Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

Rawhead Rex Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf October 8, 2017

“Rawhead Rex” was initially born in Clive Barker’s “Books of Blood,” a multi-volume collection of short stories that mined the darkest depths of depravity and horror. 1986’s “Rawhead Rex” is a ridiculous movie, and a production Barker provided the screenplay for but has since disowned, and it’s easy to see why. The author’s insatiable appetite for poetic unpleasantness and violent sexuality is basically turned into an Ed Wood picture by director George Pavlou, who doesn’t have the money or the time to treat Barker’s imagery with the patience its deserves. Instead, he’s made a monster mash with creature that resembles a man in a Halloween suit, and while the basic appeal of a B-movie is hard to discount, “Rawhead Rex” could’ve been so much more with the right filmmaking materials and concentration. On the plus side, the endeavor’s aesthetic and thematic wipeout did inspire Barker to claim complete control of his directorial debut, “Hellraiser,” released a year later.

Traveling to Ireland on a work excursion, author Howard (David Dukes) is putting together a historical study of religious artifacts and churches, bringing along his wife, Elaine (Kelly Piper), and their two young kids. Arriving in small village, Howard spies a special stained glass window depicting an ancient god known as Rawhead Rex, interested in learning more about the artful but intimidating display, with his effort welcomed by Reverend Coot (Niall Toibin) and rejected by his subordinate, Ronan (Declan O’Brien). However, peace is disturbed in the region when a farmer removes a stone column from his farmland, unleashing Rawhead Rex, who was buried underneath. Reawakened and hungry for human flesh, the monster begins to terrorize the locals, killing some and hypnotizing others to do his bidding. As his life is forever changed by an encounter with Rawhead Rex, Howard searches for a way to stop him before he kills again.

Barker’s literary endeavors are difficult to translate to film, demanding an interest in a macabre that comes naturally to the author, who can always be counted on for gothic, unstoppable tales of bodily harm. “Rawhead Rex” has the short story to work with, but there isn’t much of a dramatic plan from Pavlou, who does a basic job with character introductions and the unsettled mood of the area. Surprisingly, Rawhead Rex is unleashed fairly early in the picture, but the twist here is that the beast is a daytime creature, refusing the comfort of shadows to stalk and kill the locals, many residing in tight, tippable caravans in the woods. I’m sure there wasn’t enough coin to perfect the creature’s look, but the Rawhead Rex presented here looks terrible, requiring all darkness possible to cover for a man-in-suit who can barely movie underneath a tomb of rubber, often caught looking through the beast’s mouth to keep an eye on his direction. I understand this type of low-rent antagonist is catnip to some readers, and bless your heart. If you can make it through “Rawhead Rex” without giggling, claim victory. You’ve earned it.

Horrible things happen to good people in “Rawhead Rex,” with Howard punished severely when he refuses to take the hulking threat seriously. There’s no nuance to Pavlou’s direction, which only provides a dusting of panic from our hero, who doesn’t seem to show much sorrow when the creature takes something very precious from him. Supporting players also struggle with tone, broadly reacting to stranger, borderline unexplained events, suggesting that Barker’s screenplay was mangled in the production process, as the story always seems to return to a study of mythology with the titular threat, while Pavlou favors gore zone visits and time with dumb cops. “Rawhead Rex” also teases sinister sexuality with the ghoul’s phallic burial stone and his glowing-eyed seduction of minions, but only reaches Barker-esque lunacy with a late-inning scene where Rawhead Rex baptizes one of his loyal followers with his urine.

Yes, there’s a moment in this feature where the monster takes a few minutes out of his busy day of killing and eating people to pee all over his number one fan. It’s the lone offering of unpredictability that “Rawhead Rex” could’ve used more of.

