Thread by @VespertilioGem

Today is a wonderful day for a #Kissmatewatches! So grab a chair, pull out your puzzle boxes, and let's put together "Hellraiser" (1987) dir by Clive Barker.

I'm excited! Are you excited? I'm SO excited!

I know it was based on a book, this is the origin of Pinhead, and there's a Faustian deal that's made by a man who seeks pleasures inside of pain.

(But does this earn him a place at Pride?)

#Kissmatewatches We start with some wonderfully spooky music and credits. Must be an 80s film.

"What's your pleasure, Mr. Cotton?"
We see an enigmatic deal transpire in a sweaty foreign town. Cotton keeps adding more and more money (easily thousands) to finally acquire a strange box that afterwards the dealer says was always Cotton's. There's hesitation as Cotton leaves.

#Kissmatewatches [gore] Cut to Cotton solving the puzzle box in an attic surrounded by a square of candles. Hooks shoot out from the box and tear into Cotton's flesh. Days later, the room is filled with chains and flayed flesh.

#Kissmatewatches A pale man with strange piercings pieces together what remains of Cotton's face while rubbing at the puzzle box. In an instant, the room is clean and clear; it's like nothing happened there at all.

#Kissmatewatches We're left with a lot of questions, but not in an unsatisfying or frustrating way.
Was this what Cotton wanted? Did he know this is what would happen? Who was the strange man putting him back together? Will we see either of them again?

#Kissmatewatches In terms of openings, it's a good way to HOOK the viewer in!

*fingerguns into the sunset*

#Kissmatewatches A man and woman walk into the abandoned home, Larry and Julia. Larry is Frank Cotton's brother and Julia is Larry's wife. We get a lot of information about all three as Larry and Julia explore Frank's house.

From now on, Mr Cotton is Frank and vice versa.

#Kissmatewatches A phone call to the house gives us another character, Larry and Julia's daughter Kirsty. She's an adult who doesn't want to live in the house yet. She wants to find her own job and her own room. Seeing the tension between the parents, I don't blame her.

#Kissmatewatches I think this is a great time for a character debrief. One tweet per person. I'll do my best!

#Kissmatewatches Frank - Sexually free with a lot of women, has issues with the law (unsure how), been missing for a while (not unusual behavior), lived in his dead mother's home but out of a suitcase, current status is dead though no one else seems to know

#Kissmatewatches Larry - Frank's brother, cares about image, tries to please his family but fails, very positive thinking though not always realistic, has unresolved anger

#Kissmatewatches Julia - Larry's wife, step mother to Kirsty, emotionally distant from Larry if not everyone, has possible romantic/sexual interests in Frank, possibly selfish in subtle ways

#Kissmatewatches Kirsty - Larry's daughter, mother is dead, trying to live her own adult life, loves and cares for her father quite a bit, polite/civil to Julia, just a really sweet girl doing her best

#Kissmatewatches The REALLY interesting detail that I've left out is Julia's past with Frank. And it's complicated.

Warnings up front: sexual assault and physical threats.

#Kissmatewatches The night before Larry & Julia's wedding, Frank pays a visit to Julia. I guess Larry was elsewhere because she's all alone in her house. Frank and Julia had not met before this night, and Frank was already very commanding.

#Kissmatewatches [Sex Assault] Frank dried off from the rain, and then forced himself on Julia. There's no doubt about it, Frank raped her. On her wedding gown, no shit! However, she enjoyed it and wanted more. She begged him not to leave, but he said it wasn't enough.

#Kissmatewatches I want to be clear that I'm not victim-blaming Julia here. Her life has been changed into one of longing after the man that got away. Frank came into her life, fucked her better than anyone, then left her life forever within hours. Julia clearly longs after him.

#Kissmatewatches Julia disappears to an empty room to remember and fantasize about the night with Frank. Meanwhile, Larry tries to get a mattress upstairs but cuts his hand badly on a nail. He ends up dripping blood everywhere as he tries to find Julia.

#Kissmatewatches The room where Julia was day-dreaming was where Frank died. We watch the floorboards soak up Larry's spilled blood and a beating heart growing just below.
While the family rushes away to get Larry stitches, Frank's body reforms slowly and painfully.

#Kissmatewatches I know it's 80s effects, but they hold up!
Like, yeah, I could tell you how they built some of the parts with wax, filmed the wax melting, and then played it in reverse to give us that effect, but this shit is worth enjoying, whether or not you know the magic!

