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Hellraiser

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Hellraiser (1987)

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62 %
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Reviews Counted:29

Fresh:18

Rotten:11

Average Rating:5.9/10

Runtime: 3 hrs 12 mins

Genre: Horror/Suspense

Synopsis: 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... 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 called 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 human sacrifices to complete his body... but the Cenobites won't be happy about this. One of the best horror films of the 1980s, HELLRAISER is based on Barker's novel THE HELLBOUND HEART and was followed by three sequels. [More]

Starring: Andrew Robinson, Clare Higgins, Ashley Laurence, Sean Chapman

Starring: Andrew Robinson, Clare Higgins, Ashley Laurence, Sean Chapman, Doug Bradley, Grace Kirby, Simon Bamford

Director: Clive Barker

Director: Clive Barker

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Feb 24, 1998

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for Hellraiser

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Barker's vision cribs equally from the mythos of vampires and zombies, but Hellraiser's overriding ridiculousness (and nagging budgetary shortcomings) can't disguise the fact that the movie is at least unwittingly a product of the AIDS crisis.

Full Review Source: Slant Magazine | comment Comment
04/20/09
Eric Henderson
Eric Henderson
Slant Magazine
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
03/26/09
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Minor grisly fun, but don't expect the movie to linger when it's over.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment 1 Comment
01/11/08
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

...an entertaining and downright creepy piece of work...

Full Review Source: Reel Film Reviews | comment Comment
11/25/07
David Nusair
David Nusair
Reel Film Reviews

One of the unsung titans of the horror industry

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
11/03/07
Christopher Null
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com

[Writer/Director Clive] Barker's dazzling debut as a director creates such an atmosphere of dread that the astonishing visual set pieces simply detonate in a chain reaction of cumulative intensity.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/09/06
Derek Adams
Derek Adams
Time Out

No review available.

comment Comment
07/21/05
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com

No review available.

comment Comment
04/07/04
Linda Cook
Linda Cook
Quad City Times (Davenport, IA)

A maquiagem é interessante, mas o roteiro é ridículo; as atuações, risíveis; a direção, medíocre; e os efeitos visuais, datados.

comment 1 Comment
01/14/04
Pablo Villaca
Pablo Villaca
Cinema em Cena

Impressive debut film from Barker, though not quite the breakthrough film it was touted as being.

comment Comment
09/11/03
Ken Hanke
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

No review available.

comment Comment
08/12/03
Walter Chaw
Walter Chaw
Film Freak Central

Twisted and grotesque, but merely baby-steps compared with Hellbound: Hellraiser II.

comment Comment
07/10/03
Greg Muskewitz
Greg Muskewitz
eFilmCritic.com

Cinematic Barker at its most clever and disturbed.

comment Comment
04/27/03
Widgett Walls
Widgett Walls
Needcoffee.com

I love gore, but I never liked these. Drudgery even for a grue-monger.

comment Comment
03/18/03
Brian Mckay
Brian Mckay
eFilmCritic.com

[A] skillfully creepy film.

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
03/10/03
Marjorie Baumgarten
Marjorie Baumgarten
Austin Chronicle

No review available.

comment Comment
02/10/03
Frank Swietek
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion

An imaginative, frightening debut from Clive Barker. A landmark horror film.

comment Comment
01/16/03
Blake Davis
Blake Davis
KFOR Channel 4 News

No review available.

comment Comment
12/14/02
Nicolas Lacroix
Nicolas Lacroix
Showbizz.net

Barker onscreen has never been better, and this movie probably did more to bring sadomasochism into the mainstream than anything before or since.

comment Comment
12/13/02
Luke Y. Thompson
Luke Y. Thompson
New Times

Any resemblence to Clive Barker's real work is purely coincidental.

comment Comment
12/04/02
Rob Vaux
Rob Vaux
Flipside Movie Emporium
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Text View | 1 2 >> >|
all

Latest News for Hellraiser

October 29, 2008: Pascal Laugier Circles Hellraiser Redo Opens in new window
Dimension's "re-imagining" of "Hellraiser" appears to be back on track, with "Martyrs" helmer Pascal Laugier in final negotiations to write and direct. More...

April 08, 2008: Hellraiser Remake Seeks New Director
Interested in directing a Hellraiser remake? This might be your chance. More...

February 19, 2008: Weinsteins' Hellraiser Remake Has Its Writers
Hollywood's never-ending remake party had to take a brief hiatus during the writers' strike, but now that the lights are back on in Tinseltown, studios are moving forward with... More...

October 16, 2007: Barker's Hellraiser Remake Adds Writers, Directors
If the 1987 original and its seven -- yes seven -- sequels weren't enough for you, good news: Clive Barker and Dimension Films are bringing Hellraiser back to the big screen. More...

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