This is the latest in a series of articles, each one covering five “must-see” fan films. After all, there’s so many flicks out there—how do you find the good stuff? Try these! Some are classics, others are just cool, but either way, you’ll be entertained.
When you say “Horror Franchises” to people, they tend to think of the standards like Halloween, Friday the 13th or the Nightmare on Elm Street series. There’s one, however, that’s continued through the years despite a wildly uneven slew of feature films: Hellraiser.
Whatever you might think of it, the series has a legion of followers, as proven by the multitude of fan films out there. There are dozens of tributes to the franchise that made Pinhead a household name; here’s a rundown of five fan film-related selections that are worth checking out.
SEE THE LIST AFTER THE JUMP!
Closets (2007): Horror knows no boundaries, which is likely why it’s so popular around the world, as proven by this entry produced in Warsaw, Poland. Extremely well-shot with nice production values, this fan film was adapted from Hellraiser comics and sports English subtitles for those of us who aren’t fluent in Polish. The creepiness, of course, doesn’t require translation.
Clive Barker on Hellraiser Fan Films (2007): Clive Barker—the guy who actually created Hellraiser—offers his thoughts on fan films during a book signing, but more importantly, gives pointers about how to write a decent script for one. It’s good advice not merely for Hellraiser filmmakers, but anyone who writing fiction.
Hellraiser: Prophecy (2006): Jonathan Kui—the filmmaker in the Clive Barker clip above—has made a few fan films based on Hellraiser. I saw this one at I-Con‘s film festival a few years ago (he currated that year; hmm, coincidence?). Clearly the filmmaking experience was good enough that he’s now completing a new one, . Here’s Prophecy, presented in two parts:
The Hellraiser Chronicles: Lifebringer (2008): Mark Adams (AKA “Scarecrow”) has compiled a fantastic run-down of Hellraiser fan films at Hellraiser: The Hellbound Web, and as you might expect, he’s made one himself, available on free DVD. Lifebringer follows Thomas Abberton, a damaged guy who wishes he could be a surgeon. Once he crosses paths with the Lament Configuration, he gets some help following his dream….
Hellbent (1993): The earliest known Hellraiser fan film, this one was “inspired” by Hellraiser III—the filmmakers left the cinema and basically said “even we could do better than that.” Did they? That’s your call. A young addict is going through painful detox when he gets his hands on what he believes is a box of drugs; what he discovers is far worse.
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