Rawhead Rex Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Billed as a "Brand New Restoration from the Original Camera Negative," the AVC encoded image (1.85:1 aspect ratio) presentation is likely the best "Rawhead Rex" is ever going to look. The image is bright and detailed, inviting inspection of the Irish locations and the creature himself, showcased here in all his rubbery glory, with touchable textures also extending to costuming and interiors. Colors are direct and stable, detailing livelier hues for clothing and greenery, while horror reds for blood and the laser-like sting of the stained glass emerge vividly. Skintones are spot-on. Delineation is sharp, preserving evening attack sequences. Grain is filmic. Source is clear, without points of damage. Some mild compression issues are detected during the climatic graveyard battle.

Rawhead Rex Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA sound mix handles well, but it's not a rigorous listening experience. Surrounds offer some depth for music and more hellacious activity, but the track is mostly frontal, leading with defined dialogue exchanges that support accents and emotional urgency without distortion. Scoring is inherently thin, but works well here, presented with adequate instrumentation and placement, goosing suspense needs when necessary. Sound effects are strong, picking up on ultraviolence and explosive encounters, which offer the little low-end the movie manages to summon.

Rawhead Rex Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Booklet (six pages) includes an essay by Kat Ellinger.

• Commentary features director George Pavlou.

• "Call Me Rawhead" (20:57, HD) catches up with Heinrich von Schellendorf, who was the man stuffed into the Rawhead Rex suit during filming. After spending the last three decades forgetting about his participation in the movie, the actor seems a little surprised to be questioned about "Rawhead Rex" once again. He covers the casting process, with the 19-year-old German teen discovered due to his size and bilingual abilities, soon subjected to the daily two-hour-long ritual of costume application, which he wore all the time, waiting to be used. There's talk of training at the hotel, shared with the members of U2, who befriended von Schellendorf as they prepared for a world tour. Memories of cast and crew are shared, including some candid tales of Dukes's unbreakable focus, and on-set struggles are recounted, including the infamous urination scene.

• "What the Devil Hath Wrought" (11:15, HD) is an interview with actor Ronan Wilmot, who's adamant that he took the "Rawhead Rex" gig strictly for employment purposes, but also shares his love for the script -- the scope of which didn't make it to the screen. Wilmot provides memories of co-stars and, again, the pee scene, and shares his amazement that "Rawhead Rex" has managed to hold on as a cult film after all these years.

• "Rawhead FX" (22:34, HD) collects Peter Mackenzie Litten (Creature Effects Artist), John Schroonraad (Creature Effects Artist), Gerry Johnson (Special Effects Supervisor), Sean Corcoran (Second Unit Cameraman), and Rosie Blackmore (Make-Up Artist). The creative team offers their individual perspectives on the "Rawhead Rex" shoot, with the common lament being the reality of limited funds to properly sell a horror extravaganza. Technical achievements are spotlighted, including the creation of the Rawhead Rex suit and an animatronic head to use for close-ups. There's also a mention of the design itself, with the team moving away from Barker's penis-inspired imagination, which enraged the author. Talk of location shooting and mild mishaps are interesting, but most enlightening is the revelation that a crew revolt took place, leaving Pavlou with little to no professionals to help piece together the feature's non-ending.

• "Rawhead Rising" (20:54, HD) is discussion of an aborted "Rawhead Rex" graphic novel adaptation from the late 1980s, with artist Stephen R. Bissette happily sharing his plans for the work, which included a more faithful rendering of Rawhead Rex's "rampaging phallus" design and slight storytelling changes. Bissette provides an overview of Barker's "Books of Blood" series and shares his love for the source material, which extends into analysis of the writing and the project's ultimate demise due to difficult business dealings and rights issues.

• Behind the Scenes Image Gallery (2:11) collects design drawings and on-set photographs, some revealing just how the animatronic head worked.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (1:05, HD) is included.

Rawhead Rex Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Again, I understand the cult appeal of "Rawhead Rex," but its lack of style and thought tends to wear on the senses after the first half. The resolution is cornball stuff too, endeavoring to become a battle of magic and might, but kinda, sorta looks like an outtake from "KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park," complete with cartoon sound effects. Camp has the power to salvage the worst movies, but this is Clive Barker. His imagination deserves more robust, mysterious screen representation. Sickness is in limited supply here.