Hellraiser (1987)

An unfaithful wife encounters the zombie of her dead lover; demons are pursuing him after he escaped their sadomasochistic underworld.

Director:

Clive Barker

Writer:

Clive Barker

Stars:

Andrew Robinson, Clare Higgins, Ashley Laurence

2 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Andrew Robinson	...	Larry
Clare Higgins	...	Julia
Ashley Laurence	...	Kirsty Cotton
Sean Chapman	...	Frank
Oliver Smith	...	Frank the Monster
Robert Hines	...	Steve
Anthony Allen	...	1st Victim
Leon Davis	...	2nd Victim
Michael Cassidy	...	3rd Victim
Frank Baker	...	Derelict
Kenneth Nelson	...	Bill
Gay Baynes	...	Evelyn
Niall Buggy	...	Dinner Guest
Dave Atkins	...	Moving Man 1
Oliver Parker	...	Moving Man 2

Storyline

Clive Barker's feature directing debut graphically depicts the tale of a man and wife who move into an old house and discover a hideous creature - the man's half-brother, who is also the woman's former lover - hiding upstairs. Having lost his earthly body to a trio of S&M demons, the Cenobites, he is brought back into existence by a drop of blood on the floor. He soon forces his former mistress to bring him his necessary human sacrifices to complete his body... but the Cenobites won't be happy about this.

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Plot Keywords:

male full frontal nudity | cenobites | demon | creature | blood | 

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Taglines:

We have such sights to show you

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Genres:

Fantasy | Horror

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 September 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

Sadomasochists from Beyond the Grave

Filming Locations:

187 Dollis Hill Lane, Dollis Hill, London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$1,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$14,564,027 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cinemarque Entertainment BV, Film Futures, Rivdel Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min 89 min (cut) 86 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Industrial band Coil originally did the soundtrack. Clive Barker was a fan of the finished product, saying "[Coil was] the only group I've heard on disc whose records I've taken off because they made my bowels churn." However, the studio ultimately decided to have the film re-scored by a "house band" that would not have to be paid royalties. The score that Coil recorded, a total of nine tracks, can be found on their compilation CD "Unnatural History II: Smiling in the Face of Perversity" and on another album, "The Unreleased Themes for Hellraiser". Both are quite rare.

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Goofs

When the Engineer chases Kirsty, the trolley and crew pushing it are visible.

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Quotes

Frank Cotton: Kirsty! It's Frank! It's Uncle Frank!
Kirsty Cotton: No!
Frank Cotton: You remember.
Kirsty Cotton: NO!
Frank Cotton: Come to Daddy!
Kirsty Cotton: No! Get the fuck off me!
Frank Cotton: You've grown. You're beautiful.
Kirsty Cotton: Don't touch me! Or so help me...
Frank Cotton: What? What'll you do? What can you do? There's nothing to be frightened of. I bet you make your Daddy proud, don't you? Beautiful.
Kirsty Cotton: This isn't happening!
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in The Simpsons: Stop or My Dog Will Shoot (2007)

User Reviews

Classic Horror Movie, Pinhead Point

This is obviously the best Hellraiser. Nothing can beat the 1st scene when Pinhead and the Cenobites come in to view. It is simply some of the most powerful present day horror. The creativity of the hellbound world gives this movie a 9. With the low budget, it still maintains the vision of Clive Barker, the author who penned this original story. I believe that this movie and subject is at the apex of creativity instead of the boring slashers that have dominated horror movies in the 80's and 90's. Now, it seems we are getting the "I know what you did two summer's ago" and "weird horror flicks like "Grudge" and the films that it cloned.Pinhead point--He should actually be called 9-inch nail-head because that is what is pounded into his head not little pins.