Hellraiser is a 1987 horror movie directed by Clive Barker, based on his own characters. Starring Andrew Robinson, Clare Higgins and Ashley Laurence.
Plot, Synopsis
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. (Filmaffinity)
Reviews
“Genuinely scary (…) [It] is intelligent and brutally imaginative (…) But the basic problem with ‘Hellraiser’ is one of balance (…) [Barker] seems to be scraping bloody tongue against gory cheek.” Michael Wilmington: Los Angeles Times
- “Who goes to see movies like this? What do they get out of them? (…) There are no surprises in ‘Hellraiser’, only a dreary series of scenes that repeat each other (…) Rating: ½ (out of 4)” Roger Ebert: rogerebert.com
“One of the most genuinely disturbing movies of the last 20 years (…) Rating: ???? (out of 5)” Bob McCabe: Empire
