tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14812333.post4719284420352599311..comments2023-11-05T02:01:53.847-06:00Comments on Antagony & Ecstasy: SUMMER OF BLOOD: PINHEADS AND NEEDLESTimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09491952893581644049noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14812333.post-26995008318262853272011-08-09T01:01:42.642-05:002011-08-09T01:01:42.642-05:00Rick- I can't really disagree with anything yo...Rick- I can't really disagree with anything you say. It's the problem of being overly familiar with the source material, I think, which is still more philosophically dense than the movie.<br /><br />You're spot on about the music, too. Speaking of which...<br /><br />James- I'm in the process of hunting down that Coil score even now. I could probably find it in five seconds online, but I'm having bandwith issues lately.Timhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09491952893581644049noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14812333.post-57075598747944768852011-08-08T22:45:31.143-05:002011-08-08T22:45:31.143-05:00Interesting that Rick brings up the score for the ...Interesting that Rick brings up the score for the film, as it wasn't what Barker wanted for the film. He'd commissioned a score from Coil, which the studio rejected because they wanted something "traditional".Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14812333.post-7056902824612442422011-08-08T13:27:03.840-05:002011-08-08T13:27:03.840-05:00Good review, as always!
I'd disagree with thi...Good review, as always!<br /><br />I'd disagree with this, though-<br /><br />"as it is, all our cues that Hellraiser is a study of extreme sexuality come through in the form of innuendo". <br /><br />I don't know. I thought it was pretty clear that, as you say, Frank had "run out of stimulation" in the "normal" world, and went searching for the puzzle box (and the Cennobites) because he needed the extremity of sensuality that they could provide. <br />And I loved that Julia's sole motivation for assisting Frank to "come all the way back" (by supplying him with a number of men he could drain dry in his quest to regain his flesh) was that....bluntly...NOBODY fucked her like Frank. It's so.....simple. I like that. She's Gotta Have It.<br /><br />And there's lots of imagery of burgeoning sexuality surrounding Kirsty. (That image of the flower blooming in time lapse is particularly striking. And creepy.) "Knowing" (acquiring knowledge, but also the biblical meaning), sexual awakening and exploration (doesn't Pinhead refer to the Cennobites as "explorers" at one point?), corruption and decay are all inextricably bound together in the "Hellraiser" universe. You can seek knowledge, but it has a price.<br /><br />All of which sounds vaguely "Christiany", but only on the surface, I think. If there is a god in that world, it would be something utterly alien to humanity. And not very nice. Barker created his own cosmology to frame his story, and it's completely original. And bleak, to say the least.<br /><br />I can't believe you didn't mention Christopher Young's great score! What a surprise it was to discover this lush, symphonic score in this little B horror movie! That clanging, discordant "gong" sound that preceeds the Cennobites' arrival is unforgettable.RickRhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17060339578835099120noreply@blogger.com