Hellraiser 2022:

 

Horror fans will need to introduction to franchise that is Hellraiser. Originally published in 1986 in Dark Harvest's third volume of its Night Visions anthology, Clive Barker's The Hellbound Heart introduced readers to the Cenobites, inter-dimensional beings that cannot discern between pain and pleasure, and one Cenobite in particular, who would come to be known the world over as Pinhead.

The Cenobites

The following year, Barker adapted the novella into a feature film under the title Hellraiser. It was better received in Barker's native England than it was in the US, but that didn't stop the film from spawning nine sequels, all of which except for two, starring Doug Bradley as the Lead Cenobite, Pinhead.

When I heard that a new Hellraiser would be coming out I had mixed emotions. For me, without the iconic Doug Bradley, the films are lackluster. My opinion of rebooted horror movies is weighted too, as there are a few I enjoy like the new Halloween movies, but others that I thought were less than stellar such as Jeepers Creepers: Reborn and Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Trans actress Jamie Clayton of Sense8 fame was announced to be portraying Pinhead, which I actually liked. If you've read the original novella, The Hell Priest AKA Pinhead is described as having a feminine voice and an androgynous appearance; Jamie fits that bill pretty well.  

I'm going to try to keep my review of the movie as spoiler free as possible so everyone can watch it for themselves and make up their own opinions.

The storyline for this film is completely original, which I loved. I'm so glad they didn't just regurgitate and update the original story. There's a fine line between respecting the original material and being unoriginal. The infamous Lament Configuration or Lemarchand Box as it's also known is the infamous puzzle box that summons the Cenobites upon being solved. In this updated version of the story, the box doesn't just have one or two configurations, but six that represent different desires: Lament "Life", Lore "Knowledge," Laudarant "Love," Liminal "Sensation," Lazuarus "Resurrection," and Leviathan "Power." The Leviathan configuration previously appeared in 1988's Hellbound: Hellraiser 2The box also has a new added feature in a small blade that pops out and takes blood from whomever is holding it, the blood acting as a blood oath to seal the deal between the user and Leviathan, the King of Hell. Upon solving the puzzle box, the holder may choose a reward, but not without a cost. 

The OGs: Butterball, Pinhead, the Female Cenobite, and Chatterer

The new Chatterer

The new Female Cenobite

 

Another key difference between Barker's original and the remake is the appearance and attitude of the Cenobites. Gone are the BDSM style leather garments with religious undertones, to be replaced by more dismembered flesh. Obviously, CGI and special effects have progressed exponentially since the late 80s, so I'm not even going to compare the creepiness of the Cenobites looks. The Cenobites also appear more in this version, only appearing briefly in the beginning and in the last twenty or so minutes of the original. This time around, the Cenobites are the villains as well, instead of Frank and Julia being the villains, and the Cenobites merely fulfilling their duty. 

I liked that the film uses young, relatively unknown actors. I'm big into Hollywood and the only two actors I recognized besides Jamie Clayton were Brandon Flynn of 13 Reasons Why fame and Goran Višnjić, best known as Dr. Luka Kovač on ER. All of the cast did very well, which was a nice touch as newer actors aren't usually as well trained as they should be, in my opinion. 

Despite sometimes lagging in places, and some unnecessary sex scenes. I did overall enjoy this reboot. Would I be devastated if they didn't make a sequel? No. Would I watch a sequel? Yes. I still prefer the original two films, but this was a noble effort and I think it did what it was supposed to do. Hopefully this will spark a new interest in Hellraiser and scare the heck out of a whole new generation of kids the way that posters for Hellraiser terrified me as a young kid. 

On another front, a Hellraiser series is currently in development at HBO with involvement of Rough House, owned by Danny McBride and David Gordon Green, two of the minds behind the Halloween reboot films. Little is known about it as this time, but it's definitely something to keep an eye out for. I am hoping that Doug Bradley will reprise his iconic role.