{ "id": "epj2zjzbr5", "slug": "rawhead-rex", "title": "Rawhead Rex", "updated": "2026-11-01", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.horror", "label": "Horror films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.horror" }, { "id": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.horror.monster-and-creature-films", "label": "Monster and creature films", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.horror.monster-and-creature-films" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.weu.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.horror", "label": "Western Europe · 1946 to 2000: Horror films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.horror", "path": [ { "id": "geo.weu", "label": "Western Europe", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t1946", "label": "Western Europe · 1946 to 2000", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t1946" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t1946.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t1946.culture" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t1946.culture.performance", "label": "Screen and stage", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t1946.culture.performance" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t1946.culture.performance.screen", "label": "Film and television", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t1946.culture.performance.screen" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films", "label": "Films and standalone screen works", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works", "label": "Individual films by title and year", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.horror", "label": "Horror films (individual works)", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t1946.culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.horror" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Rawhead Rex (1986/1987) is a folk horror film directed by George Pavlou, adapted by Clive Barker from his Books of Blood story, shot in County Wicklow, Ireland, starring David Dukes; Barker disowned it.", "snippet": "Rawhead Rex (1986/1987) is a folk horror film directed by George Pavlou, adapted by Clive Barker from his Books of Blood story, shot in County Wicklow, Ireland, starring David Dukes; Barker disowned it.", "node": "culture.performance.screen.films.films.individual-works.horror.monster-and-creature-films", "markdown": "# Rawhead Rex\n\n**Rawhead Rex** is a 1986 horror film directed by George Pavlou and written by [Clive Barker](https://www.edgepedia.org/clive-barker), adapted from Barker's short story of the same name in the third volume of his six-volume *Books of Blood* series (1984). It follows a nine-foot pagan demon released from an underground prison near a rural Irish village, who goes on a killing rampage while an American researcher tries to stop him.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/57796-RAWHEAD-REX) • [2](https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/13511-rawhead-rex)\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Source | Short story \"Rawhead Rex\" from volume three of Barker's six-volume *Books of Blood* (1984); Barker also wrote the screenplay, his second produced screenplay and the first based on his own published story[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/57796-RAWHEAD-REX) |\n| Director / writer | George Pavlou (director), Clive Barker (screenplay)[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/57796-RAWHEAD-REX) |\n| Principal cast | David Dukes (Howard Hallenbeck), Kelly Piper (Elaine), Niall Toibin (Reverend Coot), Ronan Wilmot (Declan O'Brien), Donal McCann (Tom Garron), Heinrich Von Schellendorf (Rawhead Rex)[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/57796-RAWHEAD-REX) |\n| Production | Shot entirely in Ireland, principally County Wicklow, from 17 February 1986 on a seven-week schedule under the working title *Rawhead*[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/57796-RAWHEAD-REX) |\n| Release | 203 North American screens on 27 March 1987; $1.8 million in the first three days; 89 minutes, rated R[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/57796-RAWHEAD-REX) |\n| Reception | IMDb rating 5.2/10 from about 7,700 votes; Rotten Tomatoes around 25 to 30 percent[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091829/) • [4](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/rawhead-rex) |\n| Later home video | A brand new 4K restoration released theatrically and on home video by Kino Lorber[5](https://kinolorber.com/film/rawheadrex) |\n\n## Spoilers\n\n### Plot\n\nHoward Hallenbeck, an American historian researching pre-Christian sacred sites, [Neolithic](https://www.edgepedia.org/neolithic) locations, and fertility cults, travels to rural Ireland with his wife Elaine and their children, lodging near the village of Rathmorne.