Hellraiser (1987)

Want to talk about a film that holds up? Let's talk about Hellraiser. This movie is a creative and unique gore-fest that still looks great 30 years later. This film is an excellent example of why using quality practical effects will always be superior to CGI. The gore in this film is STILL brutally sickening, and that's due to special effects done right.

This film begins with Frank, a man looking for the ultimate physical pleasures, solving a puzzle box, only to be torn apart by hooks and chains, vanishing into another dimension. We flash to his relatives, his niece Kirsty is a young woman whose father, Larry, is moving into the family home with his new wife, Julia. Kirsty does not care for Julia as she cheated on Larry with Frank. While bringing in the furniture, Larry gets a cut. His blood seeps through the floor, resurrecting Frank's bloody, skinless, malformed body. Julia finds him and agrees to bring him people to feed on, so he can restore his human form. Seeing Julia bring home men leads Kirsty to believe that her stepmother is having an affair, so she barges in to confront her. She instead finds Frank feeding on a victim. She steals the puzzle box and escapes. Solving the puzzle summons the Cenobites, explorers from across dimensions, that seek the extremes of sensual pleasures (and pain). Kirsty strikes up a deal to return Frank to them for her freedom, but it becomes more complicated than she initially thought.

Hellraiser is one of my favorite horror movies. The acting is excellent from the entire cast; they are all so committed to their characters and this strange world they are existing in. Secondly, as I already stated, the effects hold up spectacularly. The gore and character design is unique and gruesome in the best way possible. We are living in an age of reboots and sequels, which is a problem that is extending well beyond the horror genre. The originality of this film shines comparatively. However, one downside may be that because it is a unique storyline, it may be challenging to follow at times, as the rules of the universe can be slightly unclear (a problem that worsens as the franchise progresses).

In my opinion, this film is a horror classic, and any horror fan should check it out for a refreshing, bloody good time.

Netflix available? Streaming and DVD

Hulu available? Yes

Xfinity available? Yes, for a fee.

Rating: 4.5/5