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A favorite horror movie of mine (as well as sequel 2 for similar reasons, and 5 for different reasons). There are no standard "monsters gonna getcha", it's set up as more of a thriller. I believe Clive Barker described it as more of a "haunted house" flick, and I tend to agree. It's a real shame that the sequels took pretty much every idea this movie was trying to explore and threw them out the window. The short novel Hellbound Heart upon which this is based rings home the idea of experience being a quest- once you've done it all, then what else is there to do in life? Find the ultimate experience threshold, thus the box, and the cenobites, other "explorers" who relish ultimate pain and pleasure. The movie is dated, yes (special effects, clothes, and BIG HAIR) but it still holds a good place in my movie collection. I'm not fond of the ending either, it comes across as dated material as well, but it won't lower my recommendation. This movie is original, and in horror that's worth a lot. 4/5 EDIT: In addendum, I'll say that I believe this was Barker's first time directing, and I feel it's his best. Nightbreed and Lord of Illusions fall flat in many places and have many amateur moments. This movie does a much better job of holding suspense and creepiness. NarkyBark fucked around with this message at 03:02 on May 28, 2004 |
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May 28, 2004 03:00
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| # ¿ May 1, 2024 20:56 |
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