Hellraiser (film series)

"Hellraiser" is a series of horror films exploring the themes of sadomasochism and morals under duress. The first film is based on the critically acclaimed novella "The Hellbound Heart" by Clive Barker, who also wrote the screenplay and directed the first film. As of 2006, there have been seven sequels.

The films

Hellraiser (1987)

Directed by Clive Barker
Country: - United Kingdom.

Frank Cotton is a man looking for the pleasures of life. He buys a mysterious box called The Lament Configuration. He goes to his house and solves the box. To his dismay, he is hooked and torn apart by the Cenobites. The movie then shifts to Julia who is a dishonest wife of Larry Cotton. Julia had an affair with Frank years ago and is not happy with Larry. While moving a mattress, Larry cuts his hand on a nail resulting in blood falling on the floor where Frank died. Frank is resurrected but also incomplete. Julia ends up helping Frank by finding 3 victims and giving them to Frank. Kirsty is the daughter of Larry and escapes from Frank. She also takes the box and solves it. She discovers that the cenobites inhabit it. The ending suggests that Julia and Frank both die and the cenobites are sent back to Hell.

Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988)

Directed by Tony Randel. Filmed in Technicolor.
Country: - United Kingdom.

This movie takes place after the original Hellraiser. After escaping the Cenobites, Kirsty is sent to a mental institution to recover. Doctor Channard is interested in the pain and pleasure of the Lament Configuration. Despite Kirsty's wish, Channard gets a mentally challenged patient to revive the skinless Julia. She later eats enough bodies to finish her body. In the process, Kirsty and Tiffany wander into Hell and meet Pinhead and the Cenobites again. Tiffany becomes lost but encounters Leviathan, Lord of Hell. Meanwhile Kirsty looks for her dad but runs into Frank. Eventually, Julia pushes Channard into a cenobite chamber and he becomes The Channard Cenobite. Afterwards, Kirsty talks Pinhead into saving them until Channard arrives and kills them off. The end has Channard dying by his own desires and Tiffany and Kirsty escaping Hell.

Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth (1992)

Directed by Anthony Hickox.
Country: - U.S.A

After the confrontation in "Hellbound: Hellraiser II", the Cenobite Pinhead is trapped, along with the puzzle box, amongst the writhing figures and distorted faces etched into the surface of an intricately carved pillar. The pillar is bought by the rich and spoiled J.P. Monroe (Kevin Bernhardt), owner of a famous club called "The Boiler Room". An ambitious young television reporter, Joey Summerskill (Terry Farrell), slowly begins to learn about Pinhead and the mysterious puzzle box. She is introduced to the pain the box can bring, when she views a teenage club-goer being ripped apart by the box's chains in a hospital emergency room. She tracks the box and a young woman named Terri (Paula Marshall) to The Boiler Room, from which Terri and her boyfriend had stolen the puzzle box. This is the first Hellraiser sequel that was made in the U.S.

Hellraiser: Bloodline (1996)

Directed by Alan Smithee
Country: - U.S.A.

This film tells the story of the original creator of the Lament Configuration, a toymaker named Philip Lemarchand, commissioned by a Duc de L'Isle, a wealthy Aristocrat, master of the dark arts who wished to open a gateway to Hell in order to enslave a demon. It presents the story of the later Lemarchand/Merchant bloodline and their unconscious bond with the Lament Configuration, a plot to create a new design, the Elysium Configuration, able to close the gateway opened by the first box and banish the Cenobites. The film has Pinhead finally being destroyed. However this is actually the final story in the series, as the following direct-to-dvd films such as Inferno and Hellseeker are prequels.

Hellraiser: Inferno (2000)

Directed by Scott Derrickson
Country: - U.S.A.

"Hellraiser: Inferno" is more of a psychological thriller to the Hellraiser series. The plot is about an intelligent cop who lets greed and corruption completely destroy his life and all of the people in it. This film returns to the franchise's roots. It revolves around one person being punished for opening the Lament Configuration and cheating on his wife in the process.

