of Ripley about her at times, as she snarls and fights the forces of evil, showing more courage than most of us watching the film I am sure.

Pinhead (as he was dubbed by fans) is a fairly minor role in the film, and yet Doug Bradley's ominous delivery lingers long on the memory, giving us lines that echo long after the film has finished.

All in all, Hellraiser is a flawed, but imaginative horror tale, that threatens the viewer with a fantastically demonic realm filled with violence, gore and underdogs, and a plot that is easy to follow, but still feels new.

Sadly, like the Cenobites, the following movies would often fall prey to their mantra of pain & pleasure, but certainly this and the immediate sequel should be considered must-see for fans of physical effects and slow burning horror.

Kudos

Gareth von Kallenbach (971 KP) rated Edge of Darkness (2010) in Movies

Aug 8, 2019

Edge of Darkness (2010)

2010 | Drama, Mystery, Thriller

6.0

(11 Ratings)

Movie Rating

Mel Gibson is back on the screen in the winter thriller “Edge of Darkness”. Boston cop Thomas Craven (Gibson) is excited about his daughter Emma’s (Bojana Novakovic) visit home from her first post college employment position. Yet from the very start something seems wrong. Before dinner is even served a masked assailant kills Emma in cold blood on the porch of her father’s house leaving Officer Craven determined to figure out who killed his daughter and why which requires Craven to do this with or without the help of the law.

This is not a mystery but rather the story of a cop’s determination to avenge his daughter against impossible odds which are stacked with numerous shady characters that Craven must deal with to solve the murder, including senators, businessmen, and one title-less problem solver. Moreover, the flick walks directly into the muddy waters of morality, the law, business, and politics.

Tightly packed with characters, “Edge of Darkness” leaves little room for character development, thereby loosing much of the emotional response it seeks to create. However, the standout performance by Ray Winstone, who plays the insightful but questionably aligned Jedburgh, did lighten what otherwise is a dark and densely packed tale.
Further frustrating the viewer, the film’s ending is expected and not at all as dramatic as the buildup demanded. I left wondering why Gibson would remake the original award winning BBC-miniseries into a boring film that is ripe with undeveloped characters.

This thriller lacks the inventiveness or conclusion to make it worthy of Mel Gibson’s return. There were a couple of mildly tense moments and few well executed scenes but overall “Edge of Darkness” is really more of a substandard drama than an engaging thriller. The 117 minutes spent watching the “Edge of Darkness” was slightly enjoyable, but the story really is nothing new.