13 CHILLS 2011

By JASON COMERFORD

A slick mash-up of H.P. Lovecraft and the Marquis de Sade, with some gnarly splatter thrown in for seasoning, Clive Barker’s Hellraiser began its life as a novella called The Hellbound Heart, published in 1986. Barker, an English writer with a background in theatre and visual art and a handful of published short stories to his credit, expanded his story into a full-length feature, and his low-budget directorial debut became an international success. Hellraiser spawned a series of sequels, most of which went direct to video and ably demonstrate the law of diminishing returns; in keeping with current trends, a 3D remake is in the planning stages.

Dubious legacy aside, Hellraiser still has teeth. Nearly 25 years after its release, the film packs more than its share of ferocious shocks. Barker’s lurid mixture of S&M melodrama and grindhouse horror kicks off with an unforgettably intense opening sequence, as the nihilistic criminal Frank (Sean Chapman) finds himself ensnared and ripped to shreds by a mysterious puzzle box purchased from a Moroccan street vendor. Trapped within the parallel reality of the horrific Cenobite creatures, led by the soon-to-be-ubiquitous Pinhead (Doug Bradley), Frank awaits the fresh infusion of blood that will bring him to life, and enlists the aid of his former flame (Claire Higgins), who’s now married to his brother Larry (Andrew Robinson).

Composer Christopher Young was no stranger to the genre; in fact, by the time Hellraiser rolled around, Young had made horror his specialty. Beginning with The Dorm That Dripped Blood in 1982 and continuing through the decade with films like Def-Con 4, A Nightmare on Elm Street 2, and Invaders from Mars, Young’s gleeful enthusiasm and relentless productivity had made him a fan favorite. But it was Hellraiser that put him on the map for good, and began his slow but steady climb into the upper echelons of Hollywood film composers.

An early highlight of the score is Young’s majestic cue for Frank’s slow transformation from gelatinous blob back into human form (more or less), having absorbed the blood of an unlucky patsy. “Resurrection” begins with a stately motif carried first by piano, then taken up by full orchestra. Bells and organ are heard as well, giving the gruesome visuals a twisted religious context, accelerating to a definitive, yet unresolved crescendo. Throughout the film, the lush dynamism of Young’s score charges the melodrama with high romanticism, giving the relatively small-scaled film an expansive grandeur its visuals can’t always provide.

Hellraiser was briefly available on CD from Cinedisc in the US, and from Silva Screen in the UK; both releases are long out of print and sought-after on the secondary market. Along with Young’s even more progressive and challenging score for the sequel Hellbound: Hellraiser Part II, it’s one of horror film music’s real treasures, and a reissue and expansion is long overdue.

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