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.
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.Written by
mrosesteed
Clive Barker spoke about filming fondly in the Hellraiser Chronicles, stating that his memories on production where of "unalloyed fondness... the cast treated my ineptitudes kindly, and the crew were no less forgiving." Barker admitted his own lack of knowledge on filmmaking, stating that he "didn't know the difference between a 10mm lens and a 35mm lens, if you'd show me a plate of spaghetti and said that was a lens, I might have believed you". See more »
Goofs
(at around 1h 1 min) When Kirsty first wakes up in the hospital bed, the tray-table in front of her is empty. The doctor comes in and deposits the puzzle box on the table. He says he'll get her a phone after they've talked. However, directly after he leaves, we see that a phone has appeared on the table. It is neither mentioned nor used. See more »
Quotes
[first lines]
Asian Merchant:
[the Asian Merchant greets Frank]
What's your pleasure, Mr. Cotton?
Frank Cotton:
The box.
See more »
Alternate Versions
Roadshow Film Distributors cut Hellraiser to get an M rating for its Australian theatrical run. The cuts were later restored to an R rated VHS release. See more »
This truly is groundbreaking horror from the highly imaginative mind of one Clive Barker. Hellraiser is one the best horror films ever made, let alone to come out of the eighties. It proves that slasher flicks don't rule the horror screen. There are other, better movies in the genre. The Cenobites are outstanding. They completely steal the show. Pinhead (played by Doug Bradley, a name that would become synonymous with Hellraiser), Female, Chatterer, and Butterball are awesome in all their gory S&M glory. Someone once said that if you assembled all of the horror icons at a dinner table, Pinhead would be the only one using silverware. After watching this movie again, that seems to be a very true statement. Aside from the Cenobites, Frank is an extraordinary sight to behold. Bob Keen's effects team has outdone themselves. The entire world that Barker has created astounds me. He's really pushing the envelope here. The dark imagery and the concept of the Lament Configuration are incredible. Why aren't more original movies made? Today they all seem to rip off the same concepts. Hellraiser is a completely original eerie experience. It's one of the few films I can think of that was unique and has stayed unique after all these years. There are a lot of opinions about the sequels. Mine is stop after Hellraiser II as II is the end of the truly dark nature that these films have (although III is certainly a guilty pleasure). If you haven't yet, see this highly exceptional horror classic immediately. It is undoubtedly one of my all time favorites.
41 of 46 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
| Report this
This truly is groundbreaking horror from the highly imaginative mind of one Clive Barker. Hellraiser is one the best horror films ever made, let alone to come out of the eighties. It proves that slasher flicks don't rule the horror screen. There are other, better movies in the genre. The Cenobites are outstanding. They completely steal the show. Pinhead (played by Doug Bradley, a name that would become synonymous with Hellraiser), Female, Chatterer, and Butterball are awesome in all their gory S&M glory. Someone once said that if you assembled all of the horror icons at a dinner table, Pinhead would be the only one using silverware. After watching this movie again, that seems to be a very true statement. Aside from the Cenobites, Frank is an extraordinary sight to behold. Bob Keen's effects team has outdone themselves. The entire world that Barker has created astounds me. He's really pushing the envelope here. The dark imagery and the concept of the Lament Configuration are incredible. Why aren't more original movies made? Today they all seem to rip off the same concepts. Hellraiser is a completely original eerie experience. It's one of the few films I can think of that was unique and has stayed unique after all these years. There are a lot of opinions about the sequels. Mine is stop after Hellraiser II as II is the end of the truly dark nature that these films have (although III is certainly a guilty pleasure). If you haven't yet, see this highly exceptional horror classic immediately. It is undoubtedly one of my all time favorites.