Hellraiser (1987) – WTF Happened to This Adaptation?

It’s time for a new episode of the WTF Happened to This Adaptation? video series, and with this one we’re going back to 1987 to examine how Clive Barker turned his novella The Hellbound Heart into the horror classic Hellraiser (watch it HERE) – and spawned a huge franchise in the process. To hear all about the changes The Hellbound Heart went through on the way to becoming Hellraiser, check out the video embedded above!

Written and directed by Barker, Hellraiser has the following synopsis: Sexual deviant Frank inadvertently opens a portal to hell when he tinkers with a box he bought while abroad. The act unleashes gruesome beings called Cenobites, who tear Frank’s body apart. When Frank’s brother and his wife, Julia, move into Frank’s old house, they accidentally bring what is left of Frank back to life. Frank then convinces Julia, his one-time lover, to lure men back to the house so he can use their blood to reconstruct himself.

The film stars Clare Higgins, Ashley Laurence, Andrew Robinson, Sean Chapman, Robert Hines, Doug Bradley, Nicholas Vince, Simon Bamford, Grace Kirby, and Oliver Smith.

Here’s what WTF Happened to This Adaptation? is all about: JoBlo Horror Originals goes beyond looking at the behind-the-scenes of horror movies and instead takes a deep dive into what book or story the movie was adapted from. Heavy hitters and films that you didn’t know were based on stories alike will be compared, contrasted, and dissected to find out what’s different, what’s the same, and which one is better. Join us as we find out WTF Happened to This Adaptation!

The Hellraiser episode of WTF Happened to This Adaptation? was Written and Narrated by Andrew Hatfield, Edited by Mike Conway, Produced by Lance Vlcek and John Fallon, and Executive Produced by Berge Garabedian.

Are you a fan of Hellraiser and the way Barker brought The Hellbound Heart to the screen? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

The previous episode of WTF Happened to This Adaptation? can be seen below. To see the other shows we have to offer, head over to the JoBlo Horror Originals YouTube channel – and subscribe while you’re there!