Director: Clive Barker
Studio: Cinemarque Entertainment BV
While vacationing in Morocco, Frank Cotton (Sean Chapman) purchases an antique puzzle box from a mysterious dealer. Back in the attic of his house in London, Frank solves the puzzle box, opening the doors to hell and prompting hooked chains to emerge from it that tear deep into his flesh. Black robed, horribly mutilated humanoids called Cenobites appear and proceed to systematically torture Frank to death. Their leader, "Pinhead" (Doug Bradley), picks up the box and twists it back into its original state, taking Frank's dissected physical remnants back to their realm with them and restoring the room to normal.
Sometime later, Frank's brother Larry (Andrew Robinson) arrives at the house along with his second wife, Julia (Clare Higgins), who previously had an affair with Frank. The pair know Frank as an avowed hedonist and petty criminal, and, presuming that he is either in jail or in some exotic location, decide to move in. While moving into the house, Larry cuts his hand on a nail, splashing drops of blood onto the attic floor. The blood reaches Frank's dessicated corpse entombed beneath the attic floor, partially restoring his body and allowing him to escape to the attic.
That night, Julia finds Frank (now portrayed by Oliver Smith) in the attic. Still obsessed with him after their affair, she agrees to harvest blood for him so that he can fully restore his body and they can once again be together. The next day, Julia begins picking up men in bars and brings them back to the house, where she murders them with a hammer. Frank then consumes their blood and internal organs, progressively regenerating his own body. Once he has regained enough strength, Frank explains to Julia that he had exhausted all sensory experiences and sought out the puzzle box on the promise that it would open a portal to a realm of new carnal pleasures. Instead, it opened up a portal to the realm of the Cenobites, who had taken Frank as their prisoner and subjected him to extreme, sadomasochistic torture.
Meanwhile, Kirsty Cotton (Ashley Laurence), Larry's teenage daughter, spies Julia bringing men to the house and, believing her to be having an affair, follows her to the attic one afternoon, where she interrupts a murder. Frank attacks her, but panics when Kirsty grabs the puzzle box. Kirsty throws the box out the window, proving enough of a distraction for her to escape. Outside the house, she retrieves the puzzle box and runs away, but collapses from exhaustion shortly thereafter. After being taken to the hospital, Kirsty solves the puzzle box, summoning the Cenobites. Pinhead explains that while the Cenobites have been perceived as Angels and Demons, they are merely "explorers" of carnal experience, practicing a form of sadomasochism so extreme that it transcends the boundary between pain and pleasure. Although they initially attempt to force Kirsty to return with them to their realm, Pinhead becomes indignant at the suggestion that one of their "subjects" has escaped, and agrees to consider freeing Kirsty in exchange that she take them to Frank.
Kirsty returns home, where Larry tells her that he has confronted and killed Frank. Larry shows her a bloodied corpse in the attic, but his language and mannerisms ultimately lead Kirsty to realize that Frank (now portrayed by Andrew Robinson) has in fact killed her father, and is now wearing his skin like a wetsuit. Frank pursues Kirsty through the house with a knife, inadvertently killing Julia in the process. He eventually corners Kirsty in the attic, where he brags about having killed his brother. The admission summons up the Cenobites, who ensnare him with chains and tear him to pieces. They then attempt to renege on their deal with Kirsty and take her back to their realm. Kirsty's boyfriend, Steve arrives and looks for Kirsty. Kirsty defeats the cenobites by reversing the motions needed to open the puzzle box, sending them back to their realm. Kirsty and Steve leave the house together.
Afterwards, Kirsty tries to burn the box in a garbage dump. A vagrant enters the flames and retrieves the box before transforming into a winged demonic creature and flying away. The box ends back in the hands of the merchant who sold it to Frank, asking another prospective customer, "What's your pleasure, sir?".
Mike's Thoughts:
This film is a true innovation in the context of storytelling. Never had such dark content as pain bringing pleasure been explored up to this point in time. Clive Barker is a master tale spinner; encapsulating pain, pleasure, gore, violence, and creative, memorable characters that defy time and have rightfully earned their spots at the table of horror legends. If you have never seen Hellraiser, I suggest you do so immediately. A true masterpiece of the genre.
Look For:
There are some goofy mistakes captured during the shooting of this film....easter eggs, if you will. 1) When the Engineer chases Kirsty back to the hospital room, the trolley and crew pushing it are visible. 2) When Kirsty is at the top of the stairs hiding from Frank, a shadow of the boom mic is visible on the top corner.
There are many more...so be on the lookout. These easter eggs are what I feel make a good, budget-defying film great. Cheesy special effects and less-than-professional acting defines the cult-horror genre and any true cult-horror connoisseur respects these nuances to be what makes the experience complete.
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