Hellraiser (1987) A B C D E Originality of more originality, Hellraiser, a tale of pain and pleasure, the heights of ill feeling coupled with sexual ectasy is the basis... It had been a while since I actually watched 'Hellraiser' and it was becoming a little hazy. On that note I decided to pop in the DVD and have a good soak in this amazing flick. The visual aspect of this movie is incredible, from the lighting to the makeup effects, combined with the gripping soundtrack, blood and great characters, it really does perform in every way. So much so that I am re-reviewing it on this website to give credit where credit is due... A major aspect which spring to mind with Hellraiser is the paradoxes throughout the flick, the complete opposites presented side by side in artistic fashion. For instance when Kirsty is in the hospital take note of the blooming rose on the TV. Such a beautiful image, impressive, spectacular, it really caught my eye. Then the sudden jump to the awful surroundings of hell, the immediate danger, the big beast in pursuit of Kirsty and the Cenobites themselves: abominations of everything being. All the peace, harmony and safety is abolished in the blink of an eye. The visuals are so extremely seperate in every way, but placed together to reinforce and affect the viewer. As said, the flower was there for the drastic change of imagery; from blooming, beautiful flower to the depths of hell and immediate danger. That image, even presented in text form, is something to behold, let alone on the screen with color and visuals in all their glory. A scene prior in the film where Kirsty is having the nightmare puts us in the room with the body under the white veil, there are feathers floating around, everything is really hazy and dreamy, but certainly not calm. The scene is still uneasy in atmosphere despite being very peaceful visually. That is until the blood begins to soak through the thin white sheet, tainting the entire mood of the scene. Really effective stuff... Hellraiser honestly is something different, more of an art form than most of the movies this genre has EVER produced. Not mindless or rampaging, but very deliberate and calculated especially with the way particular aspects are sat side by side for the ultimate affect and impact upon the viewer. More obviously, and probably related to the other imagery in the film, are the two brothers Frank and Larry, the two brothers, so different, but who end up having so much in common in a shocking and enevitably sad conclusion. Hellraiser manages and masters the general consensus of the horror picture's promise of inflicting ill feeling to the audience. There are no happy endings here, well maybe a little happy [from the mouth of Barker himself], but nothing ecstatic about it. This is probably where Hellraiser wins the most, many film makers overlook the fact that a horror movie is not meant to do anything less than shock or disturb the viewer. Barker wasn't forgetful on this outing... In conclusion, Hellraiser is a great movie, a landmark in modern horror cinema and certainly a must see for any horror fan. Although Hellraiser is a great movie it will be a while before I sit through it again, atleast in entirety. However I urge anybody who has not yet seen this movie to get hold of a copy at first chance. It is a landmark in horror, a new level of film making with so much visual impact and so much thought provoking imagery - a classic in every sense of the word.