Holy Blood And Gore, Batman!

Well, it looks like the Fangoria convention is in town! I'd love to go, but don't think it's in the budget. There's always next year, though! I read through the guest list, and was bummed I can't make it this year- there are a whole slew of people I would love to meet- Caroline Williams and Marilyn Burns, from Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 and 1, respectively, Kane Hodder, from many of the (better) Friday the 13th movies, Russ Steiner from the original Night of the Living Dead, (Johnny, who actually doesn't make it past the first scene of the movie before getting killed) and Ashley Laurence and Doug Bradley, from the Hellraiser movies.
These last were my long-standing favorites, and the two characters actually provide an interesting contrast. On the one hand is Bradley's urbane Pinhead, leader of the Cenobites. A cenobite is a Latin term meaning a monk, or member of a religious order. Although never identified in the movie, the story it was based on identifies them as members of the Order of the Gash, also called Gashites. They exist somewhere "at the upper reaches of human experience" and can be called here by a willing soul to provide him or her with "new experiences". These generally involve what would generally be called mutilation and torture, but in this context are perhaps a little harder to define. But at any rate, Pinhead, so named because of the elaborate grid drawn on his face, each intersection marked by a metal pin, shows up when certain conditions are met to claim the soul for his own enjoyment. Again, in the book and subsequent stories, there are many ways to meet these conditions. The movies identify only one, a now-famous puzzle box that had been constructed in the 15th century and later enchanted by black magic to produce a way for the Cenobites to reach whoever opened (solved) the box. However, the interesting thing about this is Pinhead himself- he displays no emotion, no pleasure, and no fear. Originally recruited by the Order for his emptiness and jaded spirit, he now lives or exists solely to feed off the emotions and suffering of others. He is little more than an animal, albeit an intelligent one. He no longer takes pleasure in his work, if he ever did. All this exists solely as a means to fill his need, give him some relief from his own emptiness. The box is opened, he comes and takes the person away, keeping them in some kind of limbo where their bodies can be destroyed and reassembled time and time again. I always thought this made him an effective monster, like a juggernaut. He has no conscience, he cannot be appealed to, he has no humanity. But at the same time, he has but one purpose, and will carry that purpose out unerringly, and cannot be stopped.
The humans in these movies are something different entirely, and perhaps are even more monstrous than Pinhead. They open the box with the full knowledge of the consequences, yet are so jaded, so dulled in the senses that they will do anything for a new experience, some new debauchery to provide however passing a thrill. These are the real monsters, it seems. Because they were once human- Pinhead is not, he has had the humanity somehow extracted from himself. But these humans were once capable of happiness, before they became the thrill junkies they currently are. The only reason Pinhead exists is because of people like this- what they have is never enough, what they experience is never thrilling enough.
And the interesting thing is, that this is a condition long known- the pursuit of something more, be it more of some addiction, whatever form that may take, or the pursuit of some greater conquest, more money, more status, or more of anything. There's a fine line between wanting to improve your situation and gain solely for the sake of the conquest. And this seems to be, at least in the first couple movies, what the real horror is. That's the best way I can come up with to describe it- if you're up for it, I'd rec0mmend seeing the film. There's an edited version and a director's cut- go for the director's cut if you can find it, I think the scenes left out do actually have relevance to the movie. Be advised, however, this is not for the faint of heart, and not just for the blood and gore, either, although this does factor into it. The film paints a very grim picture of human nature, and this, I think, makes it a good film. If you make it to the end, go outside and see the sunshine and the flowers- try to find the good in every person, as I believe it's there, however far below the surface it may be.