Clive Barker likely holds the silver medal for horror authors having their work made into movies. He’s much more involved in the productions than Stephen King, but his final products have a similar variance in quality. WithHellraiserin the 80s andCandymanin the 90s, he’s been an icon for decades. Not all of his projects earn the same level of fame.Rawhead Rexis one of his most entertaining films, though not for the reasons he intended.
The “so bad it’s good” entertainment market has never been more demanding. ShowslikeMystery Science Theater 3000,Rifftrax, or Red Letter Media’sHalf in the BagandBest of the Worstspotlight magical hidden gems that shock and amaze. Despite Clive Barker’s best efforts,Rawhead Rexis a fantastic candidate for anyone’s next bad movie night.
The titularRawheadisa boogeyman figure whoappears in bedtime stories to scare children into good behavior. He was also called Bloody Bones in stories as far back as 1548. Rawhead Rex rises from a nondescript field in Ireland after lighting strikes a stone collum. Researcher Howard Hallenbeck drags his family to the area to learn about religious artifacts. Howard meets O’Brien, a local who helps the church, and Reverend Coot. O’Brien loses his mind after touching a mystical alter. Rawhead starts butchering locals. He kills Howard’s son, prompting a police investigation. The cops can’t find the beast, but Howard discovers hints of an ancient weapon that could defeat Rawhead. The monster goes on a rampage thatthreatens the lives of the community. Howard may be the only person who can defeat the ancient evil.
Clive Barker is rarely a man to mince words.Barker wrote the source material, a short story appearing in part three of hisBooks of Bloodseries. He also wrote the script for the film. Barker has helpfully cataloged his thoughts on the film on his personal website. His view of the film is charitable and harsh.Rexwas Barker’s second script. He argues that the final product aired close to his script but failed to impress. Barker laments director George Pavlou’s unwillingness to take risks. Pavlou was the director for Barker’s first feature-length script,Underworld. The short story depicted a haunting monster killing children during a boiling English summer. The studio shifted the film’s setting to Ireland in February. The adaptation also removed the violence against kids. Barker argued the movie needed to “go for broke” and that the feature should have been “visceral.” In his distaste for the film, he mentioned its fans.Rawhead Rexhas its defenders. Though it’s comfortably considered a bomb, there’s a lot to love about this goofy monster movie. It’s so strange and alienating that it earns attention. Fans of the “so bad it’s good” subgenre have found a lot to love inRawhead Rex.
Rawhead “baptizes” O’Brien in his urine, corrupting his mind and leaving him unhinged. O’Brien tries to sacrifice Coot to the beast. Rawhead thrashes the church as Coot discovers ancient records. The cops try to intervene, but a massiveexplosion kills all of themwhile Rawhead destroys Coot. Howard appears to attack O’Brien while the brainwashed verger burns books. He overpowers O’Brien, destroys a hidden altar, and finds the weapon to defeat Rawhead. He wields a magic stone, but it has no effect. Rawhead kills O’Brien. Rawhead attacks Howard, forcing him to drop the rock.
Howard’s wife, Elaine, picks up the stone in desperation, and it fires a beam of light. Rawhead is visibly wounded, and Howard escapes. Only a womancan wield the weaponto harm Rawhead. The stone takes the shape of a woman and fires several electric beams into Rawhead’s body. Rawhead is left defenseless. Howard strikes him down with a shovel. Rawhead falls into a hole. Elaine tosses the stone in after him. Giant stones fall and crush the beast. With Rawhead seemingly dead, Howard and Elaine weep together. Rawhead rises from his grave as a jump scare in the final shot.
Rawhead Rexis simultaneously unique and by-the-numbers. Clive Barker considered it risk-averse, but there are still some absurd moments that keep it above the pack. There is a silver lining in the lackluster production ofRawhead Rex. Clive Barker went on to write several other scripts, adapting his own work. The year afterRawhead Rex, Barker set to work on a big-screen take on his novella,The Hellbound Heart. Barker hated the first two adaptations, so he wrote and directed the third one.Hellraiserremains his most iconicand celebrated film. Barker had to try his first few messy attempts before locking down the adaptation that would make him a household name.Rawhead Rexremains a fascinating entry in the beloved horror creator’s catalog.