#Kissmatewatches The family comes back home for dinner with... I guess friends/neighbors? One of the younger men flirts with Kirsty, and that's enough for Julia to bow out while Larry goes on entertaining the guests and Kirsty gets more drunk.

#Kissmatewatches Let it be known that Larry isn't happy that his wife is always pulling away from him and other people to the point of being rude. It's clear he's an extrovert and wishes to have a wife who respects that.

#Kissmatewatches (Oh god, I just realized that the scene where she's cheating on him with Frank, their orgasm is combined with Larry getting scratched with a nail. It's the nail/wedge that hurt their relationship. The symbolism. I see it now.)

#Kissmatewatches Anyway, Julia leaves the party room and is drawn to a noise heard in the Death Room. She sees rats at first, but then sees a monstrous half-formed Frank. He begs for her to help him, to "heal" him.
"The blood got me this far."
We don't know how she plans to...

#Kissmatewatches As the house (Larry) sleeps, she goes back to Frank and agrees to help him. Again, not sure how, but can't wait to see!

#Kissmatewatches Meanwhile, Kirsty got to her home safe, and had horrible, symbolic dreams about her father dead. When she wakes in a cold sweat, she calls him up to check on him. Frank learns of Kirsty's name from this call, so that was productive.

#Kissmatewatches The next day, Julia goes out and seduces a random man back to the Death Room. Frank tells her to not look at him (performance anxiety?) and she leaves the room to clean up. Turns out death by hammer is very messy!

#Kissmatewatches Julia goes back and sees that Frank's finished his CapriSon and is looking more fleshy. "Every drop of blood you spill puts more flesh on me." Looks like there's going to be more murders in our near future.

#Kissmatewatches After Frank fondles Julia for a bit, Larry comes home early. Julia quickly cleans up the Death Room and runs to the bathroom. She feigns being ill to cover up why she didn't answer Larry's voice.
He then apologizes and softly asks if there's anything he can do.

#Kissmatewatches I'm going to be harsh, but I mean it: Julia and Larry should've divorced a long time ago. Larry's too good for her, and Julia just needs a freak to treat her the way she likes. Even Kirsty doesn't like Julia! Sometimes, a divorce is the healthiest thing to do.

#Kissmatewatches Julia returns to Frank and he tells her one more oughta do it "And then we can get out of here before they can follow."
"Who?"
"The Cenobites."
(That's not a helpful answer, Frank!)
She promises to help him in return for his love. Because that's all she wants.

#Kissmatewatches We cut to Kirsty in her day job at a pet store. She kicks out a "creepy" old man who has stared at her before. We don't know who he is or what he wants, but he clearly makes Kirsty uncomfortable.
I'm gonna call him Mike.
Mike eats crickets.

#Kissmatewatches Enough of Mike, Julia continues her killing spree! It is refreshing to see a slasher movie where cis guys get killed because they think they're safely getting sex, only to be fed to another, more predatory cis guy. It gives the sororities a chance to breathe!

#Kissmatewatches You know what? Julia has an amazing hair style post murder. We need to bring back some things from the 80s.

#Kissmatewatches Frank tells her about the box and what happened to him. "Heaven or Hell lay inside it, and I didn't care which"
Kissmate: "HOW DO YOU NOT CARE?! I would care VERY DEEPLY whether or not I got Heaven OR Hell!"

#Kissmatewatches Flashes of the Cenobites are given to us, and supposedly Julia too. She swears that she'll help Frank escape them.
Later that night, Larry hears noises upstairs and goes to investigate. Julia begs him not to, but he goes anyway, not understanding.

#Kissmatewatches [animal torture, consent issues] Larry finds nothing, so goes to bed with Julia. They start to get passionate (not so on her part) and she sees Frank behind Larry, cutting up some rats he found. She screams no for a WHILE, which confuses Larry so he stomps away.

#Kissmatewatches Look, I get that it's hard having your wife be distant for a long time, then suddenly she's very intimate, but when you act on that intimacy she starts refusing you. I know it's hard. But FFS, when your partner is SHRIEKING under you, stop and look around!

#Kissmatewatches I'm not saying ALL sudden intimacy problems are due to zombies, but you never know, asshole!

#Kissmatewatches Over to Kirsty, she's dining with her father at a nice restaurant! Larry mentions his problems with Julia and asks/begs for Kirsty to make girl-friends with his wife. Next day, she sees Julia bring a strange man to the house and hears him yelling.

