Hellraiser

Clive Barker’s debut feature. Frustrated with her effete husband and sedate lifestyle, a woman schemes to aide a former lover on the run from sadomasochistic creatures from another dimension summoned by a magical puzzle box. As one such creature says, “We have such sights to show you!”

Barker delivers his cautionary tale with a wink and a grin. He paints his creatures not as monsters, but as amoral entities dedicated to sensory extremes. “Demons to some. Angels to others,” they say.

The woman and her lover prove the actual monsters. Incapable of love, they chase the elusive pleasures of the flesh like sensation junkies.

It’s a monster movie, slasher horror, and erotic thriller stirred up and strained through Barker’s imagination. There’s plenty of gore, but even more imaginative creature design. And the best jump-scare involves a statue of Jesus. I loved it.

And the remastered Arrow Blu-ray looks fantastic.