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Hellraiser questions from a novice

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  • Mikey
    Verbose Member
    • Aug 9, 2001
    • 47242

    Hellraiser questions from a novice

    I never understood the popularity of the Hellraiser franchise.

    Back in the day I seen Hellraiser 1 in the theatre... Didn't really understand it but it was ok at the timer for gore.

    Been watching some of the sequels lately and I still really don't get it.

    It's like in every movie people seem to want to open the box because they like pain ? …. and then when Pinhead comes out and tortures them they don't like it.

    This seems to be the plot in every movie.

    How did this franchise get such a big cult following ?
  • LonnieFisher
    Eloquent Member
    • Jan 19, 2008
    • 10814

    #2
    Pinhead is so cool, how could it not be popular?

    Comment

    • palitoy
      live. laugh. lisa needs braces
      • Jun 16, 2001
      • 59204

      #3
      It's not my personal favorite franchise but it's an interesting concept and I get why it's popular. The first film is downright excellent, I think the sequels have a slow quality drop off.
      Places to find PlaidStallions online: https://linktr.ee/Plaidstallions

      Buy Toy-Ventures Magazine here:
      http://www.plaidstallions.com/reboot/shop

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      • Iron Mego
        Wake Up Heavy
        • Jan 31, 2010
        • 3532

        #4
        Like many franchises, they keep getting made so that the right's holders can maintain the license. Which basically means they don't need to be any good.
        Wake Up Heavy Podcast

        Find me on Twitter

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        • glimpy
          Loco Chango
          • Feb 5, 2012
          • 682

          #5
          I've always liked Hellraiser. I remember I first seen this in the drive-in. although I wasn't paying much attention to it of course. it usually makes me fall asleep when it's played about 1 a.m. or so. It's so..so... devilish
          sigpic

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          • palitoy
            live. laugh. lisa needs braces
            • Jun 16, 2001
            • 59204

            #6
            Originally posted by Iron Mego
            Like many franchises, they keep getting made so that the right's holders can maintain the license. Which basically means they don't need to be any good.
            I seem to recall that one of them looked like it was made for four dollars and featured a really overweight guy playing pinhead. The story I heard was the one you just mentioned, made in a hurry to maintain the movie rights.
            Places to find PlaidStallions online: https://linktr.ee/Plaidstallions

            Buy Toy-Ventures Magazine here:
            http://www.plaidstallions.com/reboot/shop

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            • PNGwynne
              Master of Fowl Play
              • Jun 5, 2008
              • 19444

              #7
              Originally posted by Iron Mego
              Like many franchises, they keep getting made so that the right's holders can maintain the license. Which basically means they don't need to be any good.
              You mean like comic books? (glib, sorry)
              WANTED: Dick Grayson SI trousers; gray AJ Mustang horse; vintage RC Batman (Bruce Wayne) head; minty Wolfman tights; mint Black Knight sword; minty Launcelot boots; Lion Rock (pale) Dracula & Mummy heads; Lion Rock Franky squared boots; Wayne Foundation blue furniture; Flash Gordon/Ming (10") unbroken holsters; CHiPs gloved arms; POTA T2 tan body; CTVT/vintage Friar Tuck robes, BBP TZ Burgess Meredith glasses.

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              • Mikey
                Verbose Member
                • Aug 9, 2001
                • 47242

                #8
                Was watching one the other day (forgot the title)

                Should have been called PINHEAD IN SPACE !!!!

                Actually wasn't bad - it was an origin story

                Still don't get why people want to be tortured and killed by opening the box.

                Even ballbusting has a safe word

                Comment

                • hedrap
                  Permanent Member
                  • Feb 10, 2009
                  • 4825

                  #9
                  So, Hellraiser is my favorite modern horror, but it splits into two identities.

                  First there's Clive Barker's Hellraiser, which is just the first two. The appeal of the original is you didn't know what they were, why they were doing this and what exactly this "hell' dimension was. That made it incredibly different from the slasher genre as the motivation wasn't to kill. Cenobites had a cause or a religion. The whole movie feels and plays out like a Lovecraft idea. The expectation of the sequel was Barker would expand on that otherworldly notion, but instead he humanized it. It works, but it's a letdown. The fanzine articles mentioning Leviathan and a Labyrinth created Harryhausen-Cthulu ideas and it was nothing like that.

