Cinematic Nightmares

HELLRAISER (1987)

(Note: this text was originally published 12 years ago on my former blog Cinematic Nightmares)

Kirsty Cotton: “Who are you?”

Lead Cenobite: “Explorers in the further regions of experience. Demons to some, angels to others.”

Clive Barker is undoubtedly one of the most important writers and artists of our time. He established his postion with the six-volume collection Books of Blood, published between 1984 and 1985. Even if he had he stopped there, that brilliant collection would have been more than enough to cement his important place in history of horror fiction. Then other (mostly) excellent works kept coming: the novella The Hellbound Heart (which is our primary focus here), the outstanding horror novel The Damnation Game, the dark-fantasy novel Weaveworld (not strictly horror), and the somewhat weaker but still solid The Great and Secret Show.

After the pretty weak adaptation of Barker’s Books of Blood story Rawhead Rex by director George Pavlou, Barker decided to take matters into his own hands. He directed a film adaptation of his novella The Hellbound Heart (published in 1986), and HELLRAISER was born. I recently revisited it, along with its first sequel (which I’ll cover in a separate review), and reaffirmed my thoughts about the quality of these films.

Frank (Sean Chapman) seeks to experience the further regions of human experience using a mysterious puzzle box that, when solved, opens the doors to new dimensions of perception. What he finds is eternal servitude in a realm inhabited by the Cenobites, demons who blur the lines between pain and pleasure through their sadomasochistic experiments on humans. Frank’s brother Larry (Andrew Robinson) and his family soon find themselves entangled in a world they never imagined existed. Frank wants to escape from the depths of hell, and a few drops of Larry’s blood (caused by a bad cut), spilled in the attic where Frank was torn apart, begin to restore him physically. But for his full regeneration, Frank needs victims, and Larry’s wife, Julia (Clare Higgins), his former lover and partner in exploring the further regions of experience (in their case lighter, physical version of sensual pleasure), agrees to help him. Larry’s daughter, Kirsty (Ashley Laurence), soon discovers the horrifying secret in the attic, but things escalate when she solves the puzzle box, summoning the Cenobites who come to claim what’s theirs.

This film perfectly showcases Barker’s thematic obsessions – there are no boundaries, seemingly distant worlds mix and create new realms beneath the thin surface of the “normal world.” In Barker’s work, supernatural horrors attack and devour our physical reality. These horrors are seen as monstrous from a human perspective, but Barker always tried to give a voice to the other side as well.

Pain and pleasure are inseparably intertwined, and human flesh is a playground for inhuman forces, the Cenobites, “explorers in the further regions of experience,” who subject their victims to relentless and extreme sadomasochistic experiments. Their design perfectly reflects their work: piercings, pins protruding from their heads, and leather outfits cutting into human skin—original creations in every way. The actors portraying them did an excellent job of bringing these characters to life: Doug Bradley plays the Lead Cenobite (later known as Pinhead), Grace Kirby plays the Female Cenobite, Nicholas Vince and Simon Bamford portray Chatterer and Butterball, respectively.

The Cenobites are demons of human flesh, fully devoted to their craft. Using chains and hooks, they tear apart their victims, pushing sadomasochistic rituals to their extreme. Those seeking new sources of pleasure – and with it, the new sources of knowledge – get far more than what they wanted. And although the Cenobites state that their only mission is to explore the further regions of experience and conquer new realms of knowledge, and although Frank himself admits at one point that they gave him an experience beyond all limits – a fusion of pain and pleasure – their experiments ultimately take the form of punishment. In a way, it becomes a punishment for those who dare to explore new worlds.

In a way, here Barker draws a direct connection between sensual pleasure and desire for the forbidden, which some might equate with sin. However, the punishment for this sin is not the Christian concept of eternal torment in hell. In the Cenobites’ hell, the curse includes both pain and pleasure, inseparably fused and pushed to such extremes that even people like Frank can’t endure it. These extremes surpass their desires and understanding, turning into a form of punishment.

Julia is defined by her repressed desire to explore new realms of experience through her relationship with Frank. This desire drives her decision to help him by bringing him victims. Living with Larry, she suppresses her feelings and wishes, but when the opportunity arises to restart her relationship with Frank, she takes it, regardless of the consequences. In this sense, the film exposes dark family secrets and the consequences that arise when primal urges surface.

Before HELLRAISER, Barker had only directed two experimental short films (SALOME and THE FORBIDDEN), but here he proves himself a master of body horror, with strong Gothic and surreal elements. The film is drenched in a dark atmosphere, blending body horror, Gothic SM iconography, and excellent acting into a cohesive visual work. The practical effects are top-notch and give the film its unique quality. Despite the incredibly low budget (around $1 million), Barker made the most of the location—the Cotton family home—although filming in such a confined space somewhat limited the movement of teh camera.

The only major criticism I had is the way that the end of the film is done – at times it feels clumsy and rushed. Barker has explained that they ran out of time and money for professional visual effects at the end and that the scenes were indeed filmed quickly, though he remains fairly satisfied with the result. Given the budget, it’s fair to say that Barker accomplished most of what he intended with this film, but one can’t help but imagine what the final scenes would look like with improved effects. Plus, (and more importantly), the way the Cenobites are sent back to hell feels cheesy and a bit illogical – specifically, the fact that they can be sent back contradicts what we’ve seen earlier in the film. Still, given the film’s other enormous strengths, we can perhaps forgive some of these decisions.

When it comes to the acting, it’s fantastic, with Clare Higgins and Doug Bradley being the most impressive of the cast. One of Barker’s trademarks is sympathy for the monstrous—or rather, for the “monstrous.” He finds specific beauty and new meanings in the otherworldly entities he creates. Once again, for Barker, boundaries do not exist.

The music by Christopher Young (also known for great score for HELLBOUND: HELLRAISER 2 and less good but still well done score for THE DARK HALF) deserves special praise. The original score, recorded by the experimental/industrial band Coil and loved by Barker, was rejected by the studio but later released separately. Young’s very dark orchestral compositions, blending Gothic elegance with ominous tones, perfectly complement the events in the film.

HELLRAISER has become a modern classic, and its power and intensity in depicting body horror (which the sequel took even further), along with its truly original artistic vision, continue to inspire future filmmakers and guide them toward achieving their goals.

Rating: 4/5