In the produced the most sequels stakes Hellraiser has to be up there. In the 24 years since the release of the original Hellraiser has spawned no less than eight following films of varying quality, most fairly poor. The latest; Hellraiser: Revelations was produced this year and was released in only one theatre in the US sparking stories that it was only made so that the Weinstein Company could keep the rights to the franchise in the hope they can finally get onto that more profitable remake.

If you’ve never seen the original however what’s it about?

*Spoilers*(Can you call spoilers on a film that’s been out since 1987?)

Frank is a sensualist, he’s been everywhere and done everything (and we mean everything) and now he’s jaded and looking for new experiences. In Morocco he purchases an antique puzzle box that he hopes will open a gateway to new sensual pleasures. It does and the Cenobites appear, but it’s not quite what he was hoping for.  Somehow he escapes from this “Hell” albeit in non-corporeal form and hangs out in his dead parent’s attic. His brother Larry comes back home with his wife to live in the old house, when Larry cuts his hand on a nail the blood drips onto the resting place of Frank and somehow revives frank to semi corporeal form. It turns out that Frank had a thing for Larry’s deeply unattractive wife’s hairstyle and the deeply unattractive woman it’s attached to: Julia. The hairstyle and Julia want to be with Frank despite his skinless state (perhaps she thinks skinless is healthier) and promises to get Frank all the blood he needs to become the man he once was. So she goes out and picks up deeply unattractive men to murder back at their place. Frank gets some flesh to put on his bones but it’s not enough so she brings back more.

Meanwhile Larry’s teenage daughter,  Kirsty starts to suspect that Julia and her hairstyle are up to something - mainly because she’s spying on them. She finds the puzzle box, accidently invokes the Cenobites but cuts a deal with them to give them Frank. The gormless, Larry who’s hopelessly in love with Julia’s hairstyle suspects nothing untill Frank skins him and wears the shiny new Larry suit,  nearly tricking Kristy into being eaten. But the Cenobites get to him first.

As an example of one of the very few times that an author has successfully brought their vision of their own book to the screen, Hellraiser deserves props. As an artifact of the 80’s it has a certain charm but despite an excellent Blu-ray transfer some of this has dated terribly. Perhaps Julia is suppose to be awful and not very attractive but one can’t help but feel that she’s what passed for attractive in the 80’s (see Highlander for more of this kind of thing.) She looks like a constantly smoking stick insect with massive hair. The parts of the movie that hold up best are the Cenobites, they look just as disturbing and full of weirdness as they did when I first saw this film about 20 years ago.

Video:  The transfer is really very good.  There is little evidence of grain or artifacts on the print. If you want gore, you’ve got it. Although be warned, sometimes hi-def reveals deficiencies in the original special effects.

Audio: Audio is DTS Master Audio in glorious 5.1 although I have to say that it’s not especially punchy. Lacking that bass that you really want if you’ve spent your money on a nice sub.

Special Features:  Nothing.  Nada.  Not a brass razoo. Not even a trailer or a menu. Just the movie. Quite a let-down considering what a cornucopia of special features the US edition has. Might be time to get the ol’ blu-ray de-regioned.