Hellraiser

2022 - 10 - 7

Post cover
Image courtesy of "Roger Ebert"

Hellraiser movie review & film summary (2022) | Roger Ebert (Roger Ebert)

Can sometimes be fun anyway, especially if you haven't seen Hellraiser in a while.

It’s always nice to see Abbass pop up in English-language productions, but the poor woman can only do so much with a supporting character who’s more of a prop than a person. That general lack of personality wouldn’t be so bad if there wasn’t so much dead air throughout—seriously, one hundred and twenty-one—which mainly gives viewers time to wonder who exactly these new Cenobites are and why their opaque personalities now have all of the charm of well-restored hand-me-downs. But Riley only steals the box, which horror fans will instantly recognize as a way of summoning the Cenobites, because Trevor encourages her. Riley (Odessa A’zion), a grieving former addict, runs into the Cenobites while chasing after her missing brother Matt ( The cleverest additions to the “Hellraiser” canon will only be apparent to established fans since the makers of the latest movie awkwardly graft a sometimes-inspired monster movie onto the back of a trauma-focused character study. The halting pace, scattered focus, and potent ghastliness of Barker’s movie reflects its nature as Barker’s feature directorial debut, a decent adaptation of his 1986 novella The Hellbound Heart.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "Den of Geek"

Hellraiser Review: Reboot Is a Real Pain to Watch (Den of Geek)

The new Hellraiser reboot has some fun ideas, but the characters are so dumb that they're not the only ones forced to suffer.

There’s no reason that a remade Hellraiser needs to follow the original beat for beat. It seems that the intent here was to instill a sense of hysteria and paranoia in the audience via the characters’ frenetic behavior, but it ultimately just ends up being annoying. Director David Bruckner (The Night House) seems to be interested in the mythos and philosophical quandaries of the original more so than its cinematic virtues, which proves to be a detriment here. To them, pain is pleasure, so when a group of young people summons them via an elaborate puzzle box, they arrive to dole out some sweet, sweet suffering as a gift from the beyond. In broad strokes, the movie follows a bunch of supremely annoying twentysomethings as they run from an otherworldly evil, screaming at each other incessantly in an ear-splitting attempt to suss out what’s happening to them at any given moment. It takes the most surface-level aspects of the original story and gnarls them into a bloated, forgettable modern horror slog that fumbles the series’ mythology.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "Digital Mafia Talkies"

'Hellraiser' Ending, Explained: Did Riley Beat The Cenobites? What ... (Digital Mafia Talkies)

The Hulu horror film, "Hellraiser," directed by David Bruckner, is the second adaptation of Clive Barker's 1986 novella "The Hellbound Heart.

And on that note, the puzzle returns to the aforementioned shape. Because she wants to live on despite knowing everything she has done and all the people she has hurt. Meanwhile, in a bid to save Colin (and to give Trevor the punishment he deserves), he asks the Cenobite to let go of Colin and take Trevor instead. So, he becomes dependent on Riley to get out of there alive because she is the only one with an escape plan, while Voight doesn’t exactly have any plans to get out of his mansion. We know that Voight did manage to complete all five configurations and asked for a boon from the aforementioned God. The most noticeable change to Voight’s mansion is that it has a massive and intricate iron cage around it that can be opened and closed from the inside. And it hints at the fact that if someone completes all five configurations (which involves sacrificing a human every single time the blade pops up), they will get to ask for a boon from the God of the Cenobites. She does discover Voight’s journal, which details the various configurations of the puzzle: Lament (“Life”), Lore (“Knowledge”), Laudarant (“Love”), Liminal (“Sensation”), Lazarus (“Resurrection”), and Leviathan (“Power”). For example, she learns that the container is connected to Menaker, who tries to wrestle the puzzle away from Riley and gets stabbed by it. And the more she searches, the more she puts herself and those around her in harm’s way. Riley promises Matt that she isn’t going to meet Trevor anymore but goes for a supposed heist with him and even drinks and smokes with him, which means she isn’t “clean.” The aforementioned heist involves breaking into a solitary shipping container, in which there’s a solitary vault, inside which there’s a wooden box, and inside that is the box-shaped puzzle from earlier. When he picks up the box lying beside her, he accidentally cuts himself with it and becomes a victim of the Cenobites.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "Collider.com"

'Hellraiser' Ending Explained: Regret Is The Cruelest of Tortures (Collider.com)

The 'Hellraiser' reboot brought some new twists and turns into the beloved franchise, so it's time to explain that ending.

