This was quite and enjoyable and pleasant experience. I had been eager for a good movie, so i chose a classic, old one by the so-called master Clive Barker. Expectations weren't high, but the movie was good enough - acting is quite good, special effects were awesome (for 1987) and the story itself is quite creative and original.
But what in the world has Hellraiser to make it such an awesome story ? Let's face it, nowadays we watch a bit of everything in a movie: there's always some guts that await you. And i suppose the question lies exactly there - it's hard to find a good horror flick. Hellraiser has guts, torn out bodies, body parts all over it - but its story is way too intelligent, like some sort of mix between sci-fi and horror. Everything starts with this puzzle box that unleashes evil. Julia and Larry Cotton, man and wife, are moving to this old house where the wifey had a love affair with her husband's brother. Seems like the brother, Frank, had been taken by the Cenobites (the otherworld creatures, whose names are Butterball, Pinhead, the Female, and Chatterer), for a world of hell that brought him pleasure and then killed him. Thing is, some drops of Larry's blood brought Frank half back to life - and of course, the wife found Frank in the attic and started killing people to raise the dude from hell. But it gets more complicated - the Cenobites are unleashed by Kirsty, the daughter, and they are eager for Frank's blood. There's a bit of a twist in the end, and it builds up a bridge for the second film (and, eventually, the eight others that follow).
About the acting, i especially liked Frank and i was the entire movie waiting for Pinhead to appear (when he did, i really liked the character). The daughter and the wife were kinda strange and Larry was too absent from the story. The music is quite freaky and scary, which is a huge contribute for the general atmosphere of the movie.
Overall, Hellraiser is sort of Clive Barker's first born son, and i must admit that the formula was freakin' successful. The way i see it, it is definitely a top 10 movie - totally worth watching.
