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Hellraiser(1987)

R
Movie1h 34mEnglishHorror, Thriller, Fantasy
7.0
User Score
63%
Critic Score
IMDb
Director: Clive Barker
Writer: Clive Barker

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Overview

Hedonist Frank Cotton finds a mysterious puzzle box that summons the Cenobites, who open the doors to a dominion where pain and pleasure are indivisible.

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One of the darkest, macabre and gruesome films I“ve ever seen.

As a horror movie, I can'#39;t really give this more than a 4. As a movie in general, given when it came out and the character - Pinhead - and how iconic it is, it can have an 8. Watch it for the history and for a solid film from the late 80s. Don'#39;t watch it for horror - it'#39;s not that scary.

Spoilers

Rather brutal, sometimes really gory but with some exceptional ideas and a few cool horror masks (i.e. Pinhead'#39;s or Frank'#39;s after his first victim). But other things (i.e. Frank'#39;s resurrection, the destruction of the Cenobites) are really cheap made and some dialogs are just silly.

ā€œWe have such sights to show you!ā€ I admire the make-up, the creature designs, and the line ā€œJesus weptā€, which was creepy and evil. The image of the creature living in the antic, with the aid of his partner in crime luring clueless victims to their bloody doom, captures the true horror of Clive Barker’s ā€˜Books of Blood. On the other hand, I feel like I’m the only one to say this, but I must admit, I was a bit bored watching this. I’m a bit shocked to say that. I didn’t think much was on the surface, and it didn’t engage me. But still, the impact it had on horror is admirable.

Ohh no tears..pleease.. It's a waste of good suffering

The box, you opened it, we came :smiling_imp::smiling_imp::smiling_imp:

The make up and practical effects look really good. Pinhead is a cool demon but there'#39;s not enough screen time with him. The story is pretty boring.

Exceptionally creative, this movie is a true masterpiece! A classic in the horror genre.

**Hellraiser (1987) _4.8/10_** _(More Unfavourable than Favourable)_ ___ Although I can appreciate why the film appeals to some, for me personally it falls flat. The film's gruesome visual are intriguing, but the forgettable characters, thin plot, and lacklustre performance drag it down. Sexually explicit and brutal, yet ultimately pointless. The parallels drawn between pain and pleasure were intriguing, however they aren't elaborated upon. Perhaps, beneath the blood and guts, there lurked the makings of a smart horror film, but this potential was ultimately unrealized. To make matters worse, the film's poor plot and boring characters aren't even compensated for by sufficient levels of horror. This is your best bet if you want to watch a film with tonnes of gore and little in the way of a plot.

Way more gross than it is scary. The practical effects are obviously great, but this is not a movie for me.

The remake is coming and I knew I finally had to see this, and probably also delve into the franchise. While the first two thirds are a bit slow, the final thirty minutes provide a truly fantastic pay-off. This is an original and very unique film, exploring pleasure and pain, lust and love, in a way that you will not get from other horror films. It's twisted, gruesome, and just a pure discomfort. It really pushes the limits of disgust, featuring some unforgettable nightmare sequences and some of the most insanely imaginative costume and make-up design I've ever seen. There are many experimental artsy shots used in interesting ways. The effects are so artistic and delightfully grotesque, and a lot of it still holds up. The editing and music are both fantastic as well. Can’t wait to see how the director reinvents this in the upcoming remake.

'gt;'#34;We have such sights to show you!'#34; What a fantastic horror film. I watched this as a kid and was mortified yet curious about things it showed me. I guess it is what got me into horror movies. I rewatch it every once in a while and this time, it was no different: I still love it. Practical effects will always win my heart over, especially when they are gruesome. I only deduct half a star because some acting is cringy, but hey, it was the 80'#39;s!

I love the theme more than I love this movie and I can't really put my finger on why. Everything is decent and nothing is great. Clive Barker's story is top-notch, but he shouldn't have directed it. Clare Higgins carries this movie on her very broad shoulders and it's a shame she wasn't the main villain for the rest of the series.

