In the age of never-ending streaming services, sometimes you want a movie experience that gives you a bit more. The series of events hosted by Hear My Eyes provides just that. They screen classic films with the twist of brand new rescores, with previous events including versions of Suspiria, No Country for Old Men, and Drive. On a reasonably fair Sunday evening, I attended Hear My Eyes: Hellraiser as part of the RISING festival. The main room of Melbourne Town Hall was of the perfect grandeur to host this, while still maintaining a level of intimacy. I was lucky enough to be sat about halfway up the rising seats, granting me a full view of the laser displays projected across the entire room.

Robin Fox was the artist behind the laser shows for this event. Setting the eerie atmosphere perfectly, amazingly sequenced patterns were displayed across the screen and the perimeter of the room. Dazzling designs flew across the space as metal came through the speakers. The audience was suitably amped up. Eventually, the lights went down and the show began.

This was my first time watching Hellraiser, but listening to the original soundtrack it is almost unbelievable how different it is to the rescore. Chilling strings and bass are replaced by punchy beats and sizzling electronic riffs. Despite this difference, the rescore was so well suited there were points where I forgot there could have been anything else made to fit the film. The entrancing pulses fit the energy of the film perfectly, almost leaving us in the audience with no choice but to be enthralled. Hieroglyphic Being, the electronic artist behind this rescore, arranged this score masterfully.

In addition to the choreographed light show, I was fascinated by the streams of light travelling from the projector to the screen. I almost wish this seemingly accidental effect had been leaned into a bit more, as it reflected the moments where the lasers were targeted at the screen, perfectly complimenting the onscreen action. Some of the colours felt jarring against what was showing on screen—at some points, green beams clashed against gory on-screen reds, in wide enough bands to pull me out of the experience slightly. However, the flashes of red as blood spurted across the screen and the wiggling lasers when the mysterious box was opened were perfectly suited.

The film concluded and was at once surrounded by applause. The credits rolled, accompanied by an amazing display of sporadic lasers and more of the hypnotic patterns unfolding across the walls of the hall. This applause was well-deserved after a true spectacle of a show. On the way home, I was thinking about how superbly chosen the films seem to be for these events. Hellraiser, in particular, is an almost campy, dramatic horror flick, full of mystery and spectacular character design. It is so appropriately paired with the drama of lasers and the electronic masterpiece of a rescore. Hear My Eyes has transformed this film into even more of an art piece than it originally was. Hadyn Green, curator and director of this show, has done a superb job, and I look forward to seeing more from Hear My Eyes.

Photographer credit: Bakri Mahmoud