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/57796-RAWHEAD-REX) • [6](https://gonewiththetwins.com/rawhead-rex-1987/) Meanwhile the farmer Tom Garron decides to plow a field his ancestors knew better than to disturb, and attempts with helpers to remove an ancient stone pillar from the middle of it.[5](https://kinolorber.com/film/rawheadrex) • [7](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091829/plotsummary/)\n\nWhen the other farmers give up and leave, smoke erupts around the pillar's foundation and lightning strikes it, toppling the stone and freeing Rawhead Rex, a nine-foot beast with a demon's face, from the dirt.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/57796-RAWHEAD-REX) The demon begins a cross-country rampage of slaughter, and also hypnotizes weak-minded individuals to do his bidding.[2](https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/13511-rawhead-rex) • [6](https://gonewiththetwins.com/rawhead-rex-1987/) Howard discovers a series of stained glass windows in a local church illustrating Rawhead's reign of terror, with the one pane depicting the monster's defeat missing; the eyes of the beast in the glass glow red as the demon rises.[5](https://kinolorber.com/film/rawheadrex) • [1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/57796-RAWHEAD-REX) The church verger Declan O'Brien touches the altar, is burned, receives demonic visions, and becomes possessed.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/57796-RAWHEAD-REX)\n\nThe resolution turns on an ancient stone talisman connected to a Mother Goddess figure. In Barker's conception this power can be wielded only by a woman: a grieving mother takes the statue, and it holds no power for a man.[8](https://s1.thcdn.com/design-assets/documents/arrowfilms/Rawhead%20Rex.pdf)\n\n## Production\n\nThe film was made by the same producers as Barker's earlier screen adaptation *Underworld* (also directed by Pavlou). Empire Pictures acquired the North American distribution rights to both films in a two-picture deal reported in March 1986.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/57796-RAWHEAD-REX) Barker said the producers, having been disappointed with *Underworld*, wanted a straightforward monster movie, and he wrote the screenplay partly because they owned the rights and he wanted some control over the project.[9](https://clivebarker.info/rawheadrex.html)\n\nBarker's screenplay was set in Kent, England, in mid-summer, so that the drama of a dark, child-eating monster would play against pleasant summer countryside. The production instead moved to the [Republic of Ireland](https://www.edgepedia.org/republic-of-ireland) to cut costs, leaving its planned Bray Film Studios in England, and shot in [County Wicklow](https://www.edgepedia.org/county-wicklow) in what Barker described as one of the wettest and windiest Februaries in years.[10](https://www.netflixmovies.com/rawhead-rex-1986) • [9](https://clivebarker.info/rawheadrex.html) The end credits confirm the film was shot entirely on location in County Wicklow.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/57796-RAWHEAD-REX) The Irish setting gave the film a grounding in Celtic pagan tradition that the Kent setting lacked, and critics have placed it in the folk horror camp alongside films like *Blood on Satan's Claw* and *The Wicker Man*, for its sacred stones, misty woods, isolated churches, and pagan deity.[8](https://s1.thcdn.com/design-assets/documents/arrowfilms/Rawhead%20Rex.pdf)\n\nThe monster was played by Heinrich Von Schellendorf in a practical creature suit, with creature effects by Peter Litten and an animatronic figure that Pavlou said had 1,300 separate combinations of movement.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/57796-RAWHEAD-REX) • [9](https://clivebarker.info/rawheadrex.html) According to production trivia, the role was first offered to [Peter Mayhew](https://www.edgepedia.org/peter-mayhew), but his fee was too high for the production.[10](https://www.netflixmovies.com/rawhead-rex-1986)\n\n## Release and reception\n\nRawhead Rex opened in North America on 27 March 1987 on 203 screens, earning $1.8 million in its first three days.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/57796-RAWHEAD-REX) In 1988, a $1 million loan tied to releasing *Underworld* and *Rawhead Rex* went unpaid, prompting NZI Finance (UK) and NZI Securities Australia to bring suit against Empire Entertainment, with the companies additionally demanding $25 million in punitive damages.[1](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/57796-RAWHEAD-REX)\n\nCritical and audience response has been modest: the film holds an IMDb rating of 5.2/10 and Rotten Tomatoes scores around 25 to 30 percent.[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091829/) • [4](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/rawhead-rex) Reviewers have described it as an acquired taste, a [B movie](https://www.edgepedia.org/b-movie) with dated effects but memorable rampage scenes and a cult following.[11](https://bloody-disgusting.com/editorials/3949105/atypical-irish-horror-films/) The British Film Institute counts it among British productions shot and set in Ireland, distinguishing it from genuinely Irish-directed horror production.