Before Colin dies, Riley reminds the Gasp that she’s the box's owner, and it’s up to her to choose a sacrifice. Just like everyone who was ever granted an audience with the Leviathan, Riley has six prizes to choose from: “life,” “knowledge,” “love,” “sensation,” “resurrection,” or “power.” The Hell Priestess tempts Riley with an image of Matt, telling the woman she should choose to get her brother back. Meanwhile, Colin, the fifth and final sacrifice, is being chased by the Gasp (Selina Lo), a Cenobite eager to claim her prize. After that, it’s up to Riley to choose the two victims who’ll take her place or accept a fate of torture in the Labyrinth. Once the Cenobites are inside the house, Voight demands a new audience with Leviathan, tells the Hell Priestess he was tricked by Leviathan, and orders the Cenobites to remove the sick machinery that’s attached to his body. The third sacrifice is Riley’s flatmate, Nora (Aoife Hinds), who becomes a victim in Voight’s old house, where Riley and her friends try to figure out how to save Matt. The second sacrifice is Voight’s old secretary, Serena (Hiam Abbass), who inadvertently solves the second configuration of the puzzle. Riley is not cut the first time she solves the puzzle, which leads to the accident where her brother becomes the first sacrifice. Voight sacrificed five people to the puzzle and was granted an audience with Leviathan, the god who oversees the Cenobites’ dimension, also known as The Labyrinth. However, once her brother Matt (Brandon Flynn) accidentally becomes a sacrifice for the Cenobites, Riley begins to investigate the matter. As she discovers, the box once belonged to Roland Voight (Goran Visnjic), a billionaire who disappeared six years before the film’s main events. That leads to gruesome deaths, and since the Cenobites are always in dire need of fresh meat, they reward the people who can solve the puzzle box and bring them new sacrifices.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "Decider"

'Hellraiser' 2022 Ending Explained: A New Cenobite Is Born (Decider)

Confused by the 2022 Hellraiser movie on Hulu? Us too! Just kidding. Kinda. Read Decider's Hellraiser 2022 summary and Hellraiser 2022 ending explained.

Voight shows up at the mansion with a metal contraption in his chest that lets the audience know he is at the mercy of the box and the Cenobites. Meanwhile, the Cenobites come to collect Colin, but Riley steps in and asks them to take Trevor the traitor instead. He needs to feed the box in order to be set free, and hired Trevor to do his dirty work. The puzzle box absorbs his blood, and he is snatched by the Cenobites while Riley is unconscious. When he finds her, he picks up the box and is stabbed by the knife. While looking for her brother, more people get stabbed by the box and brutally killed by the Cenobites. Riley comes up with a plan to intentionally let the Cenobites into the mansion in order to offer her final sacrifice to the box. Pinhead (let’s just call her Pinhead for clarity reasons) tells Riley the blade was meant for her and tells her to come with them. She manages to unveil the secret knife in the box and summons the High Priest, nicknamed Pinhead (Jamie Clayton), the leader of the extradimensional demonic beings known as the Cenobites. Voight looks up to the heavens and declares, “I am a penitent of the Leviathan. Riley is seeing a new guy named Trevor (Drew Starkey) and her brother does not approve—he thinks Trevor is bad news, will get Riley into trouble, and cause her to relapse. [10 previous Hellraiser films](https://decider.com/2022/10/05/hellraiser-movies-in-order-to-watch/) to understand the plot of the new movie.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "Game Rant"

Hellraiser Review (Game Rant)

This long-awaited reboot of Clive Barker's iconic horror franchise packs in plenty of pain and plenty of pleasure. Hellraiser Trailer Jamie Clayton Pinhead Hulu.

Though the franchise has never really gone away, this return to form feels like it was too scared of the pain to fully embrace the pleasure. Hellraiser could be the basis of a fantastic franchise. [the best horror anthology pieces](https://gamerant.com/horror-anthologies-great-segments-trickr-treat-abcs-of-death/) of all time and the stellar supernatural horror film The Night House. [debut of Clive Barker](https://gamerant.com/clive-barker-director-hellraiser/), who grew tired of other directors mangling his stories and decided to try his hand at the medium. The film probably would've played better in a theater with a crowd, but this is the same issue Hulu ran into earlier this year with Prey. [The Cenobites, on the other hand](https://gamerant.com/hellraiser-tv-show-david-gordon-green-fun-cultural-experiment/), are very well-executed.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "Vulture"

You Need This Pinhead Like You Need, Um, Pins in Your Head (Vulture)

A review of the 2022 Hellraiser, now streaming on Hulu, a remake that can't match the perverse and grotesque Clive Barker original.

