Hellraiser

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1:27

Hellraiser

R

1987

1h 33m

Horror

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

71%

Tomatometer

56 Reviews

73%

Popcornmeter

50,000+ Ratings

Sexual deviant Frank (Sean Chapman) inadvertently opens a portal to hell when he tinkers with a box he bought while abroad. The act unleashes gruesome beings called Cenobites, who tear Frank's body apart. When Frank's brother (Andrew Robinson) and his wife, Julia (Clare Higgins), move into Frank's old house, they accidentally bring what is left of Frank back to life. Frank then convinces Julia, his one-time lover, to lure men back to the house so he can use their blood to reconstruct himself.

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Critics Consensus

Elevated by writer-director Clive Barker's fiendishly unique vision, Hellraiser offers a disquieting - and sadistically smart - alternative to mindless gore.

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Chris Stuckmann

ChrisStuckmann.com

10/14/2019

B+

The reason the movie works as well as it does is because of its human characters.

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William Thomas

Empire Magazine

11/13/2017

4/5

Horror is at its best when it's relentless. Clive Barker knows this, and his debut feature as director is so gleefully vicious, so relentlessly grim that it's going to be very hard for fans of the genre not to like it.

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Bob McCabe

Empire Magazine

11/13/2017

4/5

With Hellraiser, Clive Barker created one of the most genuinely disturbing movies of the last 20 years.

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David Elliott

Copley News Service

Dec 14

If you like strong terror and visceral weirdness, you've found your movie.

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Bryce Hanson

Horror Movie Talk

Sep 18

9/10

This film is Clive Barker’s best film, and it is a unique mix of family dysfunction, sex, sadism, and gore. At times it feels like a 50’s melodrama, other times like a nightmare, and sometimes like torture porn.

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Patrick Cavanaugh

The Wolfman Cometh

Sep 11

4/5

Earns the legacy it has built for setting the standard of blending the grotesque with the erotic, all while being weirder than an audience could have anticipated.

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Shadow R

@GeminiShadowRealm Jul 3

Hellraiser is a wild ride, but you definitely have to push through some weirdness to get to the good stuff. Honestly, the first chunk of the movie is kind of a confusing mess, mostly because of all those early scenes with the wife, Julia. You're dropped into this super awkward, chilly marriage as she and her husband move into his old family house. Then she starts having these intense, sweaty flashbacks about her husband’s scumbag brother, Frank. At first, it feels less like a horror movie and more like a bizarre, low-budget soap opera. You’re just sitting there wondering, "What is actually going on here, and why do I care?" Once you get past that first quarter and hit the last 3/4 of the movie, everything starts to click. From there, the movie just snowballs into pure chaos. The tension ramps up and towards the end of the movie it is firing on all cylinders. If you can vibe with the slow, confusing start, the payoff is kind of worth it.

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Glenn H

@Tredbull Jun 10

Clive Barker made a master piece.

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Dennis H.

@RT50475997 May 13

Awesome movie definitely the best in the franchise

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Daniel C.

@Miles_2_geeked Apr 6

This is the only good one a good gore movie a power full horror murder.

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Joshua M

@Flameon Apr 4

It's a goofy film with some decent old-fashioned horror effects. It hasn't aged well.

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Thibault B

@SciFiManiac Feb 23

Great movie for the time! I find the storyline quite original and PinHead is just so badass 😍

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Clive Barker

Director

Andrew Robinson

Larry Cotton

Clare Higgins

Julia Cotton

Ashley Laurence

Kirsty Cotton

Sean Chapman

Frank Cotton

Oliver Smith

Frank the Monster

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Hellraiser: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

Sexual deviant Frank (Sean Chapman) inadvertently opens a portal to hell when he tinkers with a box he bought while abroad. The act unleashes gruesome beings called Cenobites, who tear Frank's body apart. When Frank's brother (Andrew Robinson) and his wife, Julia (Clare Higgins), move into Frank's old house, they accidentally bring what is left of Frank back to life. Frank then convinces Julia, his one-time lover, to lure men back to the house so he can use their blood to reconstruct himself.

Director: Clive Barker
Producer: Christopher Figg
Screenwriter: Clive Barker
Distributor: New World Pictures, Anchor Bay Entertainment, Image Entertainment Inc.
Production Co: Rivdel Films
Rating: R
Genre: Horror
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 18, 1987, Original
Rerelease Date (Theaters): Feb 5, 2025
Release Date (Streaming): Oct 25, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $13.3M
Runtime: 1h 33m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby Stereo
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)