Growing up in the 80's, I was a bit of a horror movie connoisseur, but somehow never got around to watching any of the Hellraiser films. Is this movie still worth watching in 2016? And if so, what about the sequels?
shareHey, fellow 80s horror buff! I graduated from high school the year this came out and saw it numerous times. A couple times I think I even saw it sober.
Now I'm oh-so-much older and re-viewed the first one for the first time since those good old days of VHS and Sun Country wine coolers.
Even as a farm girl from the sticks, the bad acting was obvious to me back then. Though not on the part of Clare Higgins-she's fantastic. It's more obvious now, sometimes painful, but I find it entertaining. The direction isn't awesome, and there are lots of "we're going to make you a star" moments with the girl who plays Kirsty, but it's all good cliche 80s fun.
The Cenobites are still really freaking scary looking. They terrified me as a kid. They won't scare you now the way they would have then, but still pretty effective. Being a movie buff, you'll probably get a kick out of the old school makeup and effects. They're good for a chuckle, but still pretty impressive for the time.
I vote for "watch it". Get yourself some Funyuns and have a good time. If you hate it, you can always come back and spend an hour and a half writing a scathing response about having wasted an hour and a half of your life.
As far as the sequels go, I think I recall liking the second one, but now don't remember much about it or any of the movies that came after. Sorry I can't help you there. At some point, I stopped watching, probably after parenthood. Kids, they ruin everything! (Kidding, totally kidding!) But I've got a week off coming up, I'm thinking Hellraiser marathon day! Thanks for inspiring me. I better get some Funyuns!
If you decide to watch, I hope you enjoy!