History Film / HellRaiser

Somewhere in the orient, the hedonistic Frank Cotton acquires a puzzle box from a mysterious Chinese man. At his home in London he eventually figures out the configuration, before he is is dragged off by unseen forces. Some time later, his brother Larry and Larry's second wife Julia visit the house, and with Frank seemingly gone, decide to move in. By accident some of Larry's blood is spilled on the floor in the attic, and Frank rises from the dead as a skinless undead human. He tells Julia (with whom he had an affair in the past) that he has escaped from a dimension ruled by beings called Cenobites who merge the boundaries between pleasure and pain, and convinces her to keep it a secret from Larry and find men for him to feed off on. Meanwhile Larry's daughter Kirsty discovers the puzzle box, and comes face to face with the Cenobites, who are interested in getting Frank back to their realm.

* IncestantAdmirer: [[CreepyUncle Frank]], who's ''very'' fixated on his niece [[TheHero Kristy]]. He even ''[[AttemptedRape tried to rape her]].'' Frank in general was portrayed as a [[TheHedonist savage hedonist]] who wanted to cross any boundary he could, including sleeping with his brother's wife, murdering people, and of course, seeking out the Cenobites in the first place.

Frank in general was portrayed as a [[TheHedonist savage hedonist]] who wanted to cross any boundary he could, including sleeping with his brother's wife, murdering people, and of course, seeking out the Cenobites in the first place.

* UngratefulBastard: [[spoiler: How does Frank reward Julia for bringing him victims to regenerate his body? He stabs her in the stomach and leaves her for the Cenobites.]]

* AdaptationalVillainy: The Cenobites. When Frank solves the box in the book, they warn him that the otherworldly sensations they offer may not be what he's looking for and actually give him the chance to walk away. They also don't renege on their deal with Kirsty.

* WhereTheHellIsSpringfield: Larry refers to the city they've moved to as Julia's "turf" yet the residents have an odd mixture of both American and English accents. One person is seen wearing a New York Yankees ballcap. Gets more confusing in the first sequel, where Kirsty has been moved to a (presumably nearby) mental hospital, but now ''everyone'' is American except for Dr. Channard and Julia. Clive Barker mentions in the DVD commentary that the movie was initially overtly set in London, but the studio offered an increased budget if the film was changed to be set in America to capitalize on the stronger horror market in the US.

* PunctuatedForEmphasis: "We'll tear your soul...APAAAAAAHHHHT."

* YourCheatingHeart: Julia's affair with Frank mere hours before marrying Larry is what drives a good chunk of the plot.

* Main/FinalGirl: Kirsty.

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: The Cenobites have been defeated and Kirsty has escaped the flaming wreckage of her father's home with her boyfriend. But her father is dead and the puzzle box still exists. Further soured by the sequel, in which Kirsty is still trying to escape the Cenobites.]]

''Hellraiser'' is a 1987 horror film directed by Creator/CliveBarker, [[TheFilmOfTheBook based on his novella]] ''The Hellbound Heart''. It is the first film in the ''Franchise/{{Hellraiser}}'' series.

* OhCrap: Kirsty gets this reaction [[spoiler:upon hearing her father say, "Come to Daddy" and realizing who it really is,]] and again when Pinhead appears right behind her after [[spoiler: he's taken Frank back.]]

* SinisterShades: The Butterball Cenobite, who wears shades because his eyes are sewn shut.

* WickedStepmother: Julia. She even [[FairytaleMotifs says so herself]].