Hellraiser: A Box of Delights …

22nd June, 2012.

You know, if you see yourself as vaguely patriotic — but NOT a fan of the world’s most popular sport — those times when England’s playing — and, it seems, winning — can be a real pain.

Hmmm …

Mind you, by the sound of it, the Ukrainian hosts aren’t going to shut up about that debatable Marko Devic goal.

Score another point for the Goal-line Technology argument …

At ANY rate … ?

At ANY rate, it sounds like England are through to the quarter finals: which means I’m personally going to be seeing what ELSE I have in my movie collection.

Because, as you might have guessed … ?

I spent today in the company of an old favourite, the original — and some would argue, best — entry in the franchise, Hellraiser.

☕☕☕☕☕

OK, OK, I know I’ve left finishing this a while, but I’ve been writing up Teasers and scanning in family photos.

Busy, busy, busy …

At ANY rate, suffice to say, that night I started the original Hellraiser was the night I saw something of a very old friend.

Hellraiser — based on director/writer/novellist Clive Barker’s own original novella, The Hellbound Heart  — sees Frank Cotton (Sean Chapman), an extreme  sexual addict, buying what seems to be an innocent puzzle box: a puzzle box that summons a quartet of demonic figures who then proceed to rip Frank’s body to pieces.

Some time later, and the Cotton family home — in an unidentified part of the UK — is inherited by Frank’s younger brother, Larry, and his second wife, Julia: who, unknown to her husband, is still getting over an affair she’d had with Frank.

And … ?

And, as a result of Larry’s accidentally cutting his hand on a nail, Frank returns from where the Cenobites, the demons we see at the start of the film, have kept him.

Returns …

With something of a favour to ask of his old flame …

☕☕☕☕☕

Hmmm …

Now, I’ve got to admit, I’ve always enjoyed the first film in the Hellraiser series.

OK, granted, it’s showing it’s age.

But it does have a feel very different from those presented in the later films.   What’s more, the Cenobites themselves are very different to how they’re were interpreted in the later movies: something I think is great to see: after all, in this original film, the Cenobites are a LOT more ambiguous than the standard supernatural killers.

Personally … ?

Personally, I’m going to leave you with the trailer, and stars.

And Gary Tunnicliffe — who’d designed many of the effects for the film — redesign of its central figure.

Hellraiser

★★★☆