It’s amazing what sort of
misconceptions one can develop, even when you consider yourself an intelligent
adult.
Take, for instance, my completely
incorrect assumption that Clive Barker was once a prolific director. I couldn’t have been more wrong. In my defense, I think the ‘Clive Barker
Presents’ films completely skewed my count.
In reality, he has only directed five movies, the last one being Lord of Illusions in 1995.
Another reason I think I was a
little off is because of how much writing he’s done. He has 30 writing credits when you take video
games and short films into account. Throw
in his producing credits, and you’ve got a guy who stayed pretty busy. Oh yeah!
He’s also responsible for Candyman
and the Hellraiser series.
On to the review!
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it
again. I always found the first Hellraiser film to be boring, so I
wasn’t expecting my 3rd (4th?) viewing to be any
different. Really, I wasn’t too far off the mark, it’s still kinda boring. However, since I was already really familiar
with the plot, I was able to notice a bit more of what made Clive Barker such a
respected ‘Master of Horror’ all those years ago.
The
man knows how to instill every scene with just the right amount of dread, and
his villains are hard to forget. Add
some truly disturbing special effects wizardry, and it’s easy to see why Hellraiser is still one of the most
well-known horror classics, especially since it debuted so ‘recently.’ (It came out in 1987, nearly a decade after Halloween and 7 years after Friday the 13th.)
Combining the
idea of a magical artifact (a-la Indiana
Jones) with the ability to summon creatures from another plane of existence,
Barker created an otherworldly device that allows him to make up the rules as
he goes. In this one, when someone
‘solves’ the puzzle cube it opens a doorway to hell. Whether it’s intentional or not, this summons
Pinhead and his Cenobites, setting them free to inflict whatever demonic
tortures they wish up their newest victim.
In the first Hellraiser, that victim is Frank (Sean Chapman), a sex-addicted asshole
who claims to ‘know what he’s getting into.’
Once the opening scene proves him wrong, we’re transported into the
lives of Frank’s brother Larry (Andrew Robinson), his kind-of-a-bitch wife
Julia (Clare Higgins) and his peppy daughter Kirsty (Ashley Laurence). Soon, we discover that Julia was totally
boning Frank because they’re both terrible people, and Larry was never the
wiser.
Cut to about 15 minutes into the
film, and Larry is dripping blood thanks to a rusty nail. As we watch the blood fall, we see it being
absorbed into the floorboards.
Surprise! Frank used the blood to pull his way out of Cenobite
hell and begin reincorporating his human form.
To fully accomplish this he needs more victims’ blood. This is where Julia makes the perfect lackey:
she’s still smitten with him and is willing to overlook the fact that a
demon-man wants her to murder innocent men.
What holds up 25 years later is just
how creepy Frank’s ‘monster’ form is, played in lots of heavy makeup by Oliver
Smith. The ‘formation’ scene is
genuinely disturbing, and Clive Barker seemed to have studied up on human
anatomy, because he makes Frank’s skinless forms strange and creepy as he works
towards a ‘complete’ body. This,
combined with the dry, dusty, creepy, filthy room where much of the action
takes place, makes Hellraiser stand
out.
Oh yes, and don’t forget how
incredibly kinky the Cenobites are. Seriously. Go back and check out those outfits. Each one was supposed to represent someone
receiving a twisted version of their greatest wish. Those are some kinky, creepy wishes.
So how is Hellraiser as a movie? It’s
fine, really. It’s not as slow as I
often make it out to be. In fact, it has
almost the same pacing as Nightmare on
Elm Street and consistently delivers ‘the scares,’ as it were. While Pinhead doesn’t really get fleshed out
for a few more movies, he and his band of BDSM misfits make up for in
grotesquery what they lack in imminent danger.
Next week: I bring some modernity by introducing the
newest member of the fold: Paranormal Activity.
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