Hellraiser (1987) (Exclusive Series) (Tubi)
- Matt Palmer
- Oct 9, 2022
- 3 min read
Initial release date: September 18, 1987
Studios: New World Pictures
Tagline: It will tear your soul apart
Demon to some. Angel to others.
Plot: Deviant Frank 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 and his wife move into Frank's old house, they accidentally bring what's 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.
Cast
Andrew Robinson - Larry
Clare Higgins - Julia
Ashley Lawrence - Kristy
Sean Chapman - Frank
Oliver Smith - Frank the Monster
Robert Hines - Steven
Kenneth Nelson - Bill
Doug Bradley - Lead Cenobite
Nicholas Vince - Chattering Cenobite
Simon Bamford - 'Butterball' Cenobite
Writer/director: Clive Barker
Rated R (94 minutes)
With the new 'Hellraiser' reboot now streaming on the Hulu streaming platform, I decided to take a look at the original 1987 movie. This was actually the first time that I have seen any of the 'Hellraiser' movies and will be taking a look at the new movie as well!
The 1987 'Hellraiser' delivers a lot of good scares and also features a good amount of gory fun. The effects that they used for the practical effects are really awesome and really good for an 80s movie.
It can be on the really strange side at times, and like most horror movies, it's not everyone's cup of tea. Doug Bradley, who portrays the Lead Cenobite, a.k.a. Pinhead, gives a chilling performance and I can't wait to check out the other movies in the series. I might actually check them out for next year's Halloween marathon!
You can stream the 1987 movie on the Tubi app.
Here are some interesting tidbits for the 1987 movie 'Hellraiser':
During an interview Doug Bradley described hell as a prison; the Cenobites are the prison, Pinhead is the prison warden, the puzzle box is the key to the prison cell, and the demons are the escape inmates.
When Barker first showed the film to his mother, she cried tears of joy upon seeing her son's name in the opening credits. He leaned over and whispered that would be the happiest she would be for the next two hours.
The Chatterer and Butterball Cenobites had dialogue in the original script. However, when their make up made coherent speech impossible, their lines were given to the Female Cenobite and especially Pinhead, which helped to cement his reputation as the film's trademark character.
The film was originally supposed to be called 'The Hellbound Heart,' after the novella upon which it was based. The studio decided the title sounded too much like a romance and asked Barker to change it.
Clare Higgins hates horror movies. When she saw this movie for the first time at the premiere, she had to leave after ten minutes because it freaked her out so much. She has supposedly never seen the whole movie.
Having been dismayed at prior cinematic adaptations of his work, Barker decided to attempt to direct a film himself. New World Pictures agreed to fund the film for $900,000. 'Hellraiser' had its first public showing at the Prince Charles Cinema on September 10, 1987. The film was released in the US on September 18; It grossed $14.5 million in the US and Canada.
A remake was initially announced in November 2006 with Dimension-Miramax. The project eventually fell apart. After Dimension/Weinstein projects were sold, by May 2019, Spyglass Media Group (also produced 2022s Scream) began developing a new movie. In May 2021, Hulu had required the remake and will stream it October 2022.
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