"Hellraiser" (1987)

I won't lie, folks-- I am slightly partial to all the Pinhead movies, especially the original Hellraiser.  Perhaps it's because it is an original, semi-intelligent horror movie involving supernatural elements and S&M-obsessed demons; or, it could be that I met Doug Bradley (a.k.a. Pinhead himself) once and he was super nice and complimented me on my top.  Regardless of the reason, I think Hellraiser is a horror film that even non-scary movie fans should watch.  The premise is slightly confusing, so let me try to put it in layman's terms: a sociopathic man fiddles with a magical box, gets sucked into the inner realms of Hell, is tortured excessively, escapes, and now is on the run from Pinhead, the leader of these crazy demons (a.k.a. Cenobites).  However, since he is literally just a pile of bones and blood, he hides out in his brother's attic, where he has an affair with his sister-in-law, kills some neighbors, and ultimately has to face his captors.  Are you exhausted yet?  Yah?  Me too.

(Photo Credit)

Rent Hellraiser on Netflix, or do yourself a favor and buy it from Amazon.  Watch the following trailer if you don't believe me on how supremely awesome this film is:



P.S. This movie is actually based on a novella by Clive Barker called The Hellbound Heart.  Additionally, the working title of this movie was Sadomasochists From Beyond the Grave.  I'm thinking they made a good choice....

P.S.S. Pinhead wasn't the character's official name until the second movie-- originally, it was simply The First Cenobite, but fans dubbed the character fondly as "Pinhead."  The rest is history.

P.S.S.S. Guess who has a signed, framed picture in her room that reads, "Dear Katie, See you in Hell.  Love, Doug Bradley." Oh yah, that's right... it's this girl!