Rawhead Rex (1986)


Early on, when he was still an up-and-coming horror author, two of Clive Barker's stories were adapted into movies by director George Pavlou.  The first, Underworld, got little attention.  However, Rawhead Rex, a low-budget monster film based on the story of the same name, became a bit of a cult favorite.  Although not as freaky as the story nor as engaging as Hellraiser, Rawhead Rex still manages to be a quite entertaining b-movie.

Howard Hallenbeck (David Dukes) is an historian traveling through Ireland researching the ancient origins of worship sites as well as the truth behind local legends.  He has brought along his wife Elaine (Kelly Piper) and kids Robbie (Hugh O'Connor) and Minty (Cora Venus Lunty), all of whom are anxious for him to finish up his studies so they can visit Dublin.  

Howard soon gets more than he expected when a local farmer unleashes an ancient, violent creature called Rawhead Rex (Heinrich von Schellendorf) when he removes a standing stone from his farm.  The creature soon possesses verger Declan O'Brien (Ronan Wilmot), who begins to do its bidding by destroying the search and trying to find the one object that can destroy it.  Howard, for personal reasons, attempts to find it as well, while the local authorities soon find they are dealing with something outside their abilities.

Clive Barker, though he wrote the screenplay, hated the movie.  It was one of the reasons he was insistent on directing Hellraiser himself, as the two movies that had been made varied widely from his stories.  In the case of Rawhead Rex the creature was made to look more like a traditional ogre rather than the phallic creature in Barker's story.  Although some sexual aspects remain they were heavily toned down in favor of more sensationalistic gore.

For me this isn't a bad thing.  George Pavlou is an exploitation director, making sure to throw in shock scenes wherever possible as well as get in a bit of gratuitous nudity.  The monster isn't bad, although not up to the same level as Rick Baker or Stan Winston.  Pavlou tends to be a bit too proud of the job that was done, as he shows it way too much instead of keeping the creature more in the shadows and building up to its reveal.  However, the trading of sex for more gore, especially since Barker's kinks often go into uncomfortable directions no matter what one's sexuality, helps the movie concentrate on the horror aspects and opened it up for a wider audience.

It still didn't get such.  It's got a number of great scenes, including an attack on a trailer park as well as the confrontation with the police, not to mention Ronan Wilmot's over-the-top portrayal over the verger.  However, it also has places where the rubber mask wiggles, as well as some effects that were a bit out of Pavlou's budget.  Still, it is entertaining for what it is, and has a pretty good ending if one ignores the last few seconds. 

Rawhead Rex (1986)
Time: 89 minutes
Starring: David Dukes, Kelly Piper, Ronan Wilmot, Heinrich von Schellendorf
Director: George Pavlou 

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