Hellraiser is a film that doesn’t need much of an introduction. It is still considered one of the best horror films of all time, over 33 years after its premiere. The intriguing plot revolves around dangerous creatures from hell known as the cenobites, a concept that has never failed to astonish spectators!
Clive Barker directed the film, which was based on his own novella The Hellbound Heart, and one more great filmmaker was added to the horror hall of fame! Nobody realised how successful the picture would be until it grossed more than $14.6 million at the box office, which was more than three times its budget. In little time, a cult following had formed, and a franchise was born!
The succeeding Hellraiser movies were merely weak shadows of the original’s grandeur, and the franchise was quickly relegated to the direct-to-video genre. The first Hellraiser film is an incredible masterpiece, and it can still compete with new horror films after all these years. Fans of the Hellraiser franchise will enjoy this video. We’ll tell you some surprising facts about the film that you’ve probably never heard before!
The Cenobites’ Design Was Inspired By S&M Clubs
Pinhead, one of the most renowned horror villains of all time, was first introduced in Hellraiser. Clive Barker’s concept for Pinhead and the other Cenobites was brilliant, and he drew inspiration from all across the world to create these characters.
It was critical that the Cenobites, particularly Pinhead, had easily distinguishable traits. The deadly Cenobites would be dreaded and remembered for all eternity as a result of the end-result.
The 80s were famous for giving us some of the deadliest horror villains, but most of them were either silent, maniacal killers or gruesome monsters. Barker, however, dared to deviate from the norm, creating a cunning and articulate character who could send shivers down your spine. For once, we had a horror villain who was more dignified than others, and he took the form of sadomasochistic torturer, deriving pleasure from the punishment of his victims.
One of the first things that inspired Barker to design the Cenobites washis discovery of African fetish sculptures. Once the design team finalized the look of the Cenobites, Pinhead had a definite edge with his hellish appearance.
You have surely noticed a kinky touch that was given to the Cenobites -everything from their leather outfits to their love of pain and pleasure screams sadomasochism. Barker’s visit to various S&M clubs in New York and Amsterdam gave him the idea to introduce this angle in his work.
We must also keep in mind that Barker was heavily inspired by Marquis De Sade, who is known for his experimentation with erotica and sexual debauchery. Something completely out of the box was required to create a movie so unique, and Barker’s inspirations were clearly varied, and downright weird.
Hellraiser Vs Halloween Movies Almost Happened
We all enjoy watching two enormous beasts engage in a bloody conflict, and Hollywood never fails to deliver. The thought of pitting two heavyweights against one another, whether it’s Freddy Krueger vs.
Jason Voorhees or Godzilla vs. King Kong, is always thrilling. But did you know that the Hellraiser and Halloween series were practically identical? Yes, you read that correctly. Pinhead was supposed to face off against Michael Myers in what should have been a mouth-watering battle!
However, we can’t help but wonder how Michael Myers would ever manage to get the better of Pinhead! The guy has the entire force of Hell backing him up, and Michael Myers is barely even supernatural.
A dreaded serial killer would surely be no match for the leader of the Cenobites, and Pinhead would probably put him through a world of pain! We are also curious to know how a screenwriter planned to put the two together in a story.
Dimension Films was curious to try it out, but they were skeptical about what the audience response would be to Freddy vs. Jason in 2003. When it proved to be a huge hit, they started reconsidering the idea and even spoke to actor Doug Bradley. Doug got Clive Barker on board, and he was even willing to write a script featuring the two baddies.
The possibility that John Carpenter would come aboard as director was even more enticing to horror enthusiasts! Unfortunately, the idea was never developed further since the Halloween producers were not interested in making such a film. We can still make educated guesses about the contest’s likely results!
Doug Bradley Didn’t Want To Play Pinhead
Doug Bradley, who played Pinhead, was one of the most important factors in Hellraiser’s remarkable popularity. But, believe it or not, he was initially apprehensive about taking on the role that would make him a horror icon! Clive Barker initially offered him an option of two alternative positions.
Pinhead was one of these characters, and the mover who assisted Larry Cotton in moving a mattress up the stairs was the other. Doug Bradley was a newcomer at the time, and he was worried that all the make-up used to create Pinhead would hide his identity as an actor, and that no one would identify him!
Some stories suggest that Bradley ultimately decided to play the role of Pinhead, but there are some versions that say he lost out to Oliver Parker, who was selected for the role of the moving man. Isn’t it awesome when a comedy of errors leads to the perfect result!
The way Bradley brought an evil and confident air to Pinhead – we really doubt any other actor would have been able to fill the shoes. He went on to reprise the role seven more times, and while he has done a lot of other work in his career, he is still hailed most of all for his work as the lead Cenobite. Now, to think that he almost backed out of this role because of the arduous make-up is just amusing because it is the part that made him a legend!
