Release CalendarDVD & Blu-ray ReleasesTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsIn TheatersComing SoonMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersEmmysAPA Heritage MonthSTARmeter AwardsSan Diego Comic-ConNew York Comic-ConSundance Film FestivalToronto Int'l Film FestivalAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)

Hellraiser

  • 19871987
  • RR
  • 1h 34m
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
118K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,609
265
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Doug Bradley in Hellraiser (1987)
Unsanitized
Play trailer1:37
2 Videos
99+ Photos
  • Horror
  • Thriller

A woman discovers the newly resurrected, partially formed, body of her brother-in-law. She starts killing for him to revitalize his body so he can escape the demonic beings that are pursuing... Read allA woman discovers the newly resurrected, partially formed, body of her brother-in-law. She starts killing for him to revitalize his body so he can escape the demonic beings that are pursuing him after he escaped their sadistic underworld.A woman discovers the newly resurrected, partially formed, body of her brother-in-law. She starts killing for him to revitalize his body so he can escape the demonic beings that are pursuing him after he escaped their sadistic underworld.

IMDb RATING
6.9/10
118K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,609
265
  • Director
    • Clive Barker
  • Writer
    • Clive Barker(novel "The Hellbound Heart")
  • Stars
    • Andrew Robinson
    • Clare Higgins
    • Ashley Laurence
Top credits
  • Director
    • Clive Barker
  • Writer
    • Clive Barker(novel "The Hellbound Heart")
  • Stars
    • Andrew Robinson
    • Clare Higgins
    • Ashley Laurence
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 480User reviews
    • 265Critic reviews
    • 57Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 wins & 6 nominations

    Videos2

    Hellraiser
    Trailer 1:37
    Hellraiser
    Hellraiser
    Trailer 1:28
    Hellraiser

    Photos251

    Doug Bradley in Hellraiser (1987)
    Hellraiser (1987)
    Hellraiser (1987)
    Doug Bradley in Hellraiser (1987)
    Doug Bradley in Hellraiser (1987)
    Hellraiser (1987)
    Hellraiser (1987)
    Doug Bradley in Hellraiser (1987)
    Doug Bradley in Hellraiser (1987)
    Hellraiser (1987)
    Doug Bradley in Hellraiser (1987)
    Doug Bradley in Hellraiser (1987)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Andrew Robinson
    Andrew Robinson
    • Larryas Larry
    Clare Higgins
    Clare Higgins
    • Juliaas Julia
    Ashley Laurence
    Ashley Laurence
    • Kirstyas Kirsty
    Sean Chapman
    Sean Chapman
    • Frankas Frank
    Oliver Smith
    Oliver Smith
    • Frank the Monsteras Frank the Monster
    Robert Hines
    • Steveas Steve
    Anthony Allen
    • 1st Victimas 1st Victim
    • (as Antony Allen)
    Leon Davis
    • 2nd Victimas 2nd Victim
    Michael Cassidy
    • 3rd Victimas 3rd Victim
    Frank Baker
    • Derelictas Derelict
    Kenneth Nelson
    Kenneth Nelson
    • Billas Bill
    Gay Baynes
    • Evelynas Evelyn
    Niall Buggy
    Niall Buggy
    • Dinner Guestas Dinner Guest
    Dave Atkins
    • Moving Man 1as Moving Man 1
    Oliver Parker
    Oliver Parker
    • Moving Man 2as Moving Man 2
    Pamela Sholto
    • Complaining Customeras Complaining Customer
    Doug Bradley
    Doug Bradley
    • Lead Cenobiteas Lead Cenobite
    Nicholas Vince
    Nicholas Vince
    • Chattering Cenobiteas Chattering Cenobite
    • Director
      • Clive Barker
    • Writer
      • Clive Barker(novel "The Hellbound Heart")
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Hellbound: Hellraiser II
    6.4
    Hellbound: Hellraiser II
    Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth
    5.4
    Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth
    Hellraiser: Bloodline
    5.0
    Hellraiser: Bloodline
    A Nightmare on Elm Street
    7.4
    A Nightmare on Elm Street
    The Evil Dead
    7.4
    The Evil Dead
    Hellraiser
    Hellraiser
    Hellraiser: Inferno
    5.4
    Hellraiser: Inferno
    Re-Animator
    7.2
    Re-Animator
    Hellraiser: Judgment
    4.3
    Hellraiser: Judgment
    Evil Dead II
    7.7
    Evil Dead II
    Hellraiser: Revelations
    2.7
    Hellraiser: Revelations
    Halloween
    7.7
    Halloween

