An oddly decorative cube (the "Lament Configuration," specifically) possesses near-limitless power for its owner...most notably the potential to unlock the dimensions of hell which spews forth nightmarish creatures called the Cenobites, demon inhabitants whose narcotic is eternal pain and suffering!

After the violent-hungry Cenobites have their way with the box's current user (Chapman), the now-skinless sap enlists the aid of his lover to bring him live humans for his do-it-yourself skin transplants.

Punctuated by drippy excesses of gore, Hellraiser is a masterful success, maximizing its own creativity throughout while simultaneously crafting its own lore along the way.

Followed by 1988's surprisingly satisfying Hellbound: Hellraiser II.