10 Greatest Use Of Practical SFX In Horror Movies

Hellraiser (1987) is Clive Barker’s twisted tale of an interdimensional conduit puzzle box, which unleashes demons known as Cenobites to torture and claim the soul of anyone who opens it. The picture follows the story of Frank, who having completed the puzzle is now trapped between dimensions, desperate to come back to our world. And it is spilled blood that is able to bring him back into the room where he performed the ritual, with Barker shooting a gloopy and visceral scene, as Frank's body rises from the floorboards, regenerating at first into a skinless monster.

The make-up on Frank in the early stages of the film is horrific, and he needs more blood spilled in order to completely reform. The room is in his old family home which is now occupied by his brother Larry and his new wife Julia, who Frank previously had an affair with. Julia is infatuated with Frank, and the skeletal being manages to convince her to kill for him. She brings men back to the room, where she beats them with a hammer before Frank feeds, absorbing their flesh and becoming more whole each time.

In flashback, we see Frank’s torture by the Cenobites, and it is here where Barker’s effects are particularly impressive as we meet a number of the hideous demons, including of course the iconic ‘Pinhead’. The level of gore in Hellraiser was like nothing ever seen at the time, and the seedy undertones of violent and graphic S&M, were controversial to say the least.