Stars: Andrew Robinson, Clare Higgins, Ashley Laurence, Sean Chapman, Kenneth Cranham

Director: Clive Barker

Summary: This horror collection presents the first two HELLRAISER films, based on characters created by Clive Barker. See individual titles for more details.<BR>HELLRAISER - Barker's feature directing debut graphically depicts the tale of a couple (Andrew Robinson and Clare Higgins) who move into an old house and discover a hideous creature--the man's half-brother (Sean Chapman), who is also the woman's former lover--hiding upstairs. Having lost his earthly body to a trio of S&M demons called the Cenobites, he is brought back into existence by a drop of blood on the floor. He soon forces his former mistress to bring him human sacrifices to complete his body...but the Cenobites won't be happy about this. The film is one of the best horror offerings of the 1980s, based on Barker's novel THE HELLBOUND HEART.<BR>HELLBOUND: HELLRAISER II - Beginning just hours after the original HELLRAISER ended, HELLBOUND finds young Kirsty (Ashley Laurence) waking up in a mental institution because she insisted on describing her parents' murderers to the authorities as pain-loving demons from hell. Unfortunately, she has been placed in the car of Dr. Channard (Kenneth Cranham), who has devoted his life to solving the Lament Configuration, the key to the doorway of hell, and now, with Kirsty, he believes he has found another key. Resuscitating the skinless corpse of her stepmother, Julia (Clare Higgins), Dr. Channard succeeds in opening a doorway to hell, one that Julia, Channard, Kristy, and her mute friend, Tiffany (Imogen Boorman), all travel through.

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Having made his reputation as one of the most prolific and gifted horror writers of his generation (prompting Stephen King to call him "the future of horror"), Clive Barker made a natural transition to movies with this audacious directorial debut from 1987. Not only did Barker serve up a chilling tale of devilish originality, he also introduced new icons of horror that since have become as popular among genre connoisseurs as Frankenstein's monster and the Wolfman. Foremost among these frightful, Hellraiser visions is the sadomasochistic demon affectionately named Pinhead (so named because his pale, bald head is a geometric pincushion and a symbol of eternal pain). Pinhead is the leader of the Cenobites, agents of evil who appear only when someone successfully "solves" the exotic puzzle box called the Lamont Configuration--a mysterious device that opens the door to Hell. The puzzle's latest victim is Frank (Sean Chapman), who now lives in a gelatinous skeletal state in an upstairs room of the British home just purchased by his newlywed half-brother (Andrew Robinson, best known as the villain from Dirty Harry), who has married one of Frank's former lovers (Claire Higgins). The latter is recruited to supply the cannibalistic Frank with fresh victims, enabling him to reconstitute his own flesh--but will Frank succeed in restoring himself completely? Will Pinhead continue to demonstrate the flesh-ripping pleasures of absolute agony? Your reaction to this description should tell you if you've got the stomach for Barker's film, which has since spawned a number of interesting but inferior sequels. It's definitely not for everyone, but there's no denying that it's become a semiclassic of modern horror. --Jeff Shannon

Aspect Ratio:	Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Theatrical Trailers, Interviews, Sub Plots, Photo Library, Interactive Menus
Year:	1987
Release Date:	February 3, 2003
Runtime:	179 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	C C D 9411
Label:	New World Pictures
Keywords:	Double, General, Wide, Screen, Hellbound, Hellraiser, Feature, Horror, Occult, Ii, Sci, Fi
Genre:	Horror/Occult