Hellraiser (1987)

An unfaithful wife encounters the zombie of her dead lover, who's being chased by demons after he escaped from their sado-masochistic Hell.

Director:

Clive Barker

Stars:

Andrew Robinson, Clare Higgins, Ashley Laurence

2 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Andrew Robinson	...	Larry
Clare Higgins	...	Julia
Ashley Laurence	...	Kirsty Cotton
Sean Chapman	...	Frank
Oliver Smith	...	Frank the Monster
Robert Hines	...	Steve
Anthony Allen	...	1st Victim
Leon Davis	...	2nd Victim
Michael Cassidy	...	3rd Victim
Frank Baker	...	Derelict
Kenneth Nelson	...	Bill
Gay Baynes	...	Evelyn
Niall Buggy	...	Dinner Guest
Dave Atkins	...	Moving Man 1
Oliver Parker	...	Moving Man 2

Storyline

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. Having lost his earthly body to a trio of S&M demons, the Cenobites, he is brought back into existence by a drop of blood on the floor. He soon forces his former mistress to bring him his necessary human sacrifices to complete his body... but the Cenobites won't be happy about this.

---

Plot Keywords:

Cenobites | Demon | Hell | Creature | Blood | 

---

Taglines:

Still Raising Hell [20th Anniversary Re-Issue]

---

Genres:

Horror

---

Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 September 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

Sadomasochists from Beyond the Grave

Filming Locations:

187 Dollis Hill Lane, Dollis Hill, London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$1,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$14,564,027 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cinemarque Entertainment BV, Film Futures, Rivdel Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min 89 min (cut) 86 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Many viewers have commented about the poor quality of the FX at the end of the movie. Clive Barker has explained that, due to a very limited budget, there was no money left to have the FX done professionally after the primary filming. Instead, Barker and a "Greek guy" animated these scenes by hand over a single weekend. Barker has also commented that he thinks the FX turned out very well considering the amount of alcohol the two consumed that weekend.

---

Goofs

When Kirsty is at the top of the stairs hiding from Frank, a shadow of the boom mic is visible on the top corner.

---

Quotes

Lead Cenobite: The box. You opened it. We came.

---

Connections

Followed by Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988)

User Reviews

Classic Horror Movie, Pinhead Point

This is obviously the best Hellraiser. Nothing can beat the 1st scene when Pinhead and the Cenobites come in to view. It is simply some of the most powerful present day horror. The creativity of the hellbound world gives this movie a 9. With the low budget, it still maintains the vision of Clive Barker, the author who penned this original story. I believe that this movie and subject is at the apex of creativity instead of the boring slashers that have dominated horror movies in the 80's and 90's. Now, it seems we are getting the "I know what you did two summer's ago" and "weird horror flicks like "Grudge" and the films that it cloned.Pinhead point--He should actually be called 9-inch nail-head because that is what is pounded into his head not little pins.