Biography

Hellraiser is a 1987 British-American horror film written and directed by Clive Barker, and produced by Christopher Figg, based on Barker's novella The Hellbound Heart. The film marked Barker's directorial debut. The film involves the resurrection of Frank (Sean Chapman), who had opened the door to an alternate dimension and had his body torn to pieces by creatures known as Cenobites. Years later, Frank's brother Larry (Andrew Robinson) moves into their late mother's abandoned house with new wife Julia (Clare Higgins). An accident causes some of Larry's blood to spill on the attic floor, which triggers Frank's resurrection. To complete his resurrection, he requires more blood which Julia provides while Kirsty Cotton (Ashley Laurence), Larry's daughter, discovers Frank's puzzlebox which leads her to meet with the Cenobites. Hellraiser was filmed in late 1986. Barker originally wanted the electronic music group Coil to perform the music for the film, but on insistence from producers the film was re-scored by Christopher Young. Some of Coil's themes were reworked by Young into the final score. Hellraiser had its first public showing at the Prince Charles Cinema on 10 September 1987. Since release, the film has divided critics but generally received praise; initial reviews ranged from Melody Maker calling it the greatest horror film made in Britain, to Roger Ebert decrying its "bankruptcy of imagination". It spawned nine sequels, the first seven of which featured Doug Bradley reprising his role as the lead Cenobite Pinhead.