10 More Horror Movies With The Best Monster Reveals
7. Frank - Hellraiser
Strangely, the most bone-chilling moment in Hellraiser has nothing to do with Pinhead, despite him being the poster child for Clive Barker's demonic saga. In the opening, a debauchee called Frank Cotton is ripped apart after tinkering with an interdimensional puzzle box.
When his brother Larry spills his blood where Frank died, it opens a portal to Hell, reviving Frank's spirit. Slowly but surely, Frank's muscles, bones, and tendons knit back together, forming a skinless and bloody body.
Because of Hellraiser's shoestring budget, this resurrection sequence was meant to occur off-screen. Fortunately, the filmmakers nixed the idea, allowing them to concoct one of the coolest, innovative, and grossest monster reveals of all time.
The film crew went all out, deploying a mix of animatronics, puppetry, reverse photography, rigs, sped-up footage, glue, a ton of lube, wax, wires, and a surprising amount of condoms. Frank's rebirth looks so convincing, it's hard to imagine how modern effects or CGI could've improved on it.
Pinhead and his Cenobites may be the stars of the show, but their introduction, as impressive as it is, pales compared to how Frank makes his debut.