Hellraiser Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

Hellraiser Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman January 31, 2017

Note: This version of this film is available as part of Hellraiser: The Scarlet Box.

There have been any number of iconic and often gruesome creatures who have haunted the annals of horror films. Most folks would probably put Jack Pierce’s astonishing work on the Frankenstein monster at the top of this list, but there are a number of other horrifying entities that retain their angst producing abilities to this day. Lon Chaney’s amazing disfigurement as The Phantom of the Opera probably continues to populate various nightmares (and it’s interesting to note that subsequent remakes of the film seemed to realize they couldn’t top Chaney’s own makeup approach, meaning “later” Phantoms rarely had the same viscerally disquieting appearance). The original version of The Mummy certainly had at least a few unsettling looks at the bandaged phenomenon, and as patently silly as the transformation scenes typically were (due to old style optical dissolves), Lon Chaney, Jr.’s The Wolf Man probably earns a permanent place in this admittedly odd category. Ironically, Universal’s “other” big horror character, Dracula, relied on more subliminal creepiness rather than a ghastly appearance to create his version of night sweats. More modern horror films have introduced a number of variously unkempt creatures to scare the pants off audience members, but there’s probably no more frightening entity than Pinhead (one whose suave manner was reportedly based at least in part on Count Dracula), an individual from another dimension whose cranium has a rather unorthodox array of “piercings”, and who has given the Hellraiser franchise an instantly recognizable glyph of the horrors the series offers its viewers. Many of the Hellraiser films have already had various Blu-ray release, but Arrow has now assembled the first three films in a really beautifully packaged new set that also provides a wealth of new supplementary material.

Rather than rehash the plot dynamics of the first Hellraiser film, I'll refer those interested to my colleague Martin Liebman's summary in his Hellraiser Blu-ray review of the old Starz / Anchor Bay Blu-ray release as well as his Hellraiser Blu-ray review of the Image Entertainment release. This review will concentrate on comparisons of the video and audio quality to the previous releases as well as this release's copious supplementary material.

Hellraiser Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Hellraiser is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1. Arrow's deluxe Hellraiser: The Scarlet Box package includes a hardback book with the following information on the transfers in this set:

Hellraiser, Hellbound: Hellraiser II and Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth have been exclusively restored in 2K resolution for this release by Arrow Films. All three films are presented in their original 1.85:1 aspect ratios. Hellraiser and Hellbound: Hellraiser II are presented with their original 2.0 stereo and 5.1 mixes. Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth is presented with its original stereo 2.0 mix. The original 35mm Interpositive elements for Hellraiser were scanned in 2K resolution at Point.360 Film Labs, Los Angeles. The original 35mm Interpositive elements for Hellbound; Hellraiser II and Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth were scanned in 2K resolution at Fotokem Film and Video, Los Angeles.

The original 2.0 and 5.1 stereo mixes for Hellraiser were transferred and mixed from the original magnetic reels at Deluxe Media/Audio Services. The original 2.0 and 5.1 stereo mixes for Hellbound: Hellraiser II and the 2.0 stereo mix for Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth were transferred and mixed from the original magnetic reels at Post Haste Sound, Inc., Los Angeles.

The 2K scans delivered by Lakeshore Entertainment were fully graded on a Baselight grading system at Deluxe Restoration, London. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris and light scratched were removed through a combination of digital restoration tools. Overall image stability was also improved when necessary.

The 2.0 and 5.1 stereo mixes delivered by Lakeshore Entertainment were conformed at Deluxe Restoration, London. There were occasions during the films when audio synch with picture will appear loose because of instances of ADR/Overdubbing, but these are in keeping with the original theatrical presentation.

The new restorations of Hellraiser and Hellbound: Hellraiser II have been approved by Director of Photography Robin Vidgeon, BSC.

I highly recommend those interested to open tabs for the two reviews of previous releases of Hellraiser (linked above) so that a side by side (by side) comparison can be facilitated (I've tried to approximate some screenshots from the other reviews in order to facilitate an easy comparison). The color space and brightness of this release is slightly but noticeably different from the previous releases, but perhaps the biggest difference I noticed was with regard to grain, which looks a good deal grittier if not unnatural in this presentation, as well as detail levels, which are improved rather well, especially in terms of some of the elements like fine detail on the close-ups of the dirty hands in the opening sequence or some of the later gore effects. There are some noticeable upticks in an already thick grainfield at various moments (19:11, 23:34, 45:57, just cite three examples) that tend to slightly mask detail levels at times (see screenshots 13, 14 and 15). The palette looks great, with all important reds resonating especially effectively. There's some minor wobble on the opening credits (something that's apparent on all three films in the Scarlet Box set), but things quiet down after that.

Hellraiser Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Hellraiser offers both LPCM 2.0 and DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mixes (the disc is authored to default to the stereo presentation). Both of these tracks sound nicely full bodied, but the surround track beefs up the rather beautiful Christopher Young score, offering a more pleasant bed of sound that helps to elevate the overall sonic ambience. Some of the ooey-gooey sound effects are a bit more resonant in the surround offering as well. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and with good prioritization and there are no problems to report in terms of dropouts, distortion or even hiss.

Hellraiser Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Leviathan: The Story of Hellraiser (1080p; 1:29:17) is just part one of a really exceptional documentary that will be a treasure trove for Hellraiser fans. A lot of quite amusing interviews are included, with good background on Clive Barker and the film itself.


• Being Frank: Sean Chapman on Hellraiser (1080p; 26:24) is another well done interview with Chapman, who goes into some detail on his background in addition to talking about the film.


• Soundtrack Hell (1080p; 18:11) is a fascinating interview with Stephen Thrower of Coil about the film's unused score. It's interesting to compare and contrast this with some of Clive Barker's laudatory comments about Christopher Young's score included on Barker's commentary track on this disc.


• Under the Skin: Doug Bradley on Hellraiser (1080i; 12:31) is an enjoyable interview with "Pinhead", who has a long history with Barker.


• Original EPK (1080i; 5:58) is an archival featurette.


• Trailers

  Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 1:37)

  Red Band Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 1:36)

  International Trailer (1080p; 3:27) features the original voice of Oliver Smith as skinless Frank.

• TV Spots

  TV Spot 1 (1080p; 00:34)

  TV Spot 2 (1080p; 00:32)

  TV Spot 3 (1080p; 00:32)

  TV Spot 4 (1080p; 00:33)

• Image Gallery (1080p)


• Commentaries

  Audio Commentary with Clive Barker

  Audio Commentary with Clive Barker and Ashley Laurence

Hellraiser Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Hellraiser was a rather audacious feature directing debut for Barker, and for many fans it is still easily the best in this apparently deathless franchise. Arrow has assembled a really spectacular assortment of supplements and also offer a generally very pleasing technical presentation. Highly recommended.