HELLRAISER

Frank (Sean Chapman), a ruthless man constantly seeking new and perverse sexual experiences, purchases the Lament Configuration at a bazaar in an unidentified third-world country. According to legend, solving this cubic puzzle would grant the solver the pleasure of exploring carnal desires beyond human comprehension. Back in his English home, Frank solves the puzzle, eager to experience unprecedented sexual thrills—but instead, he summons the Cenobites, or "Hellraiser," merciless demons from a parallel infernal dimension led by the sinister Pinhead. Frank learns at great cost that pleasure, once it crosses the threshold of human endurance, becomes pure and excruciating psychophysical agony. He is flayed alive, and his soul is imprisoned in the Cenobitic plane, condemned to an eternity of "exquisite" torment. Years later, Larry (Andrew Robinson), a devoted and exemplary husband, moves into his missing brother's house with his daughter Kirsty and his second wife Julia—a woman who had secretly been Frank's lover and had become enslaved to his sadomasochistic and intense sexual practices. One evening, drops of Larry's blood from an accidental hand wound resurrect Frank's spirit, which materializes as a skeletal form with exposed organs and some muscle tissue. To fully regenerate and escape the Cenobites' torture once and for all, Frank needs more blood. He uses the perverted and submissive Julia to lure random victims from bars, ultimately offering her the naive brother himself. Frank then completely reincarnates, using poor Larry's skin as his new "exterior shell." His attention then turns toward his young niece. But fortunately for her, Kirsty discovers the secret of the cubic puzzle and decides to use the Cenobites and the charismatic Pinhead to avenge her beloved father's murder. Will she succeed? Written and directed by Clive Barker, this film—despite its minimal budget—captures the claustrophobic atmosphere of the source material with striking impact. Its enormous theatrical success would spawn an entire film franchise and a series of merchandise and comics centered on the Cenobitic universe. Best viewed in the uncut version, which adds greater pathos and additional splatter scenes.