    Storyline

    Edit
    When Kirsty's father, Larry, and stepmother, Julia, move into Larry's childhood home, Kirsty and her boyfriend take a room nearby. Unfortunately for all involved, Larry's house is already occupied: before the family's arrival, Larry's disreputable brother, Frank, used a supernatural puzzle box to summon a gang of other-dimensional demon sadists. Now, Frank requires a series of blood sacrifices to escape the clutches of Pinhead and the cenobites. —mrosesteed
    • sadomasochism
    • body horror
    • puzzle box
    • gore
    • pinhead character
    • 261 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Taglines
      • Still Raising Hell [20th Anniversary Re-Issue]
    • Genres
      • Horror
      • Thriller
    • Certificate
      • R
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      During a post-production party when filming had ended, Doug Bradley was dismayed to be ignored by the other members of the crew. He thought that he had gotten on rather well with the cast and crew, and it wasn't until later that he realized that none of the crew had actually seen him without his makeup when playing Pinhead and therefore did not recognize him.
    • Goofs
      (at around 1h 4 mins) When the Engineer chases Kirsty, the trolley and crew pushing it are visible.
    • Quotes

      [Pinhead appears from the shadows behind Kirsty]

      Lead Cenobite: We have such sights to show you!

    • Alternate versions
      The UK cinema version was uncut though the 1988 New World Pictures and 1991 VCI video releases were cut by 4 seconds and removed shots of Julia's first victim pleading after the initial hammer blow and a shot of his dead bloodied face. The cut was waived for the 1998 issue.
    • Connections
      Edited into Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988)

    User reviews480

    Review
    Top review
    8/10
    More Urbane and Interesting Than Other 1980s Horror Movies
    Hellraiser may not be an incredible work of horror genius, but it certainly is one of the more inventive and engagingly dark and twisted horror films of the 1980s, when horror films were almost all dull, poorly made, recycled, and absurd. Hellraiser's themes include sadomasochism, in an intriguing concept of the slasher figure in the story, which is a Gothic- looking antique puzzle box that summons ruthless demons to victimize the person in possession of it by subjecting them to a world of debilitating eternal pain. It also involves a femme fatale on the level of a chiller that does not involve fantasy, played brilliantly in an extremely acute performance by beautiful Clare Higgins. There is the layer of plot surrounding her that inhabits late-thirties, early-forties married and adulterous life with her almost frustratingly naive and unsuspecting husband, which is invaded by the devilish embodied soul of her ex-lover, brutalized by the demons of the puzzle box. Finally, at the core of the story is the pivotal character, as her fill of screen time patiently awaits to the point where she is revealed to be so, and she is the teenage stepdaughter, played by Ashley Laurence, one of the sexiest actresses I have ever seen. Everything from her voluptuous body to her scream-bloody-murder portrayal of the stepdaughter makes me wonder why her career never went any higher than this.

    So yes, the movie is more urbane than the vast majority of other horror films in that decade. It's even set in England. It's interesting that no one has an English accent in England, according to this movie, but nevertheless the locale serves the film with a dark atmosphere of sophistication and antiquity, which suits a story that surrounds an age-old puzzle box. This feel of the movie that I speak of is interrupted, quite inexplicably by beer-drinking, dirty-T-shirt-wearing American furniture movers, which I didn't know they had in England.

    Hellraiser is quite an enormous entertainment despite its 1980s-style inconsistencies that I suppose it just couldn't help but have. It's especially enjoyable during autumn, mainly during Halloween time.
    helpful•35
    13
    • jzappa
    • Oct 28, 2007

    FAQ4

    • What are the differences between the old BBFC 18 Version and the Uncut Version?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 18, 1987 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Clive Barker's Hellraiser
    • Filming locations
      • 187 Dollis Hill Lane, Dollis Hill, Brent, London, England, UK
    • Production companies
      • Film Futures
      • New World Pictures
      • New World Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • £1,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $14,564,027
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $4,453,232
      • Sep 20, 1987
    • Gross worldwide
      • $14,575,526
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 34 minutes
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

    Related news

    /Film Showdown: Leatherface Vs. Pinhead
    /Film Showdown: Leatherface Vs. Pinhead
    May 12Slash Film
    ‘The Omen’ Prequel ‘The First Omen’ Sets Arkasha Stevenson As Director For 20th Century Studios Movie
    ‘The Omen’ Prequel ‘The First Omen’ Sets Arkasha Stevenson As Director For 20th Century Studios Movie
    May 10Deadline Film + TV

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Doug Bradley in Hellraiser (1987)
    Top Gap
    What is the streaming release date of Hellraiser (1987) in Spain?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    View list
    List
    The Best Movies and Shows to Watch in May
    See the full list
    Image caption not available
    2:14
    The Most Anticipated Movies and Shows to Watch in May
    Watch the video

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Interest-Based Ads

    © 1990-2022 by IMDb.com, Inc.