Hellraiser (1987)
This one's a special review for the great @movieloversmovieclub that has been showcasing horror films for each day of October. My pick for the group is Clive Barker's 1987 classic, Hellraiser. No, the film is not altogether that superb, however, there is a specific reason why I chose it for today. It is because, for anyone who had a childhood post-1987, the image of Hellraiser's Pinhead is one that, anytime glimpsed, surely terrified the absolute bejeezus out of you. Most of us weren't able to actually watch the film until we were much older (unless your parents were rather negligent) and so all we had for those young years growing up was Pinhead himself - that ghastly white face, like a spectre in the night, with gruesomely long and masochistic nails sticking out from every angle of his head. Literally, the stuff that nightmares are made from.
Now, for the film itself. In my opinion, Hellraiser, the film, is better thought of as a scary campfire story. Its plot is quite barebones and there really isn't any depth/room for analysis to the film beneath its visual surface. That being said, the imagery found in Hellraiser is quite fantastic and also absolutely horrifying. I'd say the majority of the franchise's lasting popularity is due to the incredible creature design of the Cenobites and, of course, Pinhead in particular. He surely sits near the top of the horror icons along with Freddy, Jason, Michael Myers and the Xenomorph. On top of this are the many other gory practical effects throughout the film, which are definitely worth seeing for those with a knack for twisted bodily horror in their films. The reanimation of Frank is one of the gory highlights of the film.
With regards to the other (important) elements to the film, well... they're kind of subpar at best. The actual plot revolves around an adulterous wife who chooses to help her reanimated lover. The basis for the Cenobites existence also is literally from nothing more than a cursed box that, when opened, leads to the arrival of Pinhead and his buddies for some deadly S&M. The script of the film (written by Barker) leaves quite a lot to be desired. Example: "Kirsty, it's Frank. You remember, Uncle Frank. Come to daddy! You're grown and beautiful." Oy... The story actually is a bit misogynistic and motivations of characters are extremely one-dimensional. As well, the performances from the cast unfortunately do not really help this fact. A lot of the actual film itself has a tone of a B-movie (which, to be fair, may be what many like about Hellraiser). The appeal of Pinhead himself is also an issue as he and the Cenobites actually do not have much screen time at all. Most of the film's main horror actually comes from Frank and not the Cenobites, which is something people who have not seen the film may not know. In comparison to many of the other great classic horrors, Hellraiser definitely does not have that sharp plot or relevant themes/social discussion. However, if you want to see the origin of a horror icon and some pretty gnarly horror effects then you could do worse than throwing on Hellraiser for an October evening.
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