Hellraiser: Hellseeker (2002)

Directed by Rick Bota.
Country: - Canada

Dean Winters plays Trevor, who survives a car accident that apparently kills his wife Kirsty Cotton (Ashley Laurence), when their car plunges off of a bridge into the river below. Trevor manages to escape with his life, but, divers find both car doors open, there is no sign of Kirsty.

One month later, Trevor wakes up in a hospital and realizes that his wife is missing, but because of a head injury, his memory is uncertain and he cannot distinguish between fantasy and reality. Trevor finds himself the prime suspect in a murder case, and has two homicide detectives on his tail. Many strange events befall him, until the Cenobite Pinhead shows him reality. The film brings back Ashley Laurence as Kirsty Cotton, who appeared in the first three Hellraiser installments.

Hellraiser: Deader (2005)

Directed by Rick Bota. It was released in the United States on June 7, 2005.
Country: - U.S.A | Romania

A female reporter for a London newspaper is sent to Bucharest to investigate an underground suicide cult founded by a descendent of Philip Lemarchand who can bring back the dead. She is quickly drawn into their dark world and soon can see no way out other than to join them. Pinhead and his followers appear at the end to claim the person who opened the box.

Hellraiser: Hellworld (2005)

Directed by Rick Bota.
Country: - U.S.A

The movie opens with five friends attending the funeral of a friend who died because of his obsession with the game "Hellworld". Two years later, the same five friends each complete the Lament Configuration on a website, earning an invitation to the "Hellworld" party at the Leviathan House. At the house, the host of the party (Lance Henriksen) takes them on a tour of the many layers of the home and its history, setting the stage for the introductions of Pinhead (Doug Bradley) and the other Cenobites. The remainder of the movie focuses on Chelsea (Katheryn Winnick) and Jake (Christopher Jacot) as they struggle to escape "The Host" and the Cenobites.

Clive Barker Presents: Hellraiser (2009)

Country: - United Kingdom | U.S.A.

Dimension Studios is working to develop a remake of the original "Hellraiser". Originally, Clive Barker's official website stated that he would be writing the remake to "Hellraiser". [cite web|url=http://www.fangoria.com/news_article.php?id=2994|title=Clive Barker to remake "Hellraiser"|publisher=Fangoria|accessdate=2007-10-13] In an interview, Barker stated that he had turned in a 45-page treatment which outlined a film that was filled with "horror and drama". [cite web|url=http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/9499|title=Clive Barker Talks Hellraiser, Meat Train!
publisher=Bloody-Disgusting|date=2007-07-28|accessdate=2007-10-13] On October 13, 2007, Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo, the directors of the French horror film "Inside", confirmed that they are attached to write and direct the new film. In the interview, Maury and Bustillo explained that they do not plan to make a true remake of Clive Barker's original film. The film will not remake all of the movie but will feature new things. The film will feature a "new Pinhead" and a new story. Bustillo and Maury contend that Barker is backing them 100% which he has also stated. However their Barker-supported script was rejected by Dimension and they were replaced with the writers of Feast and Saw IV. Citing creative differences the directors left the project which currently has no director attached. Barker has been notably silent on these latest developments. [cite news|author=Blake|url=http://twitchfilm.net/site/view/inside-directors-speak-on-hellraiser/|title=Inside Directors Speak on Hellraiser|publisher=TwitchFilm|date=2007-10-13|accessdate=2007-10-13] Set to release January 9, 2009. [cite news|url=http://www.shocktillyoudrop.com/news/topnews.php?id=4579|title=Hellraiser Back on Weinstein's Release Slate|publisher=ShockTillYouDrop.com|date=2008-02-06|accessdate=2008-02-06]

Fan films

There is an expanding base of Hellraiser-themed fan films that are either complete or in various stages of production.

