It was followed by nine sequels, the first seven of which featured Bradley reprising his role as Pinhead. Since its release, the film has divided critics but generally received praise initial reviews ranged from Melody Maker calling it the greatest horror film made in Britain, to Roger Ebert decrying its 'bankruptcy of imagination'. Hellraiser had its first public showing at the Prince Charles Cinema on 10 September 1987. Some of Coil's themes were reworked by Young into the final score. Barker originally wanted the electronic music group Coil to perform the music for the film, but on insistence from producers, the film was re-scored by Christopher Young.

The leader of the Cenobites is portrayed by Doug Bradley, and identified in the sequels as 'Pinhead'. Its plot involves a mystical puzzle box that summons the Cenobites, a group of extra-dimensional, sadomasochistic beings who cannot differentiate between pain and pleasure. The film marked Barker's directorial debut. But I said, 'If you pull this story, you know, this book has been defanged, and you know, I'll walk.' Which got me actually - not meaning to use it in that way - but would then earn me some additional creative cred with the creator community because I had stuck up… you know, for the story.Hellraiser is a 1987 British supernatural horror film written and directed by Clive Barker, and produced by Christopher Figg, based on Barker's 1986 novella The Hellbound Heart. and I would quit soon after, but, you know, for my own reasons. So I dug my heels and actually threatened to quit, as if they could care less. The excuse will always be that you will never come back to this story. If you pull this from the issue, you will never run it.

This is exactly what this book should be delivering, every issue, are stories like this that disturb you. You know, my back was up, I was young and full of piss and vinegar and said, 'Well, the book is called Clive Barker's Hellraiser. We'll run it in another issue, but not in the first issue.'

It's too sexual.the nudity in it, the disturbing things about it.you gotta pull this from the book.

It's too disturbing.' At this day and age, of course, that seems ridiculous, but back in whenever this was - 89, 90 - they said, 'That's too disturbing. The publisher actually said, 'No, you're not gonna run this first issue with the story in it. RELATED: Hellraiser Reviews Champion the Reboot's New Pinhead and Stylish GoreĬhichester, the editor on the title at the time, revealed 'The Warm Red' almost wasn't included in the series' first issue because the publisher felt it was 'too disurbing.' He explained, 'It felt so horrifying, in fact, that that was my big challenge with that first issue.

Hellraiser 1989