7.5 | / 10 |
Users | 2.7 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.7 |
Evil Julia helps her lover, Frank, come back to the mortal world from hell. Because Frank has used the Lament Configuration box to taste pleasures outside the normal realm of human sensation, freeing him from hell unleashes Pinhead and a menagerie of demons (cenobites) back unto earth.
Starring: Doug Bradley, Andrew Robinson (I), Clare Higgins (I), Ashley Laurence, Sean ChapmanHorror | 100% |
Thriller | 31% |
Fantasy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
None
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.0 | |
Audio | 3.0 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
This isn't for your eyes.
Talk about hardcore. Hellraiser is a simple tale that is devoured by its intensely graphic
and
often disturbing visuals. Certainly not a film for the timid, or even the casual Horror fan that
enjoys
tamer, more "audience-friendly" films like 1408 or The Eye,
Hellraiser is an unapologetic, nose-to-the-grindstone picture that features it all in
excruciating detail -- body parts strewn about; scary, grotesque creatures; and torture devices
used to
revolting and skin-tearing effect. Released at a time when the hack-and-slash Horror craze was
in
full swing, Hellraiser takes a radically different approach, guiding audiences down a path
of
unspeakable terror where pain and pleasure become one, where terror knows no bounds, and
where the macabre becomes an art form.
Pleasure and pain, indivisible.
Image Entertainment's Blu-ray release of Hellraiser isn't exactly on the cutting edge of Blu-ray excellence, but it certainly gets the job done. The big question with this release, however, is how it compares to Anchor Bay's fine and, unfortunately, out-of-print release. While the two are in many ways comparable, the Anchor Bay release nevertheless proves to be the superior version. It's perhaps a hair crisper than the Image release. Fine detail is comparable, with a slight edge again going to Anchor Bay's disc. Still, the Image disc is no slouch. Skin textures are complex, as are brick façades and the many old wooden planks and worn down areas of the house. Gore effects -- dismembered body parts, torn flesh, and various blood-soaked odds and ends -- are highly detailed, and even a closeup of an ashtray full of maggots is gut-churning disgusting thanks to the high level of fine detailing. Colors are fair; the movie has always had something of a slightly washed out look to it, but the palette looks good in context, whether accurate flesh tones, bright blood red, or the earthen browns and blacks seen throughout the house. Image's release also retains a layer of grain. It's a bit wobbly in spots, but excess noise reduction, compression issues, and the like are mostly non-factors. The most noticeable area of separation between the Image and Anchor Bay releases is clearly evident from the start of the movie and right on through to the end. Where Anchor Bay's print was clean, Image's is absolutely littered with black and white -- and even a few green -- speckles and stray vertical lines. They pop up with alarming regularity. It's bad enough to call the Anchor Bay release the clear winner between the two, but not enough, necessarily, to push potential viewers away if this is the only disc available. Image's Hellraiser is no slouch, but it's certainly not Anchor Bay's disc, either.
The biggest difference right off the bat between the two competing editions of Hellraiser is Image's ditching of Anchor Bay's Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack in favor of another 5.1 lossless offering from DTS. This DTS track is fair; it's not exceptionally robust, clear, or perfectly crisp, but it does yield rather good front stage spacing. Parts of the track play as if slightly muddled; clarity and separation are lacking, but not to a terribly detrimental extent. The track never sounds perfectly full and rich, something achieved to a greater degree by Anchor Bay's Dolby TrueHD track. This presentation is fairly front heavy, though music in various spots -- for instance in chapter four -- does make for a nice, spacious, immersive experience. A few heavier effects, such as a train zipping across the soundstage, plays with a noticeable potency but also a noticeable absence of clarity. Dialogue is strong, center-focused and crisp, never falling apart or getting lost under various music or effects. Much like Image's video presentation, this soundtrack is more than adequate, but it comes up just short of matching the quality of Anchor Bay's offering.
Unlike Anchor Bay's satisfying supplemental package, Image Entertainment's release of Hellraiser features only the film's theatrical trailer (480p, 1:24).
Hellraiser is often vile, repulsive, and disgusting, a banner film for gore even for the Horror-crazed 1980s. As such, it is something of a cult film; it never enjoyed the mainstream success of some of the decades more well-known franchises, but it's not for lack of a decent story or disturbing visuals. Perhaps Hellraiser was just too much for general audiences, but among Horror afficonados, the film remains a popular and perhaps even quintessential film because of its relentless, grotesque, and unapologetic visuals that transcend simple gore and veer towards a macabre form of cinematic art. Image Entertainment's Blu-ray release of Hellraiser doesn't stack up to Anchor Bay's now out-of-print release. Its video and audio presentations are adequate but lacking in comparison, and there's no comparison between Anchor Bay's thorough supplemental package and Image's skimpy inclusion of just the film's trailer. For viewers who just want to watch Hellraiser in 1080p, the Image disc is a good option, but viewers who want a more satisfying Hellraiser experience should hang on to or seek out the Anchor Bay disc.
1987
Lament Configuration Box Set
1987
Limited Edition
1987
1987
Remastered
1987
1987
4K Restoration
1987
Unrated Director's Cut
2006
1988
Collector's Edition
1981
Remastered
1992
2018
1981
Limited Edition
1980
2014
2013
2016
2012
Unrated Theatrical and Rated Versions
2013
1982
Collector's Edition
1978
2015
2019
Collector's Edition
1981
Uncut
2013
2019
Collector's Edition
1982