The first Hellraiser was historic and marked a new era in horror movies. The film made Clive Barker a household name. The legendary author Stephen King having remarked, "I have seen the future of horror. His name is Clive Barker".
But after this and a few cult horror offerings like Nightbreed and Lord Of Illusions, Barker has since disappeared into obscurity. Hellraiser remains my favorite Cliver Barker horror film because of his first attempt at directing a horror film by himself. The transition from writer to director is not easy and very difficult. Barker proved his critics wrong. Hellraiser was a resounding success and spawned subsequent sequels. In my opinion, only the first four Hellraiser films are coherent and worth watching. They make a complete quadrilogy.
Hellraiser was the first film to incorporate Cenobites, referred to as, "demons to some, angels to others". The head Cenobite was a character called Pinhead, his name derived from his bald head studded with nails. He was played by actor Doug Bradley, whose acting and voice-acting of Pinhead in particular I'm very fond of. Doug tried to appear in as many Hellraiser sequels - but not all. Without his great contribution, Hellraiser would have no roots at all.
Back to this film. All Hellraiser films deal with the opening of a puzzle box(like Pandora's box) and unleashing hell(the Cenobites). This one follows the same pattern. A collector Roland Voight acquires the puzzle box(also called the Lemarchand Configuration, created by the French toymaker Philip Lemarchand for Duc de L'Isle an occultist). The story of the origin of the box is shown in Hellraiser part 4 called Hellraiser: Bloodlines. Voight tells a sex worker called Joey to solve the box. Joey solves the configuration and is stabbed by a blade hidden inside the box. A portal opens, from which chains fly out and rip Joey apart, as Voight demands an audience with Leviathan.
Six years later, recovering addict Riley is living with her brother Matt, his boyfriend Colin, and their roommate Nora. Riley's boyfriend, Trevor, convinces her to help break into an abandoned storage warehouse, where they discover the puzzle box. Returning home late, Riley gets into an argument with Matt and leaves. At an empty park, she solves the box but avoids being cut by the blade. The Cenobites, a group of deformed humanoids, appear and demand she choose another as sacrifice. Matt finds Riley blacked out and, as he tries to wake her up, inadvertently cuts himself on the box. He goes to a nearby restroom to clean his wound. Riley hears him scream and discovers that he has vanished. The rest of the film deals with Riley's quest to find her missing brother.
Verdict: if you've seen the first four films, don't expect good acting like the previous installments. The actors are soulless(pun intended), talent-less and inexperienced. There is no notable veteran among the lot of them. Doug Bradley could have been given a role in this film. The special effects are okay but not outstanding given today's overuse of C. G. I. Photography is above average and the background sound-effects are decent. The director tries to make the best with the script given to him. I don't blame the director but the people who conceived the idea of this bland reboot.
More Clive Barker films: Underworld 1985(directed by George Pavlou), Rawhead Rex 1986(also directed by George Pavlou), Candyman 1992(directed by Bernard Rose), The Midnight Meat Train 2008(directed by Ryuhei Kitamura), Book of Blood 2009(directed by John Harrison).
Thanks for reading this review!
But after this and a few cult horror offerings like Nightbreed and Lord Of Illusions, Barker has since disappeared into obscurity. Hellraiser remains my favorite Cliver Barker horror film because of his first attempt at directing a horror film by himself. The transition from writer to director is not easy and very difficult. Barker proved his critics wrong. Hellraiser was a resounding success and spawned subsequent sequels. In my opinion, only the first four Hellraiser films are coherent and worth watching. They make a complete quadrilogy.
Hellraiser was the first film to incorporate Cenobites, referred to as, "demons to some, angels to others". The head Cenobite was a character called Pinhead, his name derived from his bald head studded with nails. He was played by actor Doug Bradley, whose acting and voice-acting of Pinhead in particular I'm very fond of. Doug tried to appear in as many Hellraiser sequels - but not all. Without his great contribution, Hellraiser would have no roots at all.
Back to this film. All Hellraiser films deal with the opening of a puzzle box(like Pandora's box) and unleashing hell(the Cenobites). This one follows the same pattern. A collector Roland Voight acquires the puzzle box(also called the Lemarchand Configuration, created by the French toymaker Philip Lemarchand for Duc de L'Isle an occultist). The story of the origin of the box is shown in Hellraiser part 4 called Hellraiser: Bloodlines. Voight tells a sex worker called Joey to solve the box. Joey solves the configuration and is stabbed by a blade hidden inside the box. A portal opens, from which chains fly out and rip Joey apart, as Voight demands an audience with Leviathan.
Six years later, recovering addict Riley is living with her brother Matt, his boyfriend Colin, and their roommate Nora. Riley's boyfriend, Trevor, convinces her to help break into an abandoned storage warehouse, where they discover the puzzle box. Returning home late, Riley gets into an argument with Matt and leaves. At an empty park, she solves the box but avoids being cut by the blade. The Cenobites, a group of deformed humanoids, appear and demand she choose another as sacrifice. Matt finds Riley blacked out and, as he tries to wake her up, inadvertently cuts himself on the box. He goes to a nearby restroom to clean his wound. Riley hears him scream and discovers that he has vanished. The rest of the film deals with Riley's quest to find her missing brother.
Verdict: if you've seen the first four films, don't expect good acting like the previous installments. The actors are soulless(pun intended), talent-less and inexperienced. There is no notable veteran among the lot of them. Doug Bradley could have been given a role in this film. The special effects are okay but not outstanding given today's overuse of C. G. I. Photography is above average and the background sound-effects are decent. The director tries to make the best with the script given to him. I don't blame the director but the people who conceived the idea of this bland reboot.
More Clive Barker films: Underworld 1985(directed by George Pavlou), Rawhead Rex 1986(also directed by George Pavlou), Candyman 1992(directed by Bernard Rose), The Midnight Meat Train 2008(directed by Ryuhei Kitamura), Book of Blood 2009(directed by John Harrison).
Thanks for reading this review!