An Oriental man in a Middle Eastern bazaar asked Frank Cotton, “What is your pleasure?” He said, “The box.” Then, he paid the man and exited the shop. After the trip, he returned home and began to act stranger than usual. He started to worship this antiquity and pushed the center of the puzzle box. Then, it opened into a realm of infinite horror. However, the pleasure cost him dearly. The price was his soul but part of him remained in the world of the living.
Larry returned to the residence with Julia, his wife. It was where his mother resided for decades prior to her death. The abandoned house had Frank’s clothes, mattress and oddities. Yet, he ghosted (as usual) in the mind of his brother. The happy couple decided to clean up the mess and make a happy family. Unbeknownst to him, she was hiding a deep, dark secret. Her true love was his brother and not him. She shared the type of carnal lust with him that resided in tent revivals and trashy romance novels.
Kirsty was given an opportunity to live there after the restoration by her father and stepmother. She decided to get her flat. This would benefit her in more ways than she would ever comprehend.
Larry decided to continue work but something aroused Julia’s mind upstairs. She decided to look in an unoccupied room. Then, a soothing voice greeted her but the body was a talking skeleton. It was her secret lover, Frank?
What happened to him? Where had he journeyed to? Could she have a second chance? Who were the people that he had fled from?
One thing was obvious. No matter the reason, there would be HELL to pay.
Hellraiser was written and directed by Clive Barker. He gave a glimpse into the twisted things that we’ll do for love. The film provided a claustrophobic feel with equal parts Psycho and H.P. Lovecraft’s “The Dreams in the Witch House”. Julia and Frank were equal parts Norman Bates and his dear old mother. Ashley Laurence (in her film debut) was beautiful and brave as Kirsty. She provided an unlikely nemesis to Clare Higgin’s Julia and Shawn Chapman’s/Oliver Smith’s Frank. Yes, two actors played Frank. Chapman was prior to the dark side but Smith was after escaping that realm.
Yet, the film’s unlikely breakout role was the Lead Cenobite. No, he wasn’t referred to as Pinhead. However, Doug Bradley would be duly noted as a new face of horror. His supporting role was diabolically understated, sadistic and sexual simultaneously.
Hellraiser is still a must see for fans of Clive Barker, horror and H.P. Lovecraft. It cemented his status as a visionary of horror. Stephen King said, “I have seen the future of horror. And his name is Clive Barker.”
In April 2014, I had the privilege of Kickstarter funding the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival and Cthulhu-Con with 313 other individuals. The highlight of the festival was a Saturday afternoon screening of this film. It was followed by a Q&A with Doug Bradley. He revealed that originally Julia was supposed to only bed Englishmen but Clive had her seduce all men. Also, he shared the difference between his walk with and without costume. Of Bob and Harvey Weinstein, he said “That is a lot of assage.”
Prior to the Q&A, an audience member shouted “Jesus!” when the statue fell out of the Chifferobe during the climatic finale. We all laughed through one of the biggest scares of the film. This was the first celebrity Q&A that I was fortunate enough to attend. Viewers should seek out this film festival each October for great independent horror along with cult classics.
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