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Hellraiser
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Hellraiser (1987) More at IMDbPro »

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Hellraiser (1987) -- An unfaithful wife encounters the zombie of her dead lover, who's being chased by demons after he escaped from their sado-masochistic Hell.
Hellraiser (1987) -- An unfaithful wife encounters the zombie of her dead lover, who's being chased by demons after he escaped from their sado-masochistic Hell.

Overview

User Rating:
7.0/10   18,849 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 11% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Clive Barker
Writers:
Clive Barker (novel)
Clive Barker (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for Hellraiser on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
18 September 1987 (USA) more
Genre:
Horror more
Tagline:
Still Raising Hell [20th Anniversary Re-Issue] more
Plot:
An unfaithful wife encounters the zombie of her dead lover, who's being chased by demons after he escaped from their sado-masochistic Hell. full summary | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
2 wins & 4 nominations more
User Comments:
Bloody good show, Mr. Barker! more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Andrew Robinson ... Larry
Clare Higgins ... Julia

Ashley Laurence ... Kirsty
Sean Chapman ... Frank
Oliver Smith ... Frank the Monster
Robert Hines ... Steve
Anthony Allen ... 1st Victim
Leon Davis ... 2nd Victim
Michael Cassidy ... 3rd Victim
Frank Baker ... Derelict
Kenneth Nelson ... Bill
Gay Baynes ... Evelyn
Niall Buggy ... Dinner Guest
Dave Atkins ... Moving Man 1
Oliver Parker ... Moving Man 2
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Clive Barker's Hellraiser (UK) (complete title)
Sadomasochists from Beyond the Grave (USA) (working title)
Clive Barker's Hellraiser I: The Original (Netherlands) (DVD title) [nl]
Fogo Maldito (Portugal) [pt]
Hellraiser (Greece) [el]
Hellraiser - Das Tor zur Hölle (West Germany) [de]
Hellraiser, le pacte (France) [fr]
Hellraiser, los que traen el infierno (Spain) [es]
Renascido do Inferno (Brazil) (working title) [pt]
Shaitan Ka Beta (India: Hindi title) [hi]
Wyslannik piekiel (Poland) [pl]
more
Runtime:
94 min | Sweden:89 min (cut version) | Finland:86 min (cut)
Country:
UK
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby
Certification:
Finland:K-18 | West Germany:18 (video rating) (cut) | New Zealand:R16 | Belgium:16 (video rating) | Australia:M (theatrical rating) | Australia:R | Canada:13+ (Québec) | Canada:18A (Alberta) (re-rating) (2000) | Denmark:15 (DVD rating) | France:-12 | Iceland:(Banned) | Iceland:16 (cut) | Netherlands:16 | Norway:18 | Singapore:R21 | South Korea:15 (original rating) (cut) | South Korea:18 (DVD rating) | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R (certificate #28562) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Germany:BPjM Restricted

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
In his DVD commentary, Clive Barker explained that filming the movie in an actual house forced him to be creative in his cinematography. There was often only room for a single camera and this explains why many of the shots are from only one angle. In particular, vertical movement was often the only movement available to the camera operators, which explains many of the overhead and zoom shots. Only one room in the house, the attic, was shot on a soundstage, but only the FX shots used this attic set. more
Goofs:
Crew or equipment visible: When the Engineer chases Kirsty, the trolley and crew pushing it are visible. more
Quotes:
Frank Cotton: I thought I'd gone to the limits. I hadn't. The Cenobites gave me an experience beyond limits... pain and pleasure, indivisible. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in The 100 Greatest Scary Moments (2003) (TV) more

FAQ

How is the film different from the novel?
more
21 out of 28 people found the following comment useful:-
Bloody good show, Mr. Barker!, 5 June 2004
8/10
Author: Scott LeBrun from Winnipeg, Canada

Famed horror / fantasy novelist Clive Barker wrote and directed this gory, nasty and fun exercise in which Larry (Andrew Robinson) and his wife Julia (Clare Higgins) move into a big house where Larry's brother Frank has been imprisoned after solving an elaborate puzzle box. Larry wounds himself and his blood brings Frank back to life as a skinless, oozing creature who needs the blood of others in order to put himself back together. Julia, terrified but obviously intrigued (she had had an affair with Frank when he was still alive) lures men back to the house where she fatally bludgeons them with a hammer so Frank can feast on their blood. Into this mess steps Larry's daughter Kirsty (Ashley Laurence), who makes the acquaintance of the masochistic beings, the Cenobites, from whom Frank had escaped.

The most mind-boggling thing about this film is its legacy - after a few theatrical sequels, direct-to-video-and-DVD sequels have been produced ad nauseum. Please, people, the world does not need any more "Hellraiser" films! Give it a rest! Anyway, like I said, this initial entry is outlandishly gruesome - even inclining towards a kind of sadistic eroticism. Sometimes, gore can actually be arty and a thing of a dark kind of beauty, and these film-makers know it. How else to describe it? The Cenobite characters are memorable - especially Pincushion-Head - sorry, I mean Pinhead (Doug Bradley) who is only identified as "The Lead Cenobite" in the credits of this film.

"Hellraiser" is a capable film-making debut for Barker, who succeeded in making it fun entertainment.

"Hellbound: Hellraiser II" came out the following year.

8/10

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Hellraiser (1987)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
the remake turaxsantana-1
Are these movies actually scary??? Miss-Emanda
this repugnant film made me puke Ilovehandbagsandshoes
What hellraiser is it where..... mrjg819
Jesus Wept haroldoftherocks
If Frank had gotten enough blood... DrBat
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