There will be such delights to see as the original 1987 horror classic, Hellraiser, returns to UK cinemas this week this time in 4K…
It is time to re-experience the sublime agony of Hellraiser, as Clive Barker’s outrageously gruesome and influential horror masterwork returns to UK cinemas in a brand new 4K restoration – Hell has never looked so good!
Hedonist Frank Cotton (Sean Chapman) thinks he has reached the limits of earthly pleasure, but a mysterious puzzle box will take him further than he can possibly imagine, opening the doors to a dominion where pain and pleasure are indivisible and summoning the Cenobites, whose experiments in the higher reaches of experience will tear Frank’s soul apart. When he manages to escape, Frank returns to the world skinless and in need of help. Now his former lover Julia (Clare Higgins) must kill to make him whole again; but the Cenobites want Frank back, and there’ll be hell to pay when they find him.
In the 1980s, Clive Barker changed the face of horror fiction, throwing out the rules to expose new vistas of terror and beauty – and with Hellraiser, his first feature film as director, he did the same for cinema. The film was a smash hit at the box office, making fifteen times its budget, and went on to garner even more fans on home video. It became a hugely popular horror franchise, securing Pinhead and the Cenobites a place in the Horror Hall of Fame.
Don’t miss this chance to see Hellraiser, described by Empire as “genuinely disturbing”, on the big screen in a 4K restoration from the original camera negatives, in all its gory and gleefully disturbing glory.
HELLRAISER is released in selected UK cinemas on 22nd September.
If you are a fan of the Hellraiser movies then you will also love to know that a box set featuring brand new 4K restorations of HELLRAISER I-IV is released on a four-disc Limited Edition from Arrow Video on 23rd October.
The Hellraiser I-IV set is packed with special features
- Brand new 4k restorations of all four films from the original camera negatives by Arrow Films
- Ultra High Definition (2160p) presentations of all four films in Dolby Vision (hdr10 compatible)
- Original lossless stereo and Dts-hd Ma 5.1 surround audio for all four films
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- Ages of Desire, an exclusive 200-page hardback book with new writing from Clive Barker archivists Phil and Sarah Stokes
- Limited edition layered packaging featuring brand new Chatterer artwork
Disc 1 Hellraiser
- Brand new audio commentary featuring genre historian (and unit publicist of Hellraiser) Stephen Jones with author and film critic Kim Newman
- Archival audio commentary with writer/director Clive Barker and actor Ashley Laurence, moderated by Peter Atkins
- Archival audio commentary with writer/director Clive Barker
- Power of Imagination – brand new 60-minute discussion about Hellraiser and the work of Clive Barker by film scholars Sorcha Ní Fhlainn (editor of Clive Barker: Dark Imaginer) and Karmel Kniprath
- Unboxing Hellraiser – brand new visual essay celebrating the Lament Configuration by genre author Alexandra Benedict (The Beauty of Murder)
- The Pursuit of Possibilities – brand new 60-minute discussion between acclaimed horror authors Paula D. Ashe (We Are Here To Hurt Each Other) and Eric LaRocca (Everything the Dark Eats) celebrating the queerness of Hellraiser and the importance of Clive Barker as a queer writer
- Flesh is a Trap – brand new visual essay exploring body horror and transcendence in the work of Clive Barker by genre author Guy Adams (The World House)
- Newly uncovered extended Epk interviews with Clive Barker and stars Andrew Robinson, Clare Higgins, Ashley Laurence, and effects artist Bob Keen, shot during the making of Hellraiser, with a new introduction by Stephen Jones and Kim Newman
- Original 1987 Electronic Press Kit
- Being Frank: Sean Chapman on Hellraiser – archival interview with the actor
- Under the Skin: Doug Bradley on Hellraiser – archival interview with the iconic actor about his first appearance as ‘Pinhead’
- Soundtrack Hell: The Story of the Abandoned Coil Score – archival interview with Coil member Stephen Thrower
- Trailers and Tv spots
- Image gallery
- Draft screenplays
Disc 2 Hellbound: Hellraiser II
- Brand new audio commentary featuring Stephen Jones and Kim Newman
- Archival audio commentary with director Tony Randel, writer Peter Atkins and actor Ashley Laurence
- Audio commentary with director Tony Randel and writer Peter Atkins
- Hell Was What They Wanted! – brand new 80-minute appreciation of Hellbound, the Hellraiser mythos and the work of Clive Barker by horror authors George Daniel Lea (Born in Blood) and Kit Power (The Finite)
- That Rat-Slice Sound – brand new appreciation of composer Christopher Young’s scores for Hellraiser and Hellbound: Hellraiser Ii by Guy Adams
- Archival on-set interview with Clive Barker
- Archival on-set interview with cast and crew
- Behind the scenes footage
- Being Frank: Sean Chapman on Hellbound – archival interview about the actor’s return to the role of Frank Cotton
- Under the Skin: Doug Bradley on Hellbound – archival interview with the iconic actor about his second appearance as ‘Pinhead’
- Lost in the Labyrinth – archival featurette featuring interviews with Barker, Randel, Keen, Atkins and others
- Trailers and Tv spots
- Image gallery
Disc 3 Hellraiser III: Hell On Earth
- Alternative Unrated version (contains standard definition inserts)
- Brand new audio commentary featuring Stephen Jones and Kim Newman
- Archival audio commentary with screenwriter Peter Atkins (Theatrical Cut only)
- Archival audio commentary with director Anthony Hickox and actor Doug Bradley (Unrated Version only)
- Previously unseen extended Epk featuring interviews with Clive Barker and Doug Bradley
- Fx dailies
- Time with Terri – archival interview with actor Paula Marshall
- Raising Hell on Earth – archival interview with director Anthony Hickox
- Under the Skin: Doug Bradley on Hellraiser Iii – archival interview with the iconic actor about his third appearance as ‘Pinhead’
- Theatrical trailer
- Image gallery
Disc 4 Hellraiser: Bloodline
- Brand new audio commentary featuring screenwriter Peter Atkins, with Stephen Jones and Kim Newman
- The Beauty of Suffering – brand new featurette exploring the Cenobites’ connection to goth, fetish cultures and Bdsm
- Newly uncovered workprint version of the film, providing a fascinating insight into how it changed during post production
- Hellraiser Evolutions – archival documentary on the evolution of the franchise and its enduring legacy, featuring interviews with Scott Derrickson (director, Hellraiser: Inferno), Rick Bota (director, Hellraiser: Hellseeker, Deader and Hellworld), Stuart Gordon (director, Re-Animator, From Beyond) and others
- Books of Blood and Beyond: The Literary Works of Clive Barker – archival appreciation by horror author David Gatwalk of Barker’s written work, from The Books of Blood to The Scarlet Gospels
- Theatrical trailer
- Image gallery
- Easter egg
Karen Woodham is the founder and owner of the Blazing Minds. She is also a Cinema reviewer and works with RealD 3D reviewing the latest 3D releases and IMAX, she has also had several articles published in various publications including the first edition of SFW Magazine. In 2015 she became an Award Winning Blogger and also has her website listed as one of the UK’s Top 10 Film Blogs.