The movie had a “maggot wrangler” and a “roach wrangler”
You’re probably aware that when Hollywood films feature animals, the animals are usually handled by a wrangler. There was a maggot wrangler and a roach wrangler on set in this case! Ashley Laurence, who played Kristy Cotton in the film, had to perform some horrific moments.
She had to seem tough, filthy, and sweaty throughout the shoot, so she wore the same t-shirt the entire time. It was a prerequisite of the script because no one can possibly seem happy when fighting demons from hell!
While filming the scene with maggots, Clive Barker actually tossed a few down Laurence’s cleavage. Ashley was sprayed before the shot to look sweaty, and a few of these maggots actually got stuck inside her bra!
A maggot wrangler was there to handle the scene, but the only comfort for Laurence was that maggots wouldn’t hurt someone who is alive! There was a roach handler as well, who had to determine the sex of the cockroaches being used, because British law didn’t permit both genders of cockroach being put together, lest it should lead to an infestation.
It must have been quite a job to wrangle cockroaches and identify their genders! In an era of CGI, such a scene would have been pulled off effortlessly in an AC room. The only problem is that the movie would never become a classic like Hellraiser!
The Origins of Pinhead Came From A 1973 Play
Pinhead’s origins have been hotly debated, although few are aware that they may be traced back to 1973, when Clive Barker staged a play called Hunters in the Snow. Doug Bradley also appeared in the performance, as a Dutchman who served as an undead inquisitor and torturer.
Bradley has described this character as rather strange; someone who had an empty head but still managed to convey everything. This was the brief outline of a characterwho was eventually to become the Pinhead we know and love.
You could say that the movie version was an updated version of this character from the play. Another crucial influence was the nail-board that Barker had built for his story titled The Forbidden. This was a wooden block that had six-inch nails banged into it at the intersections of the squares. Sounds familiar?
That’s because Pinhead’s skull looks precisely like that, with a human face superimposed on top! It’s amazing how something so insignificant can evolve into a genre-defining concept in just a few years!
Erotic Scenes Were Cut
The subtle sexual innuendos and outright erotic sequences in this film are hard to ignore! Few people are aware, however, that some of the more intense sequences were deleted because they were deemed too much for the general public.
While the picture had broken down barriers with its make-out scenes with skinless people and its abundance of sadomasochism, there were a few scenes that were simply too extreme for a film at the time.
For starters, Frank and Julia were supposed to indulge in a sexually explicit encounter, but the actors refused. They weren’t comfortable with the extreme sodomy, and although Barker’s vision was clear and exact, some bits were just not meant to be!
There was also a rather kinky sequence that involved some spanking, but the Motion Pictures Association of America weren’t happy to approve something so out of the ordinary! One of Julia’s murder victims insisted on being naked for the scene, but the makers had to put some clothes on him because of the sharp glare of the censorship board.
Overall, a lot of the sexual content was toned down for the commercial release. Some of these scenes were shot, while others died as ideas. God knows where all this lost footages is today!
Barker’s Grandfather Inspired The Puzzle Box
The Lament Configuration puzzle box held the key to summoning the Cenobites from hell. As a result, you can appreciate the significance of this artefact in the film! It is demonstrated that when a person completes the riddle, he summons these evil monsters.
Hundreds of other low-budget horror movies had used rituals to summon demons, with characters drawing circles on the floor and Satanic symbols strewn about. Clive Barker desired a unique storey for his novel.
The idea came to him quite unexpectedly, from one of the brought home by his grandfather. Barker’s grandfather worked as a cook on a ship and brought a strange puzzle box from the Far East after one of his voyages.
This enigmatic puzzle box piqued Barker’s imagination, and he quickly thought of utilising it to open the gates of hell. People all throughout the world could relate to such riddles, thus it was a clever and unique idea.
They exist in all cultures, and the mystery associated with them makes things all the more convenient for people to believe. All we can say is that the idea worked fine and went on to be used frequently thereafter.
Pinhead Would Have Cameoed In Freddie Vs Jason Movie
We’ve already told you about how a crossover film starring Pinhead and Michael Myers was in the works. Pinhead was scheduled to appear in a tiny appearance in the slasher crossover Freddy vs. Jason even before that.
In this picture, two renowned horror monsters battled it out, and while the critics weren’t impressed, the fans adored it. The project, however, took years to materialize after a number of scripts and concepts were canceled. Eventually, the work of Damian Shannon and Mark Swift was given the go ahead, even though this wasn’t their first idea!
The duo had penned a few other endings that weren’t approved. Some of these were even shot but edited out of the final cut. The scene with Pinhead, however, never moved past the planning stage.
It was thought that during the final showdown between Jason and Freddy at Crystal Lake, the two would be sucked back to hell. Their fight would continue even in hell, but Pinhead would interrupt them,prompting questions of a possible sequel. This was evidently intended to be a brief cameo, but Pinhead would still be dressed in his full outfit, replete with hooked chains.
