Clive Barker presents a true horror film by every standard. In an era where slasher flicks were running rampant and bordering on stupid, Hellraiser entered a new realm. The atmosphere is damn creepy, the acts are deplorable, and the immorality of human beings is where the true horror shines through.

The story is this: when a Chinese puzzle box is opened, the Cenobites come to claim the soul that brought them out. The Cenobites are demons that live on inflicting pain “to show the pleasure of it.” The most famous of them is Pinhead, but he really wasn’t the “head Cenobite” in this movie; they were all pretty equal. The bald woman with the ripped open throat was supposed to be the leader. There’s also the fat blind guy and the Chatterer. Their mission in this movie is to go after Kirsty, the “innocent” girl who accidentally awakened them. The real story comes from Julia (Kirsty’s mom) and her affair with Uncle Frank. Uncle Frank escaped hell and found a way to live again on Earth, but not without its casualties.

I don’t even know how many times I’ve seen it, but it still scares me after all this time. Filthy, horrid, disgusting, bloody, etc., what more can be said? I give this classic 4.787999 torn-apart souls out of 5, the epitome of true horror.