Demons to some, angels to others. || Hellraiser FanArt - Pinhead

It took me a long time to get around to this drawing. Hellraiser - despite its rather obvious shortcomings - still stirs emotions today and has its circle of devoted fans. Clive Barker - author of 'The Hellbound Heart' - decided to put himself in the role of director. The film 'Hellraiser' was released in cinemas just one year after the publication of the book. I won't pretend to be a fan of C. Barker's writing. He doesn't thrill me with his style or his artistic choices. The film, however, brought out a depth and mysticism in the story that I could not find in the book.

The book almost flattens the subject and focuses much more on sadomasochistic inclinations than on the search for their origins. The very working title of the film 'Sadomasochists from Beyond the Grave' - shows where the whole story could have gone...

Fortunately for the author/director as well as cinephiles - the film has a lot more to offer than just scenes of torture and the macabre. The first film does not lay all the cards on the table. Clive Barker trusts the viewer, it does not explain all the nuances. It leaves the viewer a breath, a moment to think. Something that the new films definitely lack. It leaves the audiance freedom and space for imagination.

For a 'B-movie’, the film leaves the viewer with many excellent quotes. So good that they have become iconic:

Pain? How dare you use that word. What you think of as pain, is only a shadow. Pain has a face. Allow me to show it to you....Gentlemen.....I.....am......PAIN

It is not hands that call us. It is desire.

No tears, please. It's a waste of good suffering.

We have such sights to show you.

I am exquisitely empty

We'll tear your soul apart!

'Demons to some, angels to others.' - Pinhead

Yes, the Cenobites( interdimensional beings trapped in the mysterious puzzle box 'Lament Cofigiuration') create an unforgettable atmosphere in the film. The lead Cenobite - now known to fans as 'Pinhead', despite not being the main character in the film - is by far the most interesting character.

Definition of the term 'cenobite' represents the member of a religious order, who lives in a monastic community.[1]
Cenobite in the Hellraiser franchise represents a member of a masochistic religious community, priest of Leviathan.[2]

source Wikipedia

Little Trivia:
The nickname 'Pinhead' was originally given to lead actor Doug Bradley by the make-up artists. Neither the lead 'Hell Priest'(Lead Cenobite) nor the author of the books were thrilled with the nickname. And yet - it stuck.

The Cenobites were not overly vocal monsters. The music with the loud ringing of the bell, and the gloomy light perfectly conveyed the anxiety they aroused. The lines spoken mainly by Pinhead are short, poetic yet dark and cynical.

In the first film we are only introduced to the four Interdimensional Beings from 'Lament Configuration': 'The Pinhead', 'Butterball','The Chatterer', and 'The Female.' In the following films, the creators do not hold back their imagination and create not only more bizarre Cenobites but also pseudo-Cenobites.

Pseudo-Cenobites are individuals who have not been taken to Hell and placed in the Cenobite Creation Chamber to become full-fledged Cenobites. The term 'pseudo', meaning false, is a title given to 'incomplete Cenobites' who have not completed the formation process by going to Hell.

Lore has grown to as many as 10 films. I have to openly admit that I finished my Hellraiser education with film 7(Hellworld, 2005). I am not sure if I will watch the new versions, because I have to admit - I only like and highly appreciate the first two and the fourth part of the saga.