Clive Barker Movies

Dimension Films redo of Clive Barker's Hellraiser franchise marches on, despite a troubled production history that has been associated at various times with French directors Pascal Laugier (Martyrs) as well as the filmmaking duo behind Inside, Julien Maury and Alexandre Bustillo. The original 1987 film focused on a fractured family whose suburban life is disrupted when a rogue member of the family breaks out of hell, much to the dismay of the demonic Cenobites, who cross over into the real world through the use of a puzzle box. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide

Three college students producing a documentary on the true nature of fear are slowly drawn into a world of nightmares when one member of the group begins exploiting the phobias of his fellow participants in hopes of seeking salvation from his own dark obsession. Shaun Evans, Jackson Rathbone, Hanne Steen, and Laura Donnelly star in a film from writer/director Anthony Diblasi. Based on an original short story by horror icon Clive Barker. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A photographer propelled to explore his dark side begins tracking a subway serial killer whose brutal butchery makes for the most nightmarish images ever captured on camera in director Ryuhei Kitamura's adaptation of a short story by horror heavyweight Clive Barker. Leon Kaufman (Bradley Cooper) is just another struggling photographer in search of the perfect subject. Encouraged to explore the sinister side of humanity by a prominent art gallery proprietor (Brooke Shields) who is set to display his upcoming debut, Leon goes against the wishes of his girlfriend, Maya (Leslie Bibb), and begins stalking notorious serial killer Mahogany (Vinnie Jones) -- whose sadistic murder spree has been making headlines all across the country. As Leon's fascination with Mahogany gradually grows into obsession, his descent into the killer's putrid world of murder begins to corrupt his soul while simultaneously dragging his concerned girlfriend down a perverse path of darkness from which there is no return. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

An unfaithful wife goes to horrific extremes to save her deceased lover from the torments of hell in this horror remake that finds original writer and director Clive Barker stepping onboard as screenwriter and producer. Based on the popular Books of Blood story The Hellbound Heart, the original Hellraiser spawned eight sequels in addition to introducing frightened audiences to the malevolent cenobite Pinhead -- one of the most iconic and visually striking horror villains in contemporary cinema. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer director John McNaughton adapts horror icon Clive Barker's tale about a headstrong medical student who discovers, much to his chagrin, that not everything in the mortal realm can be explained through science. Overconfident young medical student Ernst Haeckel (Derek Cecil) believes he has the power to restore life to the dead, but after an embarassing failure he is forced to seek the advice of traveling Necromancer Montesquino (Jon Polito) - who is rumored to use black magic as a means of resurrecting the recently departed. When Haeckel requests that Montesquino share his powerful secrets and the impatient Necromancer refuses, the young medical student Ernst Haeckel (Derek Cecil) sets out on the road to visit his dying father. As a storm sweeps though the New England countryside, a mysterious stranger offers Haeckel shelter from the rain in his nearby cabin. Spellbound by the elderly farmer's etherial young wife, Haeckel watches as the young beauty ventures out into the darkness, and money changes hands between his shaken host and the mysterious Montesquino. Though he is explicitly instructed by the frightened farmer not to venture outside of the cabin at any cost, the heartrending cries of an endangered infant coupled with the guttural moans of an unseen entity soon compel the horrified Haeckel to venture out into the darkened wilderness, where he is soon confronted with sickening orgy of the undead. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Mick Garris, directorial veteran of Steven Spielberg's Amazing Stories and the features Critters 2: The Main Course and Psycho IV: The Beginning, helms this installment in the hair-raising Masters of Horror series, from an original screen story authored by best-selling novelist Clive Barker. Tyron Leitso stars as Rob Hanisee, an aspiring writer greeted by an odd spiritual manifestation during his stay at a Yaddo-like writer's retreat. It takes the form of a sexy and voluptuous woman who calls herself his "muse" -- a naked woman covered from head to toe with an otherworldly slime. Now, Rob must determine if she is a force for good, or the ultimate evil. Christopher Lloyd (Suburban Commando) co-stars. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