The plan was scrapped because obtaining the rights to Pinhead from Dimension Films would be difficult, and New Line Cinema wasn’t up to the task. What a sight it would have been though – the trio of horror legends sharing the screen!
The Original Title Was Much More Disturbing
You’d think Hellraiser sounded like a nice kindergarten song if you heard the title Clive Barker had in mind for this film. This film was based on Barker’s novella The Hellbound Heart, as many of you know.
He wanted this as the title at first, but the studio thought it was too romantic. Barker was not the one to be demoralized by rejection, and instead he suggested the title “Sadomasochists from Beyond the Grave”! Just imagine a movie released with such a title! Sadly, the studio once again stepped in and thought that Barker’s creative liberty had been taken too far.
They settled on the name Hellraiser because it was so much easier to market a movie with such a title. It would ring a bell with audiences, who wouldn’t mind a harsh title given the spooky premise because it was short and snappy.
On a lighter note, Hellraiser could have ended up with a rather sexy title as well because one of the women on set suggested the name, “What a Woman Will Do for a Good ….” Well, given the terrible titles that followed in the sequels, these alternative ones might not have been the worst of ideas!
The “Levitation” Scene Was Done Using A Glorified See-Saw
The film Hellraiser proved that necessity is the mother of invention multiple times throughout production. The Levitation scene in which Pinhead rises above Kristy, for example, was filmed on a teeterboard, which is essentially a glorified see-saw. On one end, Doug Bradley stood, while on the other, assistant director Selwyn Roberts stood.
He was a big person, and his weight properly balanced the apparatus, allowing Pinhead to slowly rise upwards. There were plenty of other moments where such innovations came in handy. The cast faced some scary ordeals, such as one where Frank was hung upside down for a scene.
They Ran Out Of Money And Had To Do Some VFX At The Last Minute
It would be dishonest to call Hellraiser a low-budget film with a budget of roughly $1 million, although they did run out of money. This became such a major issue that some VFX had to be done at the final possible moment.
Do you recall the pterodactyl-type demon who flew away with the puzzle box in one of the last scenes? This was the creation of Bob Keen, an FX artist who was willing to labour for only 700 pounds. The end product was something that didn’t appear to be very lavish; the film’s shabby appearance should be blamed on those who funded it.
It wasn’t until much later that the backers realized they had a gem of a movie on their hands. Till then, the production struggled to film a few scenes, and even once the backers agreed to fund more, there had to be a compromise.
Barker, for instance, had to change the setting to the US simply for marketing purposes. Some of the voices had to be dubbed by American actors, something that Barker wouldn’t have imagined in his wildest dreams!
Before they received the extra funding, they had to make do with short-cuts, such as mimicking a shot of a burning house by shooting a burning photograph! Hellraiser is a classic example of how determination can see a project through, no matter what the obstacles might be!
Nintendo Tried To Develop a Game
When a compelling plot is in place, games transform into movies and vice versa in a flash! Have you ever wondered why there has never been a game adaptation of such a fantastic film? Someone did make an attempt to make it happen.
Color Dreams created a game for the Nintendo Entertainment System in the 1990s. The protagonist would be locked in a puzzle box in this game, which was supposed to be loosely inspired on Hellraiser ideas. The goal of this game was to escape the Cenobites and find a way out of the horrific realm.
The developers were unwilling to pay a fee to Nintendo for the evaluation of the game, and eventually, it was scrapped. But would the game have been any good? While there is no way to know, we do doubt the credentials of Color Dreams.
They were known for developing unlicensed products that ended up being of questionable quality. The plotline was hardly intriguing, and it could well have turned out to be an average take on an extraordinary world. Anyways, like we said, there is no way of knowing now, and all we can do is speculate!
Conclusion
Since the first two films, the Hellraiser franchise has been on a downward slide. Many fans believe Clive Barker’s departure is to blame for the series’ demise, however the recent news of Barker recovering the Hellraiser rights has given them hope.
Barker invoked the same ancient copyright law in the United States, which permits a writer to reclaim ownership of a work unless he was writing for hire. While he did obtain the rights in the US, he would still have to strike a deal with a few international companies before he can go about seeking worldwide distribution for any new projects. However, it is safe to say that he faces no real threat because nobody would try a Hellraiser reboot that cannot be released in the US.
A Hellraiser movie and TV show to be aired on HBO are already in the making, and these projects are set to roll out as expected. Barker is an executive producer on the show, so he’s unlikely to put the project on hold.
When we last heard about the picture, David Bruckner was supposed to helm it, and the script was being written by the same team behind The Nigh House. As of now, no release date is known, and we are awaiting these two projects with a lot of hope and enthusiasm!