Horror Funding: Hellraiser Documentary Leviathan

Production on the Hellraiser documentary continues to go from strength-to-strength.

The independent horror documentary – Leviathan: The Story of Hellraiser and Hellbound: Hellraiser 2 – has been in production since November, 2013, and may have seemed like a fan project when it began, however, its continued success throughout production shows that it’s anything but. The team consists of accomplished writers and filmmakers, who are dedicated to ensuring the success of this project; and more importantly, ensuring that it lives up to do justice to the legacy of these two films.

The documentary is being produced by Cult Film screenings and is an exploration into the making of two of the most iconic British Horror films (Hellraiser and Hellbound: Hellraiser II) to have ever donned the prestigious ‘silver screen.’ Since production began, the wealth of cast and crew interviews which it has been able to amass is astonishing, and because of this it is shaping up to pay an apropos tribute to these two modern horror classics. Over twenty-five interviews have been completed thus far, and the cast list keeps growing along with the production obtaining a plethora of never before seen stills – which will indeed only add more wealth to this storied journey that happened all those years ago.

The team hit a major victory when writer and director of Hellraiser, Clive Barker, agreed to be interviewed for the documentary. Producer Gary Smart said “When Clive signed up we were over the moon. The thirty something other cast and crew members have been amazing to speak to giving us such insights and we couldn’t have made the film without them, but without Clive’s voice as well I’m not sure how definite we could claim this documentary is.”

“The introduction to the films themselves says it all; they’re Clive Barker’s Hellraiser and Hellbound: Hellraiser II. To have not got Clive, and I’m sure all of the interviewees involved will agree, the documentary would have been lacking something – still an amazing account on the two films, but it would be lacking and would have maybe left people wanting. Now that Clive is involved, his words, much like the ones which he writes for his works, will provide a perspective which no one else can offer,” said Nicholas F. Helmsley, co-writer of the documentary.

The trip to interview Clive, as well as several other west coast based members of the production, is forecast for August. However, in order to do so, the production must first raise additional funds to make sure that this is possible. To that end they launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise the required £12,000 to fund production of the US interviews and post-production, of which the project will immediately go into after the US interviews are complete.

“It’s been a huge success so far. We have an amazing team who are constantly promoting the campaign. Of course, it boils down to the loyalty of the fans, and the horror genre has the most loyal fan base going. Without them we wouldn’t have broken through the half way mark in less than 3 weeks. We are very grateful for all of their support and positivity that they have afforded us so far and continue to show. We now close in on the last two weeks of the campaign and we’re well on course to hit our target. However, it’s important we keep raising awareness if we are going to succeed” said Gary Smart, Producer of the documentary.

“Interviewing Clive is not only important to the success of the documentary, but it’s also an amazing chance to converse with a creative and inspiring genius who shares a passion for the art of filmmaking. The tales and stories we’ve heard about Clive from the cast and crew have shown us how respected and loved he is.” Says director K. John McDonagh “The depth and quality of his work also demonstrates just how talented the man is, so meeting him and interviewing him would not only be a great achievement for the documentary, it’d be an honour as filmmaker”

“As a filmmaker and a writer, it is truly an honour to have Clive on board. How many opportunities does one get to meet and work with someone who captivated their imagination at a young age and subsequently influenced their career choice?” said Nicholas F. Helmsley.

“Hellraiser and Hellbound are examples of movies that broke the mould of what a horror film was and as a result changed the landscape of horror not only in the 1980s, but since that time as well with their influence. The hard-work, commitment and sheer genius of all involved in the production of these two movies is screaming (literally) to be shared with fans of Clive Barker’s mythology and horror aficionados alike” said Gary Smart

‘Leviathan: The story of Hellraiser and Hellbound: Hellraiser 2’ has nearly finished production and the interview with Clive Barker will wrap up the project. You can support the project via its Kickstarter campaign

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/878562580/leviathan-hellraiser-documentary-production

The film is due for release this autumn