Saint Sinner begins in 1815, when two monks, played by Greg Serano and Antonio Cupo, inadvertently allow two evil female spirits to go out into the world. The spirits, Munkar (Mary Mara) and Nakir (Rebecca Harrell), travel in a time machine to Seattle at the beginning of the 21st century. The monks must follow them and track down the evildoers, who have become women of the night that kill at random. The monks must convince a police detective that they are not the ones responsible for the murders. The screenplay was penned by horror writer Clive Barker. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Body parts take on a life of their own in these two below-par horror stories made for television. In one story, a pair of teeth bite into a nasty hitchhiker at an opportune moment, and in the other, an artificially attached hand leaves the body it belongs to and takes off for a series of adventures. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Horror fantasist Clive Barker, director of the original Hellraiser, maintained creative control over this worthy sequel as executive producer, but was unable to occupy the director's chair due to his involvement on other projects. His creative touch is still quite evident here, as the original film's story is expanded in scope and intensity. The story picks up immediately after the events of the original, with the mentally unbalanced Kirsty (Ashley Laurence) confined to a mental hospital after her experiences in the hellish domain of the grotesque Cenobites, which included the gruesome death of her father. Her case attracts the attention of hospital director Dr. Channard (Kenneth Cranham), whose marked interest in her story has more than a little to do with his research into the occult. The chief focus of this extracurricular activity seems centered on his impressive collection of puzzle boxes, many of which are versions of the Lament Configuration -- the device which opens the gateway to the Cenobites' dimension. To further realize his diabolical obsession, Channard conducts grisly human sacrifices to resurrect the body of Kirsty's evil stepmother, Julia (Clare Higgins) -- who has literally been through hell and back. He also recruits mute autistic patient Tiffany (Imogen Boorman), an expert at solving puzzles, to decipher the correct version of the box.

Haunted by visions of her mutilated father suffering in hell, Kirsty joins Tiffany in hopes of rescuing him from the Cenobites' dimension. Tiffany gains them access to the portal, and they make the nightmarish journey down the corridors of hell. Narrowly escaping the diabolical Pinhead (Doug Bradley), they come face to face with Julia, who has already handed Dr. Channard over to the Cenobites to be transformed into a hideous new creation. First-time director Tony Randel acquits himself nicely, and seems to have a real flair for the surreal material; the script by longtime Barker collaborator Peter Atkins elaborates on elements only hinted at in its predecessor. It should follow that the slightly larger budget would allow ample room for this expansion, but the production values actually appear somewhat slimmer. What the film lacks in refined style it makes up for in utter dementia, particularly in its depiction of graphic bloodletting -- numerous scenes were trimmed or deleted altogether in order to obtain an R rating from the MPAA. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

A private investigator hired to protect a popular stage magician finds himself drawn into a dark, occult underworld in this supernatural horror film from writer-director Clive Barker. With several nods to film noir tradition, the danger begins for detective Harry D'Amour (Scott Bakula) when he is approached by a beautiful woman, Dorothea Swann (Famke Janssen). Dorothea is married to Philip Swann (Kevin J. O'Connor), a wealthy illusionist who has found fame by disguising real magic as stage trickery, and believes that her husband may be in danger. Harry reluctantly agrees to investigate, and he discovers that Swann has made enemies of a bizarre religious cult who wish to resurrect their leader, an evil sorcerer killed by Swann. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

