News
Review: ‘Clive Barker’s Hellraiser’ Comic is the Third Installment Fans Deserve
Clive Barker’s Hellraiser brings the master of the Stygian lore back to his dark roots to explore the demonic mythos that made him legendary. And how very fitting, dear reader, that we – after celebrating the thirtieth anniversary of the original film – now dare to unlock further revelations into this hellish saga and explore deeper into the undiscovered depths of the Carnal House of Pain.
Hell awaits us in Clive Barker’s Hellraiser
Image via Comics Alliance
The dimension of horror is no stranger to the searing visions of Clive Barker’s resplendent imagination. When we think of his work we typically get a visceral display of crimson images. Torn flesh strung wetly across dripping chains. Long passages leading to perpetual depths of yet-to-be discovered agony. And standing in the sickening glow of sweet decay are the misshapen visages of graceful beings disfigured beyond recognition but ripe with repulsive elegance. This is a peek into Hellraiser, Clive Barker’s most successful contribution to horror
Image via popmatters
After its initial success the little independent project became a franchise that’s spawned a throng of sequels, many of which I’ve seen, but admittedly they all get lost in each other. Mainly because their stories are embarrassingly too similar. With very little distinction, the Hellraiser franchise became all about – “oh no! We’ve found the Box! Oh no! We’ve opened it! Oh no! Pinhead! Oh fuck, now I’m dead” and that was as deep as it got.
Lacking in each succeeding film – from Hell on Earth onward – was the primal philosophies introduced to audiences by Clive Barker. Those being – the terrors of the flesh, and the price of carnal demands. Pinhead was gradually degraded into another slasher villain, rather than the Hell Priest who looked on with dull indifference to the fetid affairs of Mr. and Mrs. Everyday Man. It was a far cry from the original inspiration, and was not the vision Clive Barker had in store for his obsidian creation.
Image via In The Mouth of Dorkness
Clive Barker’s idea for the third-film installment was expected to take a grand departure from the franchise we already knew.
Image via Wicked Horror
The third segment of the trilogy would have taken us back into the ancient past. To the times of mystic Egypt. In Clive Barker’s Hellraiser III we would have been introduced to the first Cenobite, the mighty Pharaoh, a man obsessed with the secrets of the dead and seeking the key to immortality. In that movie-that-never-was the first Lament Configuration would have been the great pyramid itself. Its entire structure being a magnanimous construction of the Occult, making it a conduit of enormous supernatural energy. Enough energy to split open the fabric of reality and pry open the forbidden lairs of the Underworld.
Image via flickering myth
The scale of such imagination for a horror film is titanic, as would have been its undertaking. In a perfect world Clive Barker would have been given a budget befitting to Lord of the Rings and this movie would have happened. No doubt going on to be a master-class horror trilogy worthy of the name Hellraiser.
We do not live in a perfect world though. What we were given instead was Hell on Earth, a decent enough slasher, but nowhere near the depth of Barker’s genesis concepts. What then followed was Pinhead in space and a myriad of sequels that lost both fans and respect for the original lore along the way.
Image via Art Abyss
The fans deserved far better, and Clive Barker knew this. That’s why he treated us to Clive Barker’s Hellraiser, the continuation of Kirsty Cotton’s battle against the pale denizens of the Labyrinth. And the true third installment to the trilogy according to many.
Image via comixology
This time around Kirsty – together with Tiffany (survivor of Hellbound) – has formed a group known as The Harrowers, an esoteric team dedicated to ridding the world of the Lament Configuration and all of its many differing forms. That in itself is one of the many incredible insights this comic series offers us. The Lament Configuration is not limited to the box alone, but has several different incarnations, each one opening a new door to an altered dimension in the many levels of Hell.
Image via popmatters
Yet Kirsty is not the only one with followers. The Hell Priest has disciples of his own on Earth. Lost souls locked away inside the decaying husk of humanity, desperate and eager to gain the favors of Hell and serve its masters by shedding as many liters of innocent blood the Beast may require. If you’re wanting gore, look no further. This comic delivers.
Image via popmatters
This story also continues the peculiar dynamic between Kirsty Cotton and the Hell Priest which was established in the original two films. Overall this comic-book run genuinely feels like a more fitting third installment to the dark saga we’ve always wanted. It ties the beautiful cord between both Kirsty and Pinhead, entwining their bizarre connection even tighter.
Image via wall.alphacoders
If you’re a Hellraiser fan or if you love horror comics Clive Barker’s Hellraiser is a must read. This has been Manic Exorcism, and once again thank you for joining me in Hell
To preorder your copy of the upcoming Clive Barker’s Hellraiser Omnibus be sure to click here. You won’t regret it.
Or – if you have a little Manic in you too – you can visit your local comic book stores and collect each of the individual comic issues just like I did. The stunning cover art alone is worth the price.
Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'
Lists
New to Netflix (U.S.) This Month [May 2024]
Another month means fresh additions to Netflix. Although there aren’t many new horror titles this month, there are still some notable movies well worth your time. For instance, you can watch Karen Black try to land a 747 jet in Airport 1979, or Casper Van Dien kill giant insects in Paul Verhoeven’s bloody sci-fi opus Starship Troopers.
We are looking forward to the Jennifer Lopez sci-fi action movie Atlas. But let us know what you are going to watch. And if we have missed something, put it in the comments.
May 1:
Airport
A blizzard, a bomb, and a stowaway help create the perfect storm for the manager of a Midwestern airport and a pilot with a messy personal life.
Airport ’75
When a Boeing 747 loses its pilots in a midair collision, a member of the cabin crew must take control with radio help from a flight instructor.
Airport ’77
A luxury 747 packed with VIPs and priceless art goes down in the Bermuda Triangle after being hijacked by thieves — and time for a rescue is running out.
Jumanji
Two siblings discover an enchanted board game that opens a door to a magical world — and unwittingly release a man who’s been trapped inside for years.
Hellboy
A half-demon paranormal investigator questions his defense of humans when a dismembered sorceress rejoins the living to wreak brutal vengeance.
Starship Troopers
When fire-spitting, brain-sucking bugs attack Earth and obliterate Buenos Aires, an infantry unit heads to the aliens’ planet for a showdown.
May 9
Bodkin
A ragtag crew of podcasters sets out to investigate mysterious disappearances from decades earlier in a charming Irish town with dark, dreadful secrets.
May 15
The Clovehitch Killer
A teenager’s picture-perfect family is torn apart when he uncovers unnerving evidence of a serial killer close to home.
May 16
Upgrade
After a violent mugging leaves him paralyzed, a man receives a computer chip implant that allows him to control his body — and get his revenge.
Monster
After being abducted and taken to a desolate house, a girl sets out to rescue her friend and escape from their malicious kidnapper.
May 24
Atlas
A brilliant counterterrorism analyst with a deep distrust of AI discovers it might be her only hope when a mission to capture a renegade robot goes awry.
Jurassic World: Chaos Theory
The Camp Cretaceous gang come together to unravel a mystery when they discover a global conspiracy that brings danger to dinosaurs — and to themselves.
Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'
Movie Reviews
Panic Fest 2024 Review: ‘Never Hike Alone 2’
There are fewer icons more recognizable than the slasher. Freddy Krueger. Michael Myers. Victor Crowley. Notorious killers who always seem to come back for more no matter how many times they are slain or their franchises seemingly put to a final chapter or nightmare. And so it seems that even some legal disputes cannot stop one of the most memorable movie murderers of all: Jason Voorhees!
Following the events of the first Never Hike Alone, outdoorsman and YouTuber Kyle McLeod (Drew Leighty) has been hospitalized after his encounter with the long thought dead Jason Voorhees, saved by perhaps the hockey masked killer’s greatest adversary Tommy Jarvis (Thom Mathews) who now currently works as an EMT around Crystal Lake. Still haunted by Jason, Tommy Jarvis struggles to find a sense of stability and this latest encounter is pushing him to end the reign of Voorhees once and for all…
Never Hike Alone made a splash online as a well shot and thoughtful fan film continuation of the classic slasher franchise that was built up with the snowbound follow up Never Hike In The Snow and now climaxing with this direct sequel. It’s not only an incredible Friday The 13th love letter, but a well thought out and entertaining epilogue of sorts to the infamous ‘Tommy Jarvis Trilogy’ from within the franchise that encapsulated Friday The 13th Part IV: The Final Chapter, Friday The 13th Part V: A New Beginning, and Friday The 13th Part VI: Jason Lives. Even getting some of the original cast back as their characters to continue the tale! Thom Mathews being the most prominent as Tommy Jarvis, but with other series casting like Vincent Guastaferro returning as now Sheriff Rick Cologne and still having a bone to pick with Jarvis and the mess around Jason Voorhees. Even featuring some Friday The 13th alumni like Part III‘s Larry Zerner as the mayor of Crystal Lake!
On top of that, the movie delivers on kills and action. Taking turns that some of the previous fils never got the chance to deliver on. Most prominently, Jason Voorhees going on a rampage through Crystal Lake proper when he slices his way through a hospital! Creating a nice throughline of the mythology of Friday The 13th, Tommy Jarvis and the cast’s trauma, and Jason doing what he does best in the most cinematically gory ways possible.
The Never Hike Alone films from Womp Stomp Films and Vincente DiSanti are a testament to the fanbase of Friday The 13th and the still enduring popularity of those films and of Jason Voorhees. And while officially, no new movie in the franchise is on the horizon for the foreseeable future, at the very least there is some comfort knowing fans are willing to go to these lengths to fill the void.
Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'
News
New Vampire Flick “Flesh of the Gods” Will Star Kristen Stewart and Oscar Isaac
80s nostalgia is still going strong in the horror community. As proof of this, Panos Cosmatos (Mandy) is developing a new 80s themed vampire film. However, unlike some of the other nostalgia bait films that have come out recently, Flesh of the Gods is packing some serious talent.
First, the film is written by the legendary Andrew Kevin Walker (Se7en). If that wasn’t enough, the film will star Oscar Isaac (Moon Knight) and Kristen Stewart (Underwater).
Variety gives us a glimpse into the story line, stating that: “Flesh of the Gods is set in glittering ’80s L.A., where married couple Raoul (Oscar Isaac) and Alex (Kristen Stewart) each evening descend from their luxury skyscraper condo and head into the city’s electric nighttime realm. When they cross paths with a mysterious and enigmatic figure known as Nameless and her hard-partying cabal, the pair are seduced into a glamorous, surrealistic world of hedonism, thrills and violence.”
Cosmatos offers his own opinion of the film. “Like Los Angeles itself, ‘Flesh of the Gods’ inhabits the liminal realm between fantasy and nightmare. Both propulsive and hypnotic, ‘Flesh’ will take you on a hot rod joy ride deep into the glittering heart of hell.”
Producer Adam McKay (Don’t Look Up) seems to also be excited about The Flesh of the Gods. “This director, this writer, these incredible actors, vampires, choice ’80s punk, style and attitude for miles… that’s the film we’re bringing you today. We think it’s wildly commercial and wildly artful. Our ambitions are to make a movie that ripples through popular culture, fashion, music and film. Can you tell how excited I am?”
Flesh of the Gods is set to begin filming later this year. It will launch at Cannes with WME Independent, CAA Media Finance, and XYZ Films. The Flesh of the Gods does not currently have a release date.
That’s all the information we have at this time. Make sure to check back here for more news and updates.
Listen to the 'Eye On Horror Podcast'
Perhaps the Scariest, Most Disturbing Series of The Year
Thrills and Chills: Ranking ‘Radio Silence’ Films from Bloody Brilliant to Just Bloody
’28 Years Later’ Trilogy Taking Shape With Serious Star Power
‘Evil Dead’ Film Franchise Getting TWO New Installments
Win a Stay at The Lizzie Borden House From Spirit Halloween
‘Longlegs’ Creepy “Part 2” Teaser Appears on Instagram
Watch ‘The Burning’ At The Location Where It Was Filmed
The Original ‘Beetlejuice’ Sequel Had an Interesting Location
Trailer for ‘The Exorcism’ Has Russell Crowe Possessed
‘Blink Twice’ Trailer Presents a Thrilling Mystery in Paradise
Exclusive Sneak Peek: Eli Roth and Crypt TV’s VR Series ‘The Faceless Lady’ Episode Five
New to Netflix (U.S.) This Month [May 2024]
Panic Fest 2024 Review: ‘Never Hike Alone 2’
New Vampire Flick “Flesh of the Gods” Will Star Kristen Stewart and Oscar Isaac
The Pope’s Exorcist Officially Announces New Sequel
New ‘Faces of Death’ Remake Will Be Rated R For “Strong Bloody Violence and Gore”
Panic Fest 2024 Review: ‘The Ceremony Is About To Begin’
“Mickey Vs. Winnie”: Iconic Childhood Characters Collide In A Terrifying Versus Slasher
Mike Flanagan Comes Aboard To Assist in Completion of ‘Shelby Oaks’
‘Presumed Innocent’ Trailer: 90s-Style Sexy Thrillers Are Back
New ‘MaXXXine’ Image is Pure 80s Costume Core
Netflix Releases First BTS ‘Fear Street: Prom Queen’ Footage
-
Movies6 days ago‘Evil Dead’ Film Franchise Getting TWO New Installments
-
Movies7 days agoTrailer for ‘The Exorcism’ Has Russell Crowe Possessed
-
News6 days agoJake Gyllenhaal’s Thriller ‘Presumed Innocent’ Series Gets Early Release Date
-
Movies3 days ago‘Late Night With the Devil’ Brings The Fire to Streaming
-
Movies6 days agoFede Alvarez Teases ‘Alien: Romulus’ With RC Facehugger
-
Movies6 days ago‘Invisible Man 2’ Is “Closer Than Its Ever Been” to Happening
-
News2 days agoNetflix Releases First BTS ‘Fear Street: Prom Queen’ Footage
-
Movies3 days agoWill ‘Scream VII’ Focus on The Prescott Family, Kids?
You must be logged in to post a comment Login