                  Hellbound did meh numbers, but good enough for Miramax to press on. They wanted a Freddy character and Barker had lost control so he left it to Adkins his co-writer. That guy had some nice dialogue, but no idea what the appeal was. The makeup fx were cheap, they didn't bother to match Pinhead's voice pitch from the first two, so he goes from sounding otherworld to a dude with a mod box. Hellraiser 3 is just slahser-crap.

                  From there, Miramax has used a Marvel-like deal where they have to keep producing some sequel to maintain rights. That's why a number of sequels were shot back-to-back and dumped direct to video. The only one that even resembles a sequel to Barker is Hellseeker, first because Ashley Laurence co-stars, but in story, it tries to bring back the mystery by inverting the plot beats. I like it for the most part and consider that the third film.

                  Miramax toyed with rebooting the franchise with a gawd awful writer. The offer then went to Barker, who started work on rebuilding the mythology ideas within it. I have no idea what happened from there as Miramax imploded. The last two sequels dumped to market was just to retain rights, which now should be returning to Barker, but I don't know if it matters at this point. 10-15 years ago, yeah, he could've cleaned up.

                  It sucks because there has been some interesting ideas floated that expand on the larger concept. Pinhead wasn't supposed to be a character. He was a high priest akin to someone in a mummy film. Instead he became Freddy for cheap-o fodder.

                  I've talked to Doug Bradley a few times and at length. Great, wonderful guy who doesn't get the credit he deserves.

                  Comment

                  • Mikey
                    Verbose Member
                    • Aug 9, 2001
                    • 47242

                    #10
                    ^ interesting …..

                    I watched Inferno tonight.

                    Seemed almost like watching a Law and Order episode.

                    The main actor (forgot his name) made Inferno at least watchable but the Hellraiser bits seemed shoehorned in …

                    Pinhead was onscreen for like only a minute

                    Comment

                    • Iron Mego
                      Wake Up Heavy
                      • Jan 31, 2010
                      • 3532

                      #11
                      Originally posted by palitoy
                      I seem to recall that one of them looked like it was made for four dollars and featured a really overweight guy playing pinhead. The story I heard was the one you just mentioned, made in a hurry to maintain the movie rights.
                      Yeah, I don't know which ones specifically were done to maintain rights, but it's pretty much the worst reason to make a movie, IMO. It's kinda why we keep getting Amityville and Witchcraft sequels that no one asked for.
                      Wake Up Heavy Podcast

                      Find me on Twitter

                      Comment

                      • toothaction
                        Career Member
                        • Jul 15, 2017
                        • 714

                        #12
                        Tangent time! So, Nightbreed...

                        HATED it when I caught it in the theatre back in '90, but always wanted to like it. Now I hear of a.) a Director's cut, b.) the Cabal Cut and c.) the Integral cut. Which to choose for a proper reevaluation?
                        >>> Looking for a few Bif Bang Pow! pretties. Please click to see if you can help!

                        Comment

                        • Bruce Banner
                          HULK SMASH!
                          • Apr 3, 2010
                          • 4327

                          #13
                          Saw the first three at the theatre, then kind of lost track of all the other sequels.
                          The original novella "The Hellbound Heart" is certainly worth reading if you're interested in the franchise and its concept.
                          PUNY HUMANS!

                          Comment

                          • palitoy
                            live. laugh. lisa needs braces
                            • Jun 16, 2001
                            • 59204

                            #14
                            I wasn't aware of the ins and outs of the franchise but definitely after the first two, the whole thing just became "what new cenobites can we create?" kind of thing. Barker's departure seems to make a lot of sense, i dropped out of watching them in the 1990s.
                            Places to find PlaidStallions online: https://linktr.ee/Plaidstallions

                            Buy Toy-Ventures Magazine here:
                            http://www.plaidstallions.com/reboot/shop

                            Comment

                            • hedrap
                              Permanent Member
                              • Feb 10, 2009
                              • 4825

                              #15
                              Four and Five were shot back to back in...Budapest? I think....Bradley used to try and get concessions, but they were never met. He wanted more actors like Lance Henriksen, so Miramax would sign people...but then he would barely get to work with them.

                              Inferno is an odd one. Zero budget, starring the guy from Nightbreed and directed by guy who go on to Doctor Strange and some really strong indie horror. You certainly don't see that ability in Inferno.

                              The zero budget/non-Bradley Hellraiser was another "not supposed to be released", as was the one that came out this year. They are literally contract obligations.

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