Clive Barker presents...


Hellraiser
     In 1987 I was 11 years old. I remember how Jason was starting to get a bit old. Nightmare on Elm Street had come and gone. And my anticipation was peaked when I saw the first trailer for this film. It promised a bloody, gorey and downright blasphemus movie waiting to shock viewers around the nation. Of course, I had to wait until it came out on video before I was able to aquaint myself with Frank, Julia, the Centobites and the Lament Configuration.
     It all starts off with a slease named Frank. We get the feeling that this guy has tested every limit, especially sexually. But "it's never enough". Obtaining a box called the Lament Configuration, he can find new experiences. The pleasures of heaven and hell.
     Well guess what? He finds Hell. Pinhead, and his gang of labyrinth dwellers greet him by stripping him of his flesh and taking his soul to Hell.
     This happens in the house that his brother Larry and his wife Julia are about to move into. As new blood enters the home, Frank finds a way to escape the confines of Hell and come back a fleshless, free man. Through lust, deceit and secrecy, Julia soon finds herself helping this creature who she had succumbed to in the flesh, on the eve of her wedding day to his brother. The Slut! Even the horrid site of this thing in the cellar doesn't repress her wet memories. And her desire to have this man again drives her to murder.
     Meanwhile, Larry is oblivious to everything (He wouldn't recognize suspicious behaviour if it wound up and socked 'em one). However, his daughter Kirstie, who was always suspicious of Julia anyway, clues in on her malice. It is here she starts her terrific journey through Hell's gates.
     I feel I've said too much already. Let's just say that the box is used and the cenobites get to play. What tortures are to be bestowed on he who escaped them? Will Kirstie survive for a sequel? Watch and kringe.
     Clive Barker wrote and made his directorial debut with this masterpiece. Pinhead will be a legend as strong as any other horror character. His dialogue is wonderfully written and his character is equally well played by Doug Bradley; who is to Pinhead as Robert Englund is to Freddy, indivisible.

"Oh, no tears please! It's a waste of good suffering!"
- Pinhead, Hellraiser

Hellbound: Hellraiser II
     Soon after the first Hellraiser "grossed out" it's viewers, it seemed Pinhead and his team of torturers were a hit. Hellbound: Hellraiser II came swiftly and with plenty of gore. I recommend watching the unrated version of this film. Definately a kringer.
     This film begins where the last left off. With Kirstie half pschysoid after dealing with the fearsome foursome, she's sent to a psychiatric hospital for treatment. Obviously, no one's buying her story about the demons. Especially the police.
     It turns out that the head doctor of this institute, Dr. Chanard, has a keen interest in her case. Following the cases of Hellraising since centuries past he has collected boxes, and desires the experience. But he is careful at doing so. In a fashion I won't describe for shock value, Chanard brings Julia (who was killed in the first film) back from Hell (and yes, she is a horrid, skinless bitch too!!).
    Kirstie starts getting visits by a fleshless figure. She's confident that it's her father calling for help from the other side. She will use the help of a catatonic patient, named Tiffany. Through Tiffany's bizarre yet resourceful puzzle solving abilities, Kirstie will try to open the gates of Hell to save her father's soul.
     Meanwhile, we have Chanard feeding psychos to Julia so she can become flesh again. Then she will bring him safely through the gates, back to Hell. Or will he be safe?
     Oh yes, I almost forgot about Pinhead and the crew. They are all the same in this sequel, keeping a good consistency. Watch as they confront Kirstie again, only this time it's on their turf. Learn the history of the cenobites. Where did they come from? Were they always there? Watch as Chanard helps create the manifestation of The God of Flesh, Hunger and Desire. Leviathan. Lord of the Labyrinth!!!
     Will Kirstie survive for part 3? Will the gates be shut forever? Watch this hellishly great sequel!

"But trick us again child, and your suffering will be legendary, even in Hell!"
- Pinhead, Hellbound: Hellraiser II

Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth
     This is my least favourite of the Hellraiser series. But it's still a great movie. After a brief and fruitless insurrgence against Leviathan, Pinhead and his crew seemed finished. But as they say. "Evil never dies." After being imprisonned in a pillar of souls, Pinhead must wait for the one thing that can set him free. Blood.
     We are introduced to a new heroine. A starving reporter (played by the lovely Terry Farrel) named Joey. After bearing witness to a victim of The Lement Configuration at a hospital, Joey becomes determined that there is a great story behind what she saw. Which is unspeakable.
     A local gigolo who owns a bar in town purchases the pillar from a gallery (sold by a demon in desguise). Being a macabre piece of work it definately suits it's surrounding at the club (you have to see it). As Pinhead witnesses the owner's desire and hunger from his confines, he begins planning a return. Only this time his release will be "unbound, unstoppable".
     Using blood and trickery (and awsome dialogue) Pinhead is unleashed and begins a massacre that is unparralled. We are introduced to new cenobites that are conveniently created along the way.
     The only thing that will send Pinhead and his minions back to Hell is, of course, The Box. Which Joey possesses. With the help of a ghost (which is left a surprise), Joey will have to stomach the trail of blood left in Pinhead's path, confront the demon and send him back to where he belongs. Hell.



"Down the dark decades of your pain, this will seem like a memory of Heaven."
- Pinhead, Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth

Hellraiser IV: Bloodline
     This latest film is truly wonderful. Well acted, well written and well shot. In this sequel we get to meet the maker of the original box, find out how the box got it's evil power and follow the curse that will flow with the maker's Bloodline.
     Two centuries ago a French toymaker, Phillipe Le Merchant, was commissioned to build a precise item. The box. Little did he know the unspeakable horrors his masterpiece would create for centuries to come.
     The Satanist who purchases the box performs a ritual of flesh and blood to command the magic of Hell and summon his own demon. He and his assistant Jacque are successful at theit goal, conjuring the demon Angelique and bestowing upon the box, a gateway to Hell. The curse on Le Marchant lives.
     Jacque is killed, but his kin escapes and we are taken to the present where his succesor is having dreams. Dreams of Angelique, who remembers the gift the toymaker had. The design that his ancestor made the box from has ressurected in the mind of John Merchant (Americanized between two centuries). Angelique, disguised in beautiful flesh, tries to seduce John into making his secret project. And by doing so, opening a much bigger door.
     After locating a box, Angelique will summon Pinhead. He will find other means to persuade Merchant into finishing his work. Or will he? The climax begins in the future, where the bloodline remains cursed with dreams of lights. Only this time, history has prepared Merchant for the horrifying reality; that one day, he will have to open the box and face Pinhead and his minions. Will he survive? What does the future hold for Hell's pinned extortionist? You HAVE GOT TO watch this film.
     Overall, this film is better than three but not quite as good as two. You judge.

Watch this fantastic trailer for Bloodline in .AVI format by clicking here


"Do I look like someone who cares what God thinks?"
- Pinhead, Hellraiser IV: Bloodline


Back Home