Hellraiser (1987)
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.
Cast
Clare Higgins
Julia Cotton
Ashley Laurence
Kirsty Cotton
Sean Chapman
Frank Cotton
Andrew Robinson
Larry Cotton
Doug Bradley
Lead Cenobite
Grace Kirby
Female Cenobite
Nicholas Vince
Chattering Cenobite
Simon Bamford
'Butterball' Cenobite
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JPV852
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 “Lead Cenobite”, 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**
