Hellraiser (DVD) > Reviews

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The hellraiser collection, are a great set of horror films. I remember the first time I saw the original hellraiser film that I was really scared. Pinhead is one of the best characters to come out of horror films, along with Freddie Kreuger, who scared the living daylights out of me when I was little. If you like horror films and you haven't seen any of the hellraiser set, you really should, cos they're good and scary. Blood and guts galore in all ... Read review

Advantages: The Cenobites
Disadvantages: Too much Bllod

This is based on a Clive Barker short story "The Hellbound Heart". The story goes that they had a small budget, and decided they could get a house and make up artist and created the film limited by this. This was Barker's first foray into mainstream horror and still remains his best effort. He was executive producer on the sequel and had nothing to do with the second sequel which was an abberation and should be avoided. The film contains a lot ... Read review

Advantages: Very Scary
Disadvantages: Wooden acting, just plain wierd, not clever

...but it appeals to me, Hellraiser doesn't. First of all I would say the biggest problem is the acting. All the actors are wooden and 'Frank'? Well, have you seen Button Moon? No difference. There's supposed to be real sexual chemistry going on but, damn, I would prefer to sleep with Pinhead. All the reactions of the actors are almost Am-Dram. Large eyes and slight glances, big smiles and silly laughs. Not much dramam there then. Secondly, the script ... Read review

Advantages: Good special effects, althought the film does not depend upon these. An excellent story with strong well defined charaters.
Disadvantages: May not appeal to all viewers, touches on sado masochism. Can be quite gory in parts

Hellraiser is the first of a series of films created by one of the masters of horror Clive Barker. The first film "Hellraiser" is based upon the one Clive's shorter novels "The Hellbound Heart". The book transfers well from the page to screen in the this low budget but classic film. I have used the term low budget but do not feel this is evident from watching the film as acting, story and special effects are all of great quality. The film centres ... Read review

Advantages: originality to some extent , the way in which it creates such a morbid atmosphere - interesting and rememberable characters such as pinhead - not as shallow as many others of this ilk
Disadvantages: a tad monotonous, plus the almost enigmatic characters can work for or against a film - oftens leaves you wanting more

...a slasher film, Clive Barker's Hellraiser was quite critically acclaimed to a certain extent when it first came out..possibly because it deviates from the regular slasher scenarios set by the likes of Voorhees and good old Fred Krueger - and focuses more on the atmospheric, sadistic and altogether worryingly deeper look on death and the macabre. Plotwise..it centres around a small metal box - with unsuspecting victims promised the pleasures of ... Read review

Advantages: True horror
Disadvantages: some wooden acting

...has built up in the Hellraiser series. The first scene in the first film was pretty gruesome enough, where the solving of a simple puzzle box had ripped a man's flesh to pieces and now he would inhabit a world where the pleasure ofm pain is king. The real fear is from that of the Cenobites, the creatures that nihabit the dark side of life, who have been malformed and are gruesome enough themselves. All of these aspects make for an entirely horror ... Read review

Advantages: Good acting by Teryy Farrell
Disadvantages: Not nearly as good as the other Hellraiser films

...the worst installment in the Hellraiser series, mainly because of the direction the series started going with this movie. The dark and evil Pinhead from the previous 2 films is gone and replaced with a More talkative Pinhead who spits one liners left and right. They also stray from the Phychological terror the previous films had, and try to turn it into a slasher film. Another Disappointment are the Cinobytes, which are more laughable than they are ... Read review

Advantages: sick as hell, great effects
Disadvantages: none

...clive barkers books of blood hellraiser today remains one of my favourite horror films. Superbly acted and with excellent special effects, the sequels never quite lived up to this classic original, Pinhead and the xenobites were something new, that we hadn't seen before, and the film was genuinely scary, which was a rarity at the time. i don't know why i was drawn to the film but i watched all the sequels. One outstanding moment is the flesh growing ... Read review

Advantages: Its a bona-fide scary movie.
Disadvantages: Too scary?

I watched Hellraiser for the first time last night and for a horror-lover like myself, this was long overdue. Perhaps it was down to the fact that i put it off until i could muster a moments peace to dim the lights and watch it alone. This, in hindsight, would prove a harrowing plan. It takes little time in setting the scene and its clear the foundations are being laid bare for the onslaught of sheer terror that ensues. Never has a film had me so ... Read review