Hellraiser

3/4

Starring: Clare Higgins, Ashley Laurence, Sean Chapman, Andrew Robinson, Doug Bradley

Rated R (probably for Extreme Horror Violence and Gore and for Some Language)

"Hellraiser" is a frightening little horror film with some nice performances and impressive special effects.  On that level, I recommend the film.  However it must be said that this is a very disturbing and extremely graphic film that will turn off many who try to watch it.

Julia (Higgins) is not particularly enthused about moving from the city into the house that once belonged to her husband Larry's (Robinson) parents.  It was also lived in by his brother, Frank (Chapman), and judging by appearances, he was still living there before he disappeared (I think that's how it went...the film isn't too clear about this).  Actually, Julia's coldness isn't so much the move, but the fact that she's living with Larry when she was really in love with Jack.  Jack had an affinity for the weird, and when he got his hands on a puzzle box, he was taken into Hell.  Now escaped, he needs Julia to kill for him so he can regenerate and leave the demons of Hell, called Cenobites, in the dust.  Further complicating matters is that Larry's saintly young daughter Kirsty (Laurence) is poking around...

Reading that paragraph again, it looks like I've either described a lurid melodrama or black comedy (neither of which could be used to describe the film).  No, it's a straight horror film, and a pretty effective one at that.  It's drenched in atmosphere to the point where I was thinking of Werner Herzog's "Nosferatu: The Vampyre."  The film's aren't alike in the slightest, but they share the same "opera hell" feeling.

The performances vary.  Clare Higgins is quite good as Julia.  It only takes one stare from her before we realize that she's up to no good.  Higgins is very good at using her eyes to communicate a sense of cold, ruthlessness.  Julia is one cold-hearted bitch, but Higgins allows her to have some humanity.  Ashley Laurence is a natural performer as the loving daughter Kirsty; it was only until after to movie ended that I realized that her character is essentially superfluous until the final act.  Andrew Robinson fades into the background as the husband while Sean Chapman is just awful.

There are some truly impressive special effects.  I especially liked the scene where Frank's body regenerates itself.  It's pretty cool in a very morbid sort of way.  The Cenobites are also just creepy looking.  They're not as genuinely scary as the Xenomorph from "Alien," but this is one instance where they don't stop being scary when we get a good look at them.

There are a few problems in the editing stage that hamper the film's opening scenes, but other than that this is a pretty well put together horror film.  Clive Barker has made a solid directorial debut after two shorts and some horror novels.

I must reiterate: this is a very disturbing and incredibly graphic horror film.  It is not for younger viewers or the easily squeamish.  It is also difficult to like.  I admire it for its craftsmanship and its ability to scare, but I didn't "enjoy" myself.  Even after the scariest horror movies like "The Descent" or "The Innkeepers," I giggled to myself for being spooked by a movie as my heart rate slowed down to normal levels.  That wasn't the case here.  I was still unnerved, and I'm not going to watch the sequel for a while.

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