#Kissmatewatches Kirsty goes into the house to confront Julia or confirm her fears (IDK) and is found by Frank.
She fights him off and grabs the box to hit him with it, but sees how he's attached to it. SO instead, she throws it out the window to distract him and runs outside.

#Kissmatewatches After wandering the streets, she passes out while holding the Puzzle Box. She wakes in a hospital room she can't leave where she's alone with the box. With nothing else to do, she works on it and eventually opens it!
Oops.

#Kissmatewatches Kirsty escapes from a strange monster, only to fall into the hands of the Cenobites. They proceed to claim her soul, but she strikes a bargain with them: Frank was their prisoner and escaped, so she'll give them his soul instead. They tentatively agree.

#Kissmatewatches [gore] I love the different kinks on display here with the Cenobites. The ripped nipples on Pinhead, the exposed larynx of the Pale one, the hooked spider gag of Chompers. It's all super cool design.

#Kissmatewatches Julia and Frank fret over the loss of the Puzzle Box, but they make plans to leave with a new skin, Larry's skin. After giving the new body one quick sexual spin, it seems like they're good to go!
And then Kirsty bangs on the back door.

#Kissmatewatches Julia takes Kirsty to see "Larry", who convinces her that he killed Frank himself. Kirsty demands to see the body, which "Larry" allows.

Kissmate: "I want to give Kirsty the benefit here, but THAT'S NOT HER DAD!!! That's not his words or actions or personality!"

#Kissmatewatches Kirsty sees the body of "Frank" and the Cenobites tell her they "want the man who did this".
I love confusing language, don't you?
Kirsty freaks and runs out, screaming, "this wasn't part of the deal!".
She runs into "Larry" who accidently outs himself. Oops.

#Kissmatewatches Kirsty gets held by Julia while Frank stabs. Kirsty twists and gets Julia in the way of the knife, which gives Kirsty a way upstairs to temporary freedom.
Frank, undisturbed, absorbs Julia's liquids saying it's "nothing personal".
Kissmate: "What a tool!"

#Kissmatewatches Now we get a sequence of Frank wearing Larry's skin chasing Kirsty down. At one point there's a corpse that "vomits" maggots on Kirsty and she can't react. Pretty creepy shit!

#Kissmatewatches As he corners Kirsty in the Death Room, he says "Don't worry, your dear old Uncle Frank is here."
The Cenobites enter. They have found their man.
He gets hooked away and pulled apart, but not before licking his lips. "Jesus wept," he whispers.

#Kissmatewatches Kirsty leaves, but a Cenobite stops her. Kirsty finds the Puzzle Box and undoes what she did in the hospital room to send them back to their world.
But those were Load Bearing Monks, and the house falls down around her as she races out of it with her boyfriend.

#Kissmatewatches I love how her boyfriend tries to take the box out of her fucking hands as she's working on it. The Puzzle Box he's never seen before. That's a Puzzle. You dumbass.

#Kissmatewatches As the house burns, Kirsty throws the Puzzle Box into the fires. Mike walks up, takes the box out of the fire, turns into a demonic dragon skeleton, and flies away with the box!
WHAT!
We see the Box in Morocco again, with another buyer ready to purchase.
The End?

#Kissmatewatches This was a good film I think, but it's clearly not for all. The gore isn't too bad for those who can distinguish cheesy effects from reality, but it isn't for the squeamish.
For film buffs, this film is a great show of old effects! Worth watching for that!!

#Kissmatewatches Of course the whole Frank character is a mess of sexual assault triggers. He's a rapist with no morals. That's not something just anyone can watch.

I don't know how I forgot that.

#Kissmatewatches Either way, good story, good effects, and a fun time!

8/10! Would solve the Puzzle Box again!

"What's your pleasure, sir?"
Uh, a good time?
"And that is, sir?"
Whatever is your good time?
"....I don't follow, sir."
I'm an asexual stone service top?
"...We don't serve your kind here, sir."

*solves the Puzzle Box*
*Cenobites come out*
"Oh. Shit, I'm sorry. Pride month was two weeks ago."
"WE COME BECAUSE WE WERE SUMMONED."
"Oh. Do you want a drink? A snack?"
"WE DO NOT LEAVE EMPTY-HANDED."
"This is what a robbery's like, isn't it?"

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