HELLRAISER (1987)
Blogtober Qualifications: Demons, undead, murder, just a ton of sharp implements
Frank Cotton (Sean Chapman) is a man bored with the mundane world. Believing himself to have experienced every form of pleasure the earthly realm has to offer, Frank now seeks experiences beyond that of mortal ken. It is in his search that he comes across a mysterious puzzle box in a far-off bazaar. Believing this to be exactly what he's been looking for, Frank opens the puzzle box... and is promptly dragged to Hell, to experience otherworldly pain (and pleasure) for the rest of eternity.
Some time later, on the other side of the world, Frank's brother Larry (Andrew Robinson) and his wife Julia (Clare Higgins) move into Larry's family's home, which is rundown and decrepit from disuse. The two seem determined to make the place a home, however, in what seems to be a bid to fix problems in their marriage. Meanwhile, Larry is trying to convince his daughter Kirsty (Ashley Laurence) to move back in with them, though Kirsty is determined to get by on her own.
Everything changes when a chance drop of Larry's blood begins reviving Frank, allowing him to escape from his freakish prison. This doesn't go smoothly, however, and Frank is left as barely more than muscle and bones. He needs victims to kill in order to reconstitute his form, but he's running out of time. The denizens of Hell are very unhappy with his escape...
Here it is, you guys: this may well be my favorite horror movie of the 1980s. It's weird, too, since it focuses a lot on gore and sex, which are two things I'm not overly fond of. I guess I find the whole thing unsettling in just the right way. Still, I'm gonna try my best to look at it with a critical eye, so let's do so now.
I'm gonna speed through the actors today, since just about everyone is slightly weird and awkward.
Frank is supposed to be this badass, worldly dude that women are drawn to, but I honestly don't buy it. He's only in a couple scenes in his human form, though, so whatever.
Julia is rude and/or weird in every single scene. Like, we genuinely don't get one scene (that I can recall) where she's not one or both of those things. The weird thing is that I almost get the feeling that we're supposed to be feeling sorry for her. But I don't.
Poor Larry. If they were going for dweeb, they nailed it. Moving on.
Kirsty is pretty good, I suppose. She's likable and plays scared convincingly. She also edges into action girl territory in the last act (complete with one-liners), which is pretty sweet. She's also cute, in an '80s sort of way.
When Frank is in his undead monster form, he's played by Oliver Smith. The effects are great (I'll come back to that), and he cuts an imposing figure, but boy his voice is silly. It's one of those voices that's deep, but not really in a powerful way. It's just I am deep voice yes. Also some of his lines are cheesy.
On the other side of the track, we have Pinhead, played by Doug Bradley and oh boy is he awesome. Like Monster Frank (from now on known as Frankster), his makeup effects are fantastic and he looks extremely intimidating. Unlike Frankster, however, his voice rocks. This is how you do a deep voice. He's commanding and terrifying and jeezy creezy you do not want him to even notice you.
I've heard that Pinhead wasn't even meant to be a very important character, but he wound up coming back for every sequel. He's just that cool.
The story, as you may already know, is based on director Clive Barker's original novella, The Hellbound Heart. And let me tell you, it's a doozy. It never quite jumps from the edge of insanity, but there are times where it dances perilously close. It's very unique, and I've never really seen anything else like it, at least not through such an interesting lens.
Barker is well-known for his, let's say, appreciation for violence and sex, and often both at once. All of that is on display here, but it never really feels cheap or pointless. It all serves the story it's telling, and that story is one that's hard to look away from. There are certain plot points that I felt could have been dealt with more quickly, and some scenes drag on a bit too long, but it never takes away from the whole package.
As mentioned previously, the practical effects in this movie are outstanding. There are some (very) small flaws here and there that can't hide from a high definition eye, but it's amazing how much of it stands the test of time. In no other scene is this more apparent than when Frankster is first resurrected. Drops of Larry's blood on the floor begin to bubble and expand. Undead arms, slick with slime, reach up out of the new pool of blood, seeking purchase on the floor. Slowly, the arms push against the floor, forcing up out of the pool a necrotic head and upper body.
It's one of my favorite practical effects scenes of any movie, ever. Easily in my top ten. It really has to be seen to be believed.
Also apparently the film ran out of money, so all the animated visual effects had to be drawn by hand by a drunk Clive Barker and some dude. All things considered, they did a pretty good job.
And that's Hellraiser. It has a few flaws, sure, but it easily overcomes them. It's very different from what I normally like, but maybe that's a good thing. It makes me really uncomfortable, but I still can't help but love it.
Guess what! Tomorrow, we won't be leaving the '80s! We'll actually be hanging out in this decade for the next few days, so settle in. Tomorrow specifically, we'll be looking at an all-time classic, and I can't wait.
Until next time!
Current interests:
Listening - King Crimson: In the Court of the Crimson King (1969)
Playing - Wolfenstein: The Old Blood (2015)
Reading - The Complete Books of Blood (Clive Barker, 1984)
Watching - Thunderbirds Are Go! (2015)
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