The main reason Hellraiser stands out among horror films is because of its themes. Barker weaves shades of love, eroticism and, of course, pain and pleasure into his tale of demons and scarred flesh - and this really makes the film.

Why is Hellraiser iconic?

The film introduced audiences to the alluring, wholly unique villain Pinhead (played by Doug Bradley in the first eight installments) — who would become one of the most iconic horror characters of all time — and his gang of Cenobites, a crew of sadomasochistic, otherworldly beings who draw no distinction between ...

What is the point behind Hellraiser?

The actual title and meaning of Hellraiser is so much deeper than many realize. It's not merely about solving the puzzle box to summon the Cenobites and have them rip you to pieces, but it's the Hell you raise onto yourself; the Cenobites are merely there to help.

Why was Hellraiser controversial?

Hellraiser was initially banned in Ontario by the Ontario Film and Video Review Board. By a 3-2 majority vote, the film was deemed "not approved in its entirety as it contravenes community standards". It was banned because of its "brutal, graphic violence with blood-letting throughout, horror, degradation and torture".

Why is Hellraiser so disturbing?

Parents need to know that Hellraiser is extremely gory. Killing and mutilating befalls both humans and animals (rats), with bloody death by knife, hammer, and hooks. Nightmare imagery includes a vampire-like man without skin cannibalizing others to regenerate, and the cyborg-like demons called cenobites.

The Cenobites (MASTERS OF PAIN) Hellraiser Explored

Is Hellraiser lgbtq?

Hellraiser has since become a queer horror classic for numerous reasons, according to Riley Wade of Horror Obsessive. The work's gay author/director has been hailed as a master of the counter-cultural “splatterpunk” literary genre.

What gender is Pinhead in Hellraiser?

We knew we wanted Pinhead to be a woman. Jamie was just the right person for the role. A person's identity can be really exciting for a role in many ways, but I have to emphasize that Jamie absolutely killed, that's how we got there".

Is Freddy Krueger A Cenobite?

Freddy is a member of the Cenobite council and the rival of Laughing Jack. He is also the most feared and dreaded enforcer of Zalgo, even more so than Pinhead. Freddy is played by Robert Englund.

Why are the Cenobites evil?

All Cenobites would appear to have great knowledge of both pain and pleasure, making them masters of both physical and psychological torture—this coupled with their supernatural abilities serve to make Cenobites arguably amongst the most frightening and dangerous of all demons in fiction.

When did Hellraiser get bad?

A total of ten films - eight are negligible. The Hellraiser movies have been bad since the 1990s, when the last two theatrical productions were released. A total of ten films have been made in the franchise, but only the first two have been embraced by fans and critics alike.

Why does Pinhead have pins in his head?

Because of the iron pins that has been nailed deep into his head, Pinhead is assumed to be in a perpetual state of pain, a pain that he has since his transformation from human to cenobite gotten used to and seems to derive pleasure from it. This allows him to endure extreme amounts of pain without slowing down.

Is there a heaven in Hellraiser?

Judgment is the first Hellraiser film to include heaven in its mythology. According to Tunnicliffe, he took influence from The Scarlet Gospels, stating "I am in no way religious, but if you are writing a story that acknowledges the existence of Hell, then you have to acknowledge the existence of Heaven.

Who is the Cenobites God?

They are revealed to be former humans who have been converted into Cenobites by the supernatural power native to their home dimension; the source of that power is shown to be a deity named Leviathan ("the god of flesh and desire"), which appears as a massive, rotating lozenge with patterns of LeMarchand's box on its ...

Who is the most powerful Hellraiser?

1 Pinhead, AKA The Hell Priest

Even now, Pinhead is undoubtedly the strongest Cenobite.

Is Hellraiser a masochist?

The tortures in Hellraiser are indeed extreme and unending. Frank is tortured because he willingly wants to explore the extremes of pleasure that he believes to be found in pain. He, as a sadomasochist, exists in a symbiotic relationship with the dominant sadomasochists (the Cenobites).

Why is Pinhead a girl in New Hellraiser?

For Bruckner, the decision has its roots in Barker's work, as The Hellbound Heart “was suggestive of a female Pinhead, and the comic books also explored the idea.” Bruckner also points to fan art of female and non-binary versions of The Priest as sources of inspiration. “We were never afraid of it,” he declared.

Does Pinhead become a good guy?

While Pinhead isn't a villain in the first two Hellraiser movies — he's a neutral representative of Hell — he switches to being an unequivocal, full-blown bad guy in Hellraiser 3: Hell on Earth. This is due to Pinhead being killed by Dr.

What type of demon is Hellraiser?

The Cenobites are fictional extra-dimensional, seemingly demonic beings who appear in the works of Clive Barker.

Are the Cenobites sexless?

Hellraiser finds him ashamed of his desires; when he summons the Cenobites he specifically imagines them arriving flanked by women, but in the end he welcomes destruction at the hands of the genderless, sexless demons.

Is Edward Scissorhands a cenobite?

Edward, then, is a Cenobite, which is why he has scissors instead of hands, he's so pale, and he wears black leather clothes that look very similar to the ones the Cenobites usually wear.

Is Michael Myers a cenobite?

According to an interview in the book Taking Shape II, the Michael Myers (AKA The Shape) cenobite would have had his mask permanently affixed to his skin and had his arms replaced with knives.

Is Candyman a Cenobite?

Candyman is a Cenobite. Both stories which Hellraiser and Candyman are based off of are by Clive Barker. Each character only causes mayhem when they are summoned. To top it off all they know after their deaths are pain and pleasure.

Is Pinhead a masochist?

While Cenobites tend to be obsessed with masochism and even practicing it to extreme lengths, Pinhead despises such obsession and tends to make himself as professional as he could be, in front of fellow immortals or mortals.

Does Pinhead have a lover?

Merkova is a cenobite that appears in the Hellraiser comic series, primarily the ones about the Harrowers, she is the cenobite love interest of Pinhead, as shown in the series they care very deeply about each other.

Why did Kirsty Cotton become a Cenobite?

However, 20 years after her first encounter with the Cenobites, Kirsty agrees to take Pinhead's place in Hell as the Hell Priest after losing everyone she's ever cared about - becoming a Cenobite crafted based on his original style, and the new favorite of Leviathan.