“Hellraiser” Is the terrifying aesthetic the ultimate pleasure or the ultimate pain?

clever plot, casting

What shocked me the most about Hellraiser is that even though the Cenobites, non-humans, appear, their evil deeds are brought about by humans. Frank, who escaped from the other world where Pinhead and his friends live, regains a part of his body that he lost by bathing in the blood of his brother Larry (Andrew Robinson). To become whole, he needs a larger amount of fresh blood - a sacrifice. So he persuades Larry's wife Julia (Claire Higgins), with whom he had an affair, to entrust him with the mission of seducing men, taking them to the attic, and having them kill him.

The horror is not that an incomprehensible monster attacks humans, but that Julia, who was once an ordinary housewife, turns into a serial killer. It should be called an act of physical pleasure, rather than love for Frank. (By the way, Claire Higgins, who plays Julia, was so frightened when she first saw the movie at the premiere that she left the theater within 10 minutes and apparently never watched it to the end.) The movie is certainly filled with shocking shots such as pieces of shattered flesh, but the vivid portrayal of Julia's lack of hesitation as she commits murder greatly shakes one's sense of ethics.

Hellraiser© 1987 New World Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

Another clever thing about this film is the casting of Andrew Robinson. He plays Larry, a good guy who stands in stark contrast to the tyrannical Frank, with glee, but we know that he is Scorpio, the brutal serial killer from " Dirty Harry " (1971). It is hard to accept how much love he shows to Julia as a good husband and to his daughter Kirsty (Ashley Lawrence) as a good father. Could it be that the mind of a murderer lurks beneath his gentle expression? This suspicion sets off a meta-suspense, creating a sense of suspense that is separate from the story and visuals.

An artistic sense born from the context of Gothic culture, a masochistic orientation that equates ultimate pleasure with ultimate pain, and a fear that shakes moral standards. Created by the genius Clive Barker, ``Hellraiser'' is a unique work that stands out from other horror films. A 4K remastered revival will be released in theaters from December 8, 2023, but whether it will be the ultimate pleasure or the ultimate pain is up to you.

(*1) (*3) https://www.nightmare-magazine.com/nonfiction/interview-clive-barker/

(*2) https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093177/trivia/

Text: Rui Takeshima

A pop culture writer who focuses on movies, music, and TV. Host of the web magazine "POP MASTER" ( http://popmaster.jp/ ).

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Hellraiser ( 4K)

From Friday, December 8th at Cinemart Shinjuku and other theaters nationwide

Provided by King Records Freaks Movie first distribution work

© 1987 New World Pictures. All Rights Reserved.