I know my Freddie and my Jason, but there are some 80s horror franchises that passed me by. I expected all sorts of gory, glutinous and gooey body horror from Clive Barker’s cult classic, but I didn’t expect the film to be quite as weird and subversive.
“We have such sights to show you.”
. . .
For the longest time, my knowledge of Hellraiser began and ended with that iconic nail-studded visage of the series’ chief antagonist. The deathly white skin, the neat grid of scars, the cold black bottomless pits for eyes – Pinhead really looked like the stuff of nightmares. The most surprising thing about the movie is just how spare the appearances of Pinhead and his fellow demonic creatures are, and that they’re not even the main villains of the story.
The movie is likewise mixed on the main protagonist, but for the first half it’s arguably Julia Cotton (Clare Higgins), who with her husband Larry (Andrew Robinson) moves into the run-down house of Larry’s dodgy brother Frank. In the prologue, Frank buys an intricate occult-looking puzzle box from a Moroccan merchant. Back home, he unlocks the secret and opens the box, which collapses the boundaries between worlds and summons the beings known as the Cenobites. Frank disappears from the face of the earth, and the reset box is left behind.
It is revealed that Julia had a steamy affair with Frank behind Larry’s back, and still has all sorts of fantasies about him. She gets a second chance when a domestic accident involving spilled blood brings Frank back from Hell in a horrific, skinless form. This apparently is not a turn-off and Julia agrees to help restore Frank by luring in men she picks up in bars, so that Frank can feed on their life force and change into something more presentable. A problem arises when Kirsty (Ashley Laurence), Larry’s teenage daughter from his first marriage, stumbles on the lovers’ nefarious plot. From then on, doe-eyed Kirsty is our Final Girl and has her own interactions with the Cenobites.
I wouldn’t describe Hellraiser as a great movie that I loved, but I can see why it spawned a franchise that endures to this day. Sure, the acting is spotty, the characters and their relationships lack substance, and the storytelling can be clunky. The Cenobites however are the genuinely original horror creations, and end up making a huge impression in the short amount of time they’re given. Some still look human, while others are inhuman grotesques (the Cenobite with constantly clicking teeth was especially creepy). None is more intriguing than Pinhead, the leader of the Cenobites, who has a strange air of dignity, formality and intelligence about him, despite looking like someone who spent way too much time in the underground leather and S&M clubs. I appreciated his resonant voice and precise way with words.
Moreover, unlike many monsters in slasher movies, the Cenobites seem to operate on strict rules and have an underlying philosophy, which regards extreme physical pain as ultimate pleasure and a path to transcendence. Sure, their human victims might see things differently when the torture begins, but once they open the box, their objections are not the Cenobites’ problems.
Hellraiser has a sleazy and grimy feel that you rarely see in the sterile modern movies. It also has some of the most disgusting and disturbing practical effects I’ve ever seen in a film; considering the low budget you really have to applaud the ingenuity and ambition on display. Because I’m kinda squeamish when it comes to mutilations and body horror, I was grateful for the fake 80s blood and lack of realism, because I might have found the movie unwatchable otherwise.
P.S. I also watched Hellbound: Hellraiser II, a direct continuation of the story that expands on the Cenobite lore, including a vision of Hell as an endless maze presided over by a massive floating diamond. I thought it was a lesser film, far weaker on the plot and characters than the original, which in retrospect made me appreciate the tighter focus of Hellraiser. It does offer more of the ghoulish macabre imagery, more scenery chewing from evil Julia, and even more insane and outlandish practical effects.
