For a long time I've been dying to get my hands on the original "Hellraiser," and now that I finally did I was quite satisfied. Though it's by no means a "great" film, it makes its mark in the beloved genre. I can't say I was scared during any moment of the film, but I did find it disturbing. The violence and gore is amazingly graphic, not just for its time. Clive Barker definitely created some great visuals. One of my minor criticisms deals with the story, which is good enough to hold my interest, but could've been a little richer. And the characters are for the most part underdeveloped. I understand horror films are more about entertainment than aesthetics, but I like to be able to connect with the characters in the story, so I can better feel their terror. The acting ranges from good to awful. Doug Bradley is outstanding as Pinhead, but he doesn't have much screen time, despite the fact that his face is plastered across the video cover. But the performance that really stood out was by Claire Higgins, who is delightfully fiendish. I always appreciate it when an actor treats a role in a horror movie in the same respect as that of a Shakesperean drama, and that was definitely the case with Bradley and Higgins--both brilliant English character actors. The performances by Andrew Robinson and Ashley Laurence are uneven. Laurence expresses sufficient terror with her facial expressions, and also happens to be very attractive, but some of her verbal outbursts are a little cheesy. The actor who plays Ashley's boyfriend is extremely wooden and nearly lifeless, but luckily he only has a small role. Not surprisingly, Clive said in the commentary that he wasn't happy with his part. And just as a side note, the commentary on the DVD is great and very enlightening, despite the fact that Clive's mumbling is sometimes hard to understand.
My score: 7 (out of 10)
My score: 7 (out of 10)