Stephen King wrote his first original screenplay for this horror gore fest that features cameos by directors Clive Barker, Joe Dante, Tobe Hooper, John Landis, and King himself (playing a cemetery attendant). The story concerns a twilight people named "sleepwalkers" --creatures similar to vampires and werewolves whose faces turn animalistic whenever they are frightened or angry and who require the lifeforce of a virgin to survive. A single-parent sleepwalker family, consisting of Mary Brady (Alice Krige) and her son Charles (Brian Krause), have taken up residence in a small Indiana town. Charles has expressed a romantic interest in the attractive Tanya Robertson (Madchen Amick), a girl in his high school literature class. Mary wants Charles to lure Tanya home so that she can suck out her life force, but it appears that Charles has fallen in love with her --that is, until their first date, at a picnic at the cemetery. There Charles changes from a shy romantic suitor into a brutal and violent force, slapping Tanya around and attempting to rape her. But Tanya wards off his advances by plunging a corkscrew into his torso. Charles staggers back home to mother, where she nurses him back to health. Then Charles and his mother seek vengeance upon the Robertson family. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

Multimedia horror maven Clive Barker followed the success of his feature directorial debut, Hellraiser, with this equally surreal effort, based on his novella Cabal. The story involves the plight of Aaron Boone (Craig Sheffer), a young man tormented by visions of monstrous, graveyard-dwelling creatures. Seeking the aid of his clinically cold therapist Dr. Decker (played by Canadian horror auteur David Cronenberg) in deciphering his nightmares, Boone becomes convinced that his frequent blackouts are linked to a recent spate of mutilation murders in the area. His frantic search for the truth leads him to the subterranean city of Midian, the dwelling place of a mythical race of undead nocturnal monsters known as the "Nightbreed." But it is only after he is cornered and shot dead by police that Boone's real journey begins -- he finds himself resurrected as one of the Breed. Though Barker's unique and graphic vision is somewhat blunted by choppy editing (thanks to relentless tampering from the studio), this is nevertheless a fine sophomore project from a talented storyteller; the central conceit of presenting the monsters as the "good guys" -- at least compared to the gun-and-bible-toting lunatics who hunt them -- is handled with verve and originality. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

The feature-film debut of multi-talented filmmaker Clive Barker, this grim and surreal project is based on the writer/director's own novella The Hell-Bound Heart. The film opens with a chilling prologue in which globe-trotting pervert Frank (Sean Chapman) -- a connoisseur of sexual depravity seeking the ultimate sensual experience -- purchases a small, intricate puzzle box from an unseen dealer in an unspecified country. Upon solving the puzzle, Frank opens the door to a hellish alternate universe and is promptly torn to ribbons by a network of hooks and chains; his strewn body parts are subsequently collected by the Cenobites -- grotesque, S & M-clad denizens of hell.

The story continues several years later, when Frank's brother, Larry (Andrew Robinson), moves into Frank's abandoned house with his daughter, Kirsty (Ashley Laurence), and his new wife, Julia (Clare Higgins). An accident causes some of Larry's blood to spill on the attic floor, which somehow triggers Frank's hideous resurrection. His body only half-composed, Frank seeks the tacit assistance of Julia -- with whom he had once had a torrid sexual liaison -- in restoring him to human form. Still secretly in love with Frank, Julia assists him by seducing men from the town and bringing them back to the house so her undead lover can drain their bodies of blood. Her increasingly furtive behavior arouses the suspicions of Kirsty, who had already moved to an apartment to get away from her despised stepmother. After following Julia and her next potential victim home, Kirsty comes face to face with the still-incomplete Frank, narrowly escaping with her life...and with the puzzle box.

After losing consciousness, Kirsty awakens in the hospital, where she manages to solve the box's intricate mechanism and summon a trio of Cenobites -- including their apparent leader (played by Doug Bradley and dubbed "Pinhead" on subsequent sequels) -- who are prepared to claim her. In desperation, Kirsty offers them a bargain in which they agree to spare her soul if she leads them to Frank. Kirsty soon returns home to find Julia with her father...whose behavior has become disturbingly unnatural. Realizing that her father has become Frank's latest victim -- and that her uncle is now walking around in his brother's skin -- Kirsty hands Frank over to the Cenobites, who have particularly evil plans for their old friend. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi