This film is one of the most original horror films of the late 70s and the 80s. At a time where the horror genre seemed no longer to be able to produce anything original we got a pretty inventive movie.
It was original because it didn't focus on a maniacal killer or any zombies, not even the persons are the most essential thing in this film. More important are certain themes in the film like wishes and desire. The story evolves on a psychological level rather than on a physical. It's fundamentally different from almost every other horror film I've seen so far. The atmosphere that is present throughout the whole movie should be described as unsettling, it is not scary in the conventional sense.
For anyone who is not interested in the story there are still several gore-effects that are excellently done. The five Cenobites are very interesting creatures but they hardly appear which makes Hellraiser even better and more mystical.
My major complaint about this film are the characters. They were rather unpleasant to watch and I didn't find myself rooting for any of them.
Overall one of the better horror films, refreshingly different from the rest.
My rating: 7/10 (watch "Candyman" if you liked Hellraiser)
It was original because it didn't focus on a maniacal killer or any zombies, not even the persons are the most essential thing in this film. More important are certain themes in the film like wishes and desire. The story evolves on a psychological level rather than on a physical. It's fundamentally different from almost every other horror film I've seen so far. The atmosphere that is present throughout the whole movie should be described as unsettling, it is not scary in the conventional sense.
For anyone who is not interested in the story there are still several gore-effects that are excellently done. The five Cenobites are very interesting creatures but they hardly appear which makes Hellraiser even better and more mystical.
My major complaint about this film are the characters. They were rather unpleasant to watch and I didn't find myself rooting for any of them.
Overall one of the better horror films, refreshingly different from the rest.
My rating: 7/10 (watch "Candyman" if you liked Hellraiser)