* "No More Souls" was written and directed by makeup effects guru Gary J. Tunnicliffe. It was released as a hidden feature on the commercial DVD release of "". [ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0436636/combined No More Souls: One Last Slice of Sensation (2004) (V) ] ]

* "" [ [http://www.cenobite.com/forum/showthread.php3?s=&threadid=2333 The Hellbound Web | Interact | Forums | "The Hellraiser Chronicles: A Question of Faith" (FanFilm) ] ] was the first completed fan film and is a British short film that was completed in 2004. Directed by professional filmmaker R.N. Millward (Cherry Orchard, Last Meal, Twisted Souls, Woes of the Departed), this film was designed to recapture as much of the mood and atmosphere of the original as possible. This film is currently doing the festival rounds, and has received very positive reviews, some of which are available on IMDB. [ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0496614/ The Hellraiser Chronicles: A Question of Faith (2005) ] ]

* "Skankobite" [ [http://www.skankobite.com/ Fearsome 4 Productions ] ] is a Hellraiser parody fan film, made by David Lindabury in 2005. The film's runtime is 8 minutes and is available on DVD. [ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0479156/ Skankobite (2005) ] ]

* "" [http://www.hellraiserprophecy.com/hrp/ HELLRAISER: PROPHECY - A fan film by Jonathan S. Kui ] ] [ [http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/ny-etlede5584101feb21,0,5017708.story?page=2 'Be Kind Rewind' spoofs trend of remaking movies] ] is a crossover fan film, combining the themes from "Hellraiser" and the 1995 Christopher Walken film "The Prophecy". This film was completed in March, 2006, and premiered on 24 March 2006 at "I-CON XXV". [ [http://www.iconsf.org/ I-CON 27 :: April 4-6, 2008 at Stony Brook University ] ] The total runtime is 22 minutes. Two teaser trailers are available at the official website . The film has been reviewed by the "Reel Horror Podcast" [http://media.libsyn.com/media/vidhack/reel_horror-ep11-03272006.mp3] and "The Horror Podcast" [http://www.allaboutmedia.co.uk/horror/hps02ep01_121006.mp3] .

* "" is a web-only parody. [ [http://www.shitmovies.net/movies/web-exclusive-shit/hellraiser_apocalypse.php Hellraiser: Apocalypse - Considering how terrible those last few Hellraiser films have been, there's no reason why this stinker can't be considered on official sequel. - ShitMovies.net ] ]

* "" is a four-minute short depicting a lone military officer's run-in with the forces of Leviathan. [ [http://www.cenobite.com/forum/showthread.php3?s=&postid=134256 The Hellbound Web | Interact | Forums | Does anyone think this would be a good idea? ] ]

* "" is a project from the creator of two fan films, "Obsession" (abandoned) and "Game of Chance" [ [http://www.cenobite.com/forum/showthread.php3?s=&postid=13348 The Hellbound Web | Interact | Forums | The Hellraiser Chronicles: Lifebringer (In Post-Production) ] ] (unreleased). The film is in post-production and a trailer is on youtube.

* "" [ [http://www.winterslament.com/hr7prequel/ HELLRAISER: DEADER - WINTER'S LAMENT - Hellraiser: Deader Prequel Fan Film ] ] is a fan film prequel to the seventh Hellraiser studio film and will be a character study examining the backstory of the antagonist "Winter" from . The events of the film will span nine years and intersect events from , and the fan film .

References

External links

*imdb title|id=0093177|title=Hellraiser
*imdb title|id=0095294|title=Hellbound: Hellraiser II
*imdb title|id=0104409|title=Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth
*imdb title|id=0116514|title=Hellraiser: Bloodline
*imdb title|id=0229440|title=Hellraiser: Inferno
*imdb title|id=0274546|title=Hellraiser: Hellseeker
*imdb title|id=0337636|title=Hellraiser: Deader
*imdb title|id=0354623|title=Hellraiser: Hellworld
*imdb title|id=0887261|title=Clive Barker Presents: Hellraiser "(2009)
*imdb title|id=0496614|title=The Hellraiser Chronicles: A Question of Faith
*imdb title|id=0805545|title=Hellraiser: Prophecy
* [http://www.clivebarker.info/ Revelations - The Official Clive Barker Online Resource] - Includes exclusive interviews, a full bibliography, filmography and frequently updated news.
* [http://www.cenobite.com/ Hellraiser: The Hellbound Web]