Hellraiser

  I didn’t intend to do two Clive Barker properties in a row (I had this on the schedule before Candyman (2021) was moved), but I’m glad that it worked out this way. 

Hellraiser was written and directed by Clive Barker (Lord of Illusions) and was based on his novel The Hellbound Heart. Hellraiser was made on a budget of $1 million, made $4,453,232 upon opening, and went on to make $14,575,193 worldwide. Hellraiser was released on Sep. 10, 1987 and received generally positive reviews.

Hellraiser follows young Kirsty Cotton (Ashley Laurence, Chill) who finds herself caught in a bloody battle between her uncle Frank (Sean Chapman, Scum), her step-mother Julia (Clare Higgins, Small Faces), and a group of pain worshipping demons known as Cenobites.

Hellraiser is a mean, nasty masterpiece. Barker’s direction is sublime, but the real star here is the practical effects. This movie is gory and gross and it is magnificent. I don’t think most people need a lot of convincing that practical effects are usually better than CGI, but if you come across someone who does just point them toward Hellraiser.

As far as Final Girls go, Kirsty Cotton is fine. Not necessarily at the level of Nancy Thompson or Sidney Prescott, but far superior to Julie James or Natalie Simon. However, my favorite character by far is Julia Cotton. It really shouldn’t be shocking, I love a good bitch and she is a good bitch. As cool as Pinhead (Doug Bradley, Nightbreed) is, Julia is such a great villain and I would make the controversial statement that the franchise would have been more successful in the long run if she had been the principal villain. 

I don’t have that much more to say about the film. It’s a great film and if you’ve never seen it you should check it out.

Rating: 4 weird puzzle boxes out of 5

Other Observations:

• Does the Dog Die? Lots of dead and tortured rats.

• Harrison’s Favorite Scare: This is gonna sound weird, but it’s how disgusting the house is at the beginning of the film. So gross, but it did make me feel better about my kitchen.

• I’ll probably cover the sequels through Bloodline, but likely won’t bother with the DTV sequels. It wasn’t worth my time to watch them the first time, so it’s definitely not worth my time to watch them again.

Next Week: Heading back to Japan to cover Ju-On 2