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Post by CT on Jun 15, 2007 4:42:02 GMT -5
Hellraiser (1987) Directed by Clive Barker"Clive Barker's feature directing debut graphically depicts the tale of a man and wife who move into an old house and discover a hideous creature - the man's half-brother, who is also the woman's former lover - hiding upstairs. It is based on the critically acclaimed novella The Hellbound Heart also by Clive Barker, who wrote the screenplay aswell as directing the film. It is the first film in the Hellraiser series, having spawned seven sequels as of 2006 with a remake announced in 2007." |
Rate this movie one a scale of 0 - 5 stars. (5 being the 'best'!)
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Post by Jen on Jun 15, 2007 15:51:53 GMT -5
A 5 from me; not only one of my favorite horror films, but one of my favorite films of all time. Its such a strong, intriguing story and very disturbing, especially visually . One of the few movies I like better than the novella it was based on.
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Canetoad
The Prodigal Toad
HMaM member of the Month, July 2006
Cry Havoc! And let slip the cats of war.
Posts: 2,868
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Post by Canetoad on Jun 15, 2007 20:15:14 GMT -5
Everything Jen just said. 5 from me.
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Post by GL on Jun 16, 2007 10:17:03 GMT -5
“Hellraiser” is a modern horror masterpiece.
**SPOILERS**
Larry Cotton, (Andrew Robinson) and his wife Julia, (Claire Higgins) move into a new house after inheriting it from his brother Frank, (Sean Chapman) which is a complete mess. At first reluctant, Julia quickly takes to the house, and when they move in, daughter Kirsty, (Ashley Laurence) makes a surprise visit. During an accident while moving, Larry gets a cut on his hand that bleeds profusely, causing Frank to become reborn. When Kirsty stumbles on a secret about Frank, the Cenobites, lead by Pinhead, (Doug Bradley) appear to her and demand that she bring them Frank, who has escaped their grasp. When Kirsty returns home to complete her task, she discovers a threat far more vicious than the Cenobites.
The Good News: When this film came out, horror had been stagnating, and when it came out, this film rejuvenated it with a much needed shot in the arm. Most importantly, the atmosphere drips off here quite thickly, and it sucks you in. There really is no best example of this, as it’s present throughout the whole movie. From the lighting to the location of the sets to the general mood of the film, this one is incredibly suspenseful. The best part is the three sequences where the completely rejuvenated Frank comes back, and the special effects in the scene are just wonderfully done. That brings up the gore in here, and this film is incredibly gory. It belongs in the “every wound hits a major artery” kind of movie, so something like a simple cut on the hand is more like an opening to a geyser. Even more comes from the Frank regeneration scenes. He comes back in one part as basically bones with a little bit of skin. It takes so long to come about that it becomes even more gory, and the fact that he comes from a pool of blood is the greatest cap on the scene. From what the regeneration starts at, and the where it ends, is a great highlight to a great scene. Even all the bloody corpses seen in here are pretty disgusting, being mangled and distorted beyond belief. The other deaths are just as good, and include some pretty brutal moments. This includes the ever-popular dismemberment by chained-hooks scene. It was a really gory part of the film, and is one of it’s more iconic images. Of course, one can’t talk about this film without mentioning the Cenobites, which are introduced in here and are one of the best horror creations of all time. Demonic looking in nature, each one has a distinct look and personality that looks particularly demonic and scary. They are legendary and for good reason. They are the heart and soul of this movie.
The Bad News: Convoluted plot line aside, there wasn’t much wrong with this one. It takes a while to get all out of the plot, but it’s still a little all over the place.
The Final Verdict: This is one of the greatest horror films of all time, and by seeing it, you’ll see why. Take a look at this one: it has something for everyone with different types. There really isn’t much more to say: just look for yourself.
Rated R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language, Brief Nudity, several sex scenes and adultery
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HNT
Grizzled HMaM Vet
Horror in General & Everything Else Moderator[/i]
Kiss my tuchis
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Post by HNT on Jun 18, 2007 18:06:07 GMT -5
An easy five. I love this film
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Lazario
Zombie Flesh Eater
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100%
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Post by Lazario on Feb 4, 2008 3:43:28 GMT -5
I gave it a 3.
It's obviously very beloved and a cult classic. And of course I think it is very good in many ways. However it does have problems.
Clive Barker has admitted to being very amateur as a director and not knowing a lot of what a director needed to know. And that of course makes Hellraiser very good for what he pulled off. But it has a lot of technical flaws. A lot of shots are embarrassingly re-used in later scenes (mostly Kirtsy's face), the editing is problematic (especially in the scenes of Kirsty and the worm-monster thing), several of the special effects are only so-so, and the music score is very stiff, making every scene feel the same.
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Post by abraxas on Dec 9, 2009 14:10:52 GMT -5
The greatest modern horror movie ever made, and one of the seminal gore movies, there was certainly plenty of gore before, but what was shown i this was such a high level it blew everything that came before, out of the water.
Probably the most innovative aspect of the first film, in terms of how graphic horror was made up until that point was that the viewer didn't have to wait till have of the movie was over before they got to the gore. The most graphic scenes were shown right at the front of the film, and everyones reaction, wasn't in response to the gore it was.....who the hell is that guy with the pins in his head.
5 from me
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Post by FireStar on Dec 10, 2009 22:46:44 GMT -5
This is without a doubt a classic in horror and in story to film adaptations. I still haven't read the story it was based on but I have heard its even more graphic and sexual than what is in the movie.
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