The Movie
Horror maven Clive Barker's directorial debut was a low-budget affair, and Hellraiser is indeed a little rough around the edges, but it's also an effectively creepy glimpse into the underworld that would spawn nine movies plus an upcoming reboot of the entire franchise. This is where the iconic figure of Pinhead (Doug Bradley) got his start, although back then he was simply known as "Lead Cenobite," boss of the hellacious black-leather-clad nasties.
The trouble begins when a sleazy ne'er-do-well comes into possession of a mystical box which unleashes dark forces of pleasure and pain, and he winds up losing a lot more than the stack of cash he paid for it. His former lover (his sister-in-law!) begins luring unsuspecting middle-aged horndogs to their doom in order to aid in his corporeal resurrection, until a suspicious stepdaughter derails their wicked plan. There's no shortage of gore, with disturbing imagery that haunts long after the end credits roll.
The Picture
I'd conservatively put this 1.85:1 transfer at a notch above DVD quality. The film is often grainy, which in turn leads to a fair amount of video noise throughout. The image is often soft, sometimes deliberately so, other times the result of imprecise focus, but there are also apparent filters used on some close-ups of co-star Clare Higgins. Blacks are passable if not exceptionally detailed, dark scenes thankfully have a largely natural look, although scenes of uneven shadows can display a real twitchiness, particularly if there are fine bricks or wallpaper in the background.
The Sound
Despite the limitations of the original production, the 5.1 remix is rather enjoyable, and always welcome in the high-resolution of Dolby TrueHD. This might be overkill however, considering that the inherent fidelity and dynamic range are audibly strained, particularly the trebles. But again, the multichannel exploitation works, with a front-to-back spread on the music, streaks of otherworldly energy crackling past us, and ample birds fluttering, thunder rumbling and chains rattling in the rears. Worth noting, Dolby TrueHD is the only audio option, not counting the commentary track, which is listed among the disc setup choices and not the extras. Don't worry, late adopters, a standard Dolby Digital 5.1 companion track will be delivered to your non-HDMI-1.3-compliant receiver or HDTV so you will get sound (one of the nice features of Dolby TrueHD - backward compatibility).
The Extras
Several of the special features here are maintained from 2007's 20th anniversary DVD. Writer/director Clive Barker is joined by his co-star Ashley Laurence for the commentary track, which is moderated by screenwriter Peter Atkins (Wishmaster). A total of 83-and-a-half minutes of featurettes are presented in standard definition. "Mr. Cotton, I Presume? - An Interview with Star Andrew Robinson" catches up with the wonderful character actor, going all the way back to his first film, Dirty Harry. "Actress from Hell - An Interview with Star Ashley Laurence" is funny at times, while "Hellcomposer - An Interview with Composer Christopher Young" highlights his down-to-earth outlook. "Hellraiser: Resurrection" is a making-of from 2000, with the always-engaging Clive and many of the key participants, and finally "Under the Skin: Doug Bradley on Hellraiser" shares the Pinhead portrayer's 2004 reflections on the character and the saga.
"Fast Facts" puts trivia up on the screen with fancy text overlays. Trailers and TV commercials are collected here, along with still galleries that include various behind-the-scenes shots plus storyboards and more. BD Live is listed as a feature, but all I encountered were error messages, most likely because I was attempting to go online well before the title's official street date. DVD-ROM bonuses are listed on the package back, but these bulletpoints were likely carried over in error from the DVD packaging, as this Blu-ray disc will not play in a DVD drive of course.
Final Thoughts
Horror fans should rejoice that yet another modern classic has arrived on Blu-ray. Having all these extras together is a plus, and any misgivings about the technical quality can likely be chalked up to shortcomings in the film and audio elements: This is likely as heavenly as Hellraiser is going to look and sound for the near future.
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