[12](https://www.bfi.org.uk/lists/10-great-irish-horror-films) Irish cast members included established actors Donal McCann, Niall Toibin, and a young Hugh O'Conor.[13](https://www.rte.ie/culture/2017/1013/821327-irish-horror-movies/)\n\n## Barker's view and legacy\n\nBarker has consistently disowned the film. In a 1987 interview he described it as \"essentially about a nine-foot phallus on the loose,\" said the producers locked him off the set, and called the movie horrible; he said the experience of both Pavlou films convinced him there was no way forward as a screenwriter for hire and led directly to his decision to make *Hellraiser* himself.[9](https://www.clivebarker.info/rawheadrex.html) In a later interview he called it a boring movie with a monster that \"looks like a sixties monster,\" noting that the filmmakers killed different characters than his script had and used what he considered an incredibly bad piece of special effects for the creature.[14](https://paultomlinson.org/interviews-articles/clive-barker-interview/) He has also said the story itself could make a good film and expressed interest in a sequel, though he believed the sequel rights remained with the original film's producers.[15](https://www.clivebarker.info/filmsold.html)\n\nThe film has since been reappraised in part. Kino Lorber issued a brand new 4K restoration for theatrical and home release,[5](https://kinolorber.com/film/rawheadrex) and Arrow Video's 2018 release passed [British Board of Film Classification](https://www.edgepedia.org/british-board-of-film-classification) review at 89 minutes 35 seconds with content advice for strong gory violence, language, and nudity.[16](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/rawhead-rex-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0yotyymzq) Commentators note that while the film strays from Barker's story in places, it retains the central folklore elements, the sacred stone, and the theme of female power that place it within folk horror.[8](https://s1.thcdn.com/design-assets/documents/arrowfilms/Rawhead%20Rex.pdf)\n\n## References\n\n1. [Rawhead Rex (1987), AFI Catalog of Feature Films](https://catalog.afi.com/Film/57796-RAWHEAD-REX)\n2. [Rawhead Rex (1986), The Movie Database](https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/13511-rawhead-rex)\n3. [Rawhead Rex (1986), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091829/)\n4. [Rawhead Rex streaming, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/rawhead-rex)\n5. [Rawhead Rex (4KUHD), Kino Lorber](https://kinolorber.com/film/rawheadrex)\n6. [Rawhead Rex (1987) review, Gone With The Twins](https://gonewiththetwins.com/rawhead-rex-1987/)\n7. [Rawhead Rex (1986) plot summary, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091829/plotsummary/)\n8. [I Don't Believe in the Devil: Rawhead Rex, a folk horror? by Kat Ellinger, Arrow Films booklet](https://s1.thcdn.com/design-assets/documents/arrowfilms/Rawhead%20Rex.pdf)\n9. [Clive on Rawhead Rex, The Official Clive Barker Website](https://clivebarker.info/rawheadrex.html)\n10. [Rawhead Rex (1986) facts and trivia, NetflixMovies.com](https://www.netflixmovies.com/rawhead-rex-1986)\n11. [Atypical Irish Horror Films, Bloody Disgusting](https://bloody-disgusting.com/editorials/3949105/atypical-irish-horror-films/)\n12. [10 great Irish horror films, BFI](https://www.bfi.org.uk/lists/10-great-irish-horror-films)\n13. [Boo! 7 Essential Irish Horror Movies, RTÉ Culture](https://www.rte.ie/culture/2017/1013/821327-irish-horror-movies/)\n14. [Clive Barker Interview, Paul Tomlinson](https://paultomlinson.org/interviews-articles/clive-barker-interview/)\n15. [Rawhead Rex: The Remake and Son of Rawhead Rex, The Official Clive Barker Website](https://www.clivebarker.info/filmsold.html)\n16. [Rawhead Rex, British Board of Film Classification](https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/rawhead-rex-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0yotyymzq)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Horror films (individual works) › Monster and creature films*\n\n*Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/rawhead-rex", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/rawhead-rex.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Rawhead Rex\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/rawhead-rex. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Rawhead Rex](https://www.edgepedia.org/rawhead-rex)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/rawhead-rex](https://www.edgepedia.org/rawhead-rex). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Rawhead Rex\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/rawhead-rex. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Rawhead Rex is a folk horror film directed by George Pavlou, adapted by Clive Barker from his Books of Blood story, shot in County Wicklow, Ireland, starring David Dukes; Barker disowned it." }