PINHEAD
In 1986 a novella was published by the title THE HELLBOUND HEART. Written by Clive Barker, the story introduced the world to the characters of the CENOBITES, beings that reside in another realm dedicated to the exploration of the senses. Scarred and disfigured, mutilated to the point where they appear sexless, these beings are armed with hooks and edged weapons. The descriptions don't go much beyond this. The following year Clive Barker directed a film based on his novella. The Cenobites on screen proved more hellish than anything we readers could've imagined. Few films can be described as a poetry of gore and horrific beauty. HELLRAISER still stands as one of the most grotesquely beautiful films ever made.
THE PLOT
Frank lived his life in the pursuit of pleasure. Eventually he came into possession of a puzzle box rumored to open gateways to new realms. What lay in store for him was quite the opposite. Months after Frank vanishes, when an accident spills blood in Frank's room, the blood resurrects Frank's desiccated corpse. Escaping the horrors within the puzzle box, Frank tells Julia, his brother's wife now living in the house, that he needs more blood to rebuild his body. Promising her his undying love, Julia brings unsuspecting visitors one after another to Frank. He kills them and sucks their blood until he is nearly whole again. But what of the beings responsible for Frank's state? What happens when these beings called Cenobites come looking for him?
THE GOOD
Evil and Eviler. The antagonist in this film also happens to be one of the protagonists. This is Frank's story. His pursuit of furthering his sensorial experiences leads him to the Cenobites and the movie is about his escape and resurrection. He wasn't a good man to begin with. After death he became something worse. The movie is about him killing enough people to regrow his flesh. Frank is the monster for the majority of the film. But from the beginning the film tells us of an even greater evil, unfathomable darkness: The Cenobites. These figures are terrifying enough to scare Frank into killing as many people as necessary to escape them. In a way the Cenobites are the heroes, slaying the monstrous Frank. But even though they destroy Frank they represent a far greater evil to come.
Pinhead and the Cenobites. Clive Barker truly tapped into his nightmares when designing the Cenobites. Nails driven into the skull. Hooks pierced through the flesh. Skin sliced open and peeled back and more. And Doug Bradley's voice and performance adding incredible gravitas to his character. In the hands of another actor the character of Pinhead and perhaps the movie itself may not be the legends they are today. Or perhaps the sequels may have explored other avenues. Few characters in film evoke such fear and horror as Pinhead does. Just as Robert Englund and Freddy Krueger were the perfect combination of actor and character, Doug Bradley and Pinhead are the perfect alignment.
The Gore. I talk about the gore a lot in my horror film reviews. But very few movies achieve the level of reality, intensity, and graphic beauty reached in this film. Frank's reanimation sequence is one of the greatest scenes in all horror cinema. The image of the hook piercing the human body and pulling the skin is so incredibly visceral, eliciting sympathetic squirms and gasps from viewers. And all of it is set to Christopher Young's gothic score. Gore in films can be gratuitous and not essential to the plot. The gore in this film is what the movie is about. Bodily ruin and pain.
THE BAD
Too Much. This film is nigh perfect and an incredible achievement in practical visual effects. If there is something here to caution it would be to the faint of heart. You could say that this film goes to levels many may find uncomfortable. Some may find this movie goes to a level beyond enjoyment. It is in this seldom traveled path of blood and gore which is both the film's greatest strength and weakness. This would not be a film I'd recommend beginning your horror education with. This film has to be built towards. Released in the latter half of the 1980's was perfect for Hellraiser. So beware. This is Advanced Horror education.
THE VERDICT
Clive Barker created only a part of his vision with his novella The Hellbound Heart. The vision was completed when he finished his film Hellraiser. Barker explores great depths of evil through one monster and even greater evil through another. Boundless visions of blood and gore push this horror film beyond most. And Doug Bradley's performance as Pinhead and the designs for the cenobites are among the scariest horror figures in all cinema. Pinhead may well be the most frightening horror icon in history. Hellraiser is not for the average viewer. It is an example of a deeper level of horror.
Overall Ranking: 10 out of 10
Leaves a lasting impression. Above repute.
Nude-O-Meter: 3 out of 10
For more Clive Barker and 80's horror icons check out the films below...
AND FOR EVEN MORE HORROR CHECK
THE HORROR MASTER LIST
THE HORROR MASTER LIST
1980'S HORROR
The 1980's was the last great era for horror cinema. The sheer number of horror films produced during the years 1980 through 1989 is staggering. An estimate of over 500 horror films were made. That's more than 50 horror films a year. A new horror film each week. It's no wonder so many horror classics came during that stretch. Even if only a tenth of those movies were any good that's still around fifty films, five truly good horror films a year for ten years. The number is probably higher than that and some day we'll make a list of the best horror films of the 1980's. I used to wonder how so many horror icons and modern classics could come from that decade. Looking at the macro view I can see how.
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