Hellraiser

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1:27

Hellraiser

R

Released Sep 18, 1987

1h 33m

Horror

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

69%

Tomatometer

52 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

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

Rated: B+

Oct 14, 2019

Full Review

William Thomas

Empire Magazine

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.

Rated: 4/5

Nov 13, 2017

Full Review

Bob McCabe

Empire Magazine

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

Rated: 4/5

Nov 13, 2017

Full Review

Michael Sragow

San Francisco Examiner

The acclaimed young fiction writer turned filmmaker, Clive Barker, here wears his heart on his sleeve -- along with his brains and his intestines... By pushing his horror gimmicks to the limit, Barker becomes a pain for the audience.

Rated: 1.5/4

Sep 21, 2022

Full Review

Trace Thurman

Horror Queers Podcast

Sexy, gooey and filled with imagination, Hellraiser is Clive Barker's magnum opus.

Rated: 4.5/5

Sep 20, 2022

Full Review

Josh Larsen

LarsenOnFilm

...a demystifying experience, especially if the movie’s Pinhead poster was a staple of your youth.

Rated: 1.5/4

Jun 10, 2022

Full Review

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ItzBloxxyCool S

Hellraiser… Yeah it’s pretty okay. I did almost fall asleep through this movie because of how somewhat boring it is. This movie starts with Frank solving the cube then getting killed off in a very gross and gruesome way. It’s great. Anyways, we go to the plot where a family moves into a house and we meet some characters played actually really well. The whole thing where this woman was killing people to get flesh for him was actually pretty interesting though. The cenobites are actually played great and Pinhead is actually an well-written and cool antagonist. Overall, the movie is okay with some issues that make it a major snooze-fest and great gore. 6.4/10

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

11/17/24

Full Review

Chas S

Not really my thing but the plot and effects looked to be pretty good for its day.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

11/08/24

Full Review

Hugh J

This film brings monsters and ghouls from hell into your living room for a disturbing and gory effort that manages to accomplish alot with little.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

11/03/24

Full Review

Jonathan O

Hellraiser is one hellva frightening horror film about s&m lol, and Clive Barker's vision is really unbelievable and very dark and very gothic and very gruesome scene and it welcomes new horror villain of the 80's.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/30/24

Full Review

Audience Member

Il film molto belle l'inizio un po' noioso ma poi ci sta classico di clive Barker un maturo

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/23/24

Full Review

Craig B

Truly one of the greatest hottor movies of the last 50 years. Not to be missed by horror fans.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/20/24

Full Review

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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
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)

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