While the story, characters and acting leaves much to be desired, Hellraiser'#39;s use of prosthetics and special effects are still amazingly impressive to this day. As a new watcher this year, I was astounded by some of the effects work on show here, which really stands the test of time over it'#39;s CG counterparts. Not sure I'#39;ll watch the others in the series, but as a stand alone entry it'#39;s an impressive 90 minutes.

amazing good horror movie ...sure for the year'#39;s 80 i love this movie'#39;s nice...

Slow but tense. The negatives are that many extreme terrors are underplayed. And how did kirsty end up in what seems a mental institution so fast? The good things are things he effects and horrific nature of things hehe movie.

+ good 22/5/2018 good good good good

One of the worst horror movies i’ve ever seen. I’ll give credit to the gore and prosthetics, was really good for the 80s

Featured User Reviews

Bambit
Bambit
0/10
Spoilers

Random thoughts I had during & after watching: • The acting is terrible (altho thats probably a product of the time) but the cinematography totally makes up for it! Its kinda like watching The Thing, lots of awesome handmade visual effects • Its not actually that scary, just gory. Its like body-horror • The cenobites, omg! What a cool concept! I lowkey want to watch the other movies now just to see more of them, as this movie is more focused on the family • I'm pretty sure Dead by Daylight uses the sound files from this movie for its pinhead's chain effects. It sounds exactly the same • Literally wtf is with the wife in this movie, she apparently is so vain she can get away with anything. "Woman lures and kills 4 men including her husband just to ride her favorite stallion one more time" šŸ˜‚ • Steve? From stranger things is that you? (The character is also named steve and acts very similar lol) • The most badass character is the college girl! I love that! • I was laughing a lot in a good way throughout the movie, i think because of the ridiculousness of the scenario but also sheer joy of seeing these characters dealing with weird shit. Frank with his fucking knife, i cant even šŸ˜‚ its so cringe

JPV852
JPV852
0/10

Hellraiser is probably one of the lesser of the horror franchises from the 80s behind Halloween (yes, I know that came out in 1978), Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street. This is a movie I’ve seen a few times over the years and while it’s hardly a perfect horror film with a clunky set-up, it’s still a lot of fun as the make-up and effects work perhaps is a bit on the cheesy side yet kind of still holds up in a strange way. The acting is nothing special, though I did like both Clare Higgins and Ashley Laurence, not to mention Doug Bradley in the role of ā€œLead Cenobiteā€, who would later be called Pinhead. Kind fascinating that character was accidentally propelled into being a horror icon as he was only a minor part of the film, though based on his design and overall look, not hard to see why he resonated with horror fans. Hellraiser, written and directed by Clive Barker based on his novella, isn’t a favorite of mine, as mentioned I lean more toward the more reality based slasher (like Halloween and F13) than the supernatural variety, but still found this to be entertaining as a whole. **3.75/5**

"Hellraiser" is a dark dark tale about opening a door to an alternate dimension with a puzzlebox and some sexual perversion. This movie was a bit unsettling when compared to the "Halloween" "Friday the 13th" and "Nightmare on Elm Street" sequels that dominated 1980's horror. "Hellraiser" is a pretty original idea and even more original in its execution. It's got a grainy look and a dirty grimy feel. The characters are totally unlikeable except for daughter Kirsty who is downright heroic battling evil Frank manipulative Julia and oh yeah...hellish demons from another world. I thought the puzzlebox device would have added a bit of suspense and dread as it served as the key to unleash the monsters. Instead I found that I was frustrated trying to figure out how the damned thing twisted and turned the way it did. The centerpiece of the horror seemed to be the Pinhead character and his rotating meathook torture wheel. It was certainly a gory machine but it didn't deliver real scares. I found the highlight to be an impressive effect featuring Frank's transformation from evil spirit to skinless skeleton. I usually like movies that are a little darker a little menacing. Unfortunately "Hellraiser" offers such hopelessness and depravity that I found nothing in it to really recommend.

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