We'll Tear Your Soul Apart!

Hellraiser(1987)

Directed By: Clive Barker

Tagline: Demon to some. Angel to others.

'Hellraiser' is the story of an unfaithful wife who encounters the "zombie" of her dead lover, who is being chased by demon's after escaping from their sado-masochistic hell. Oh but this movie is about so much more than just that. It's about the extent man will go through to achieve his ultimate pleasure. This becomes evident in the first lines of the movie "What's your pleasure sir?". Uncle Frank, a crazed sex addict searching for the ultimate high, purchases a puzzle box, rumored to unleash the ultimate pleasure or pain, interpreted differently from person to person. The puzzle box(The Lament Configuration or Lemarchand's Box), once solved, summons demons, known as Cenobites, who come to claim your soul and do with your body what they will in order to give you the ultimate satisfaction as they see fit. Uncle Frank solves the box and gets his soul taken by the cenobites and has his body forever trapped in the floorboards of his house. When Frank's brother Larry moves in to Frank's seemingly abandoned house, Larry accidentally cuts himself, spilling blood on the floorboards where franks body. The blood is absorbed by Frank's body and the body begins to regain it's previous form. First off, I want to say that the make up and gore effects of this film are truly phenomenal. In my eyes they will forever stand the test of time as some of the greatest most groundbreaking effects in movie history. Also, the creepy atmosphere and beautiful imagery used throughout this film is spectacular. If you have not yet seen the 1987 Clive Barker classic 'Hellraiser', please take the time to see it before the shitty 3-D remake comes out and the franchise is forever ruined. 'Hellraiser' is and will always be my favorite film ever made. Clive Barker's use of dramatic irony throughout the entire film creates a sense of absolute dread and darkness that just needs to be seen to be believed. One of the greatest stories ever told and some of the greatest monsters ever filmed gives Clive Barker's 'Hellraiser' a perfect 5/5.