HOLLYWOOD—With Halloween just weeks away, for 2015 we’ll take a look at some horror classics that don’t get as much love as they should. We all know about flicks like “Psycho,” “Halloween,” “Friday the 13th” and “A Nightmare on Elm Street,” but home many remember the flick “Hellraiser” by Clive Barker?
Yes, this is a horror flick in my opinion that is not for the faint of heart. It has some gruesome moments, but those moments are vital to the storyline and the evolution of a notable villain known as Pinhead. What I’ve come to appreciate about this movie more than anything is its ability to really flesh out its characters. It’s not all about the gore or killing people. That is perhaps the biggest mistake people have when it comes to the horror genre. It’s not all about body counts; it’s about suspense and creating fear. Sometimes some of the best flicks in the genre get little respect for doing so.
The story follows Frank Cotton, Larry Cotton, Kirsty Cotton and her new stepmother Julia. The story is more about an illicit love affair that ultimately resulted in Frank’s demise when he chose to open the ‘box.’ Yes, that box would be a clever contraption that not only opens the gates to hell, but also closes them. The one problem is our characters never know if playing with the box is a good or bad thing.
When Julia stumbles upon a shocking discovery in the attic, it opens the door for the Cenobites to return to claim one of their own who found a way to escape. The movie is not the easiest to understand on a first viewing. It dabbles heavily in the world of pain and pleasure, which is an uncomfortable topic for many. In essence, the flick asks audiences to examine what they might give up to have something they want to come to fruition. It’s important to note, that the villains don’t make their appearance in the film until the final moments of the second act. It’s a level of anticipation that is built for the viewer to come face-to-face with these disturbing and frightening looking creatures. Curiosity soon gets the best of our heroine Kirsty (Ashley Laurence) who finds herself opening a gateway to hell that may not be easily closed.
One could argue that the dispatch of the villains is not all that noteworthy; the narrative leading up to the confrontation is beyond compelling in my opinion. This is a movie that doesn’t necessarily rely on silly scares or gross-out deaths to propel what is actually happening to the characters in the movie. They are all well aware of what is transpiring; it’s more a question of will they figure out the truth before it’s too late.
“Hellraiser” is one of those horror classics that should indeed be considered on those lists for horror movie marathons. Note: while subsequent sequels fail to deliver the thrills, the exception would be “Hellraiser: Bloodline” which delivers even more backstory on that pesky little box that has been the doom of plenty of people who let curiosity get the cat.