If she had been forced to face off in a meaningful way with a more competently rendered female Pinhead, the movie might have had a better shot at reigniting the kink and sadomasochistic fuckery of the first Hellraiser. Perhaps that’s to be expected from a Hellraiser that is technically being brought to you by the Walt Disney Company. As corny as some of the practical 1987 effects may look today, there is still something visceral and grimy in the aesthetic of the first Hellraiser that isn’t matched by the more glossed-up grit of the remake. Trevor persuades Riley, who is in recovery and struggling to get back on her feet, to steal the puzzle box from where it’s been locked up in a storage facility, then sell it and split the cash. While this version of Hellraiser can’t be accused of completely avoiding the in-your-face gore of its predecessor — we do get treated to the sight of knives slicing into hands, hooks tearing into human tissue, and, in one case, a view of a needle penetrating a person’s neck, partially shown from inside that person’s neck — it still feels like a safer version of the film that inspired it. Thirty-five years and nine sequels later, there’s a new version of Hellraiser streaming on Hulu that gestures at similar ideas and borrows familiar plot points but makes the classic reboot mistake of adding too much story to what should have been a more concentrated reimagining of the Pinhead universe.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "Los Angeles Times"

Reviews: 'Hellraiser' is back with shock and nah (Los Angeles Times)

Hulu takes on 'Hellraiser' reboot, Mila Kunis powers 'Luckiest Girl Alive' and 'The Redeem Team' revives USA basketball, both on Netflix.

[one of the year’s most unusual dramedies](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2022-06-23/marcel-the-shell-review-with-shoes-on-a24), telling the story of a tiny talking shell (voiced by Jenny Slate) who becomes an internet sensation, and then worries about the impact all the fuss and attention will have on his family. The plot is the stuff of “The Twilight Zone” — and, frankly, not quite twisty enough to sustain a 105-minute film — but Hancock and his cast effectively convey the essence of King’s story, which is about a well-meaning kid learning how anything that comes too easy likely has dark strings attached. But all of this is over-explained in the film — often by Ani herself, in the incessant voice-overs. When the 1992 “Dream Team” of NBA all-stars arrived at the Olympics in Barcelona, its goals were twofold: to reassert America’s dominance in its homegrown sport and to elevate basketball into a global product. The new reboot retains the elements that define a “Hellraiser” story, including the sadomasochistic extra-dimensional monsters and a cast of human “heroes” who rarely act heroically. [Andrea Riseborough](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-nancy-review-20180607-story.html)) wins the kind of lottery prize usually referred to as “life-changing money.” But Leslie doesn’t really want her life changed. And Riseborough is a dynamo, making sure that even at her worst, Leslie has enough personality and humanity that the audience roots for her just to get through another day. The new “Hellraiser” is suitably bloody, and Bruckner and company understand (at least theoretically) the core of Barker’s premise, in which people’s rapacious needs end up hurting everyone in their general vicinity. It’s a story often told, but this movie tells it well, energetically dramatizing the in-the-moment experiences Leslie has and showing how they inform the choices she makes. But while this film looks better and feels more serious than most of the “Hellraiser” sequels, there’s something pro forma about it. The box can be twisted into multiple configurations, each of which leads to the solver’s hands getting punctured and a portal opening to a realm ruled by the Cenobites, a hedonistic race for whom pleasure, pain and enlightenment are all tightly — some might say constrictively — intertwined. [Clive Barker’s 1987 horror movie “Hellraiser”](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-09-18-ca-5604-story.html) (adapting his novella “The Hellbound Heart”) became a cult favorite due to its kinky overtones and its visually striking villain: a spiky-domed demon dubbed Pinhead.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "StyleCaster"

How to Watch the 'Hellraiser' Reboot to Get You in the Mood For ... (StyleCaster)

The movie is a reinvention of Clive Barker's 1987 horror classic from master horror director David Bruckner. The plot follows a woman struggling with addiction ...

Here’s [how to watch it for free](https://stylecaster.com/hulu-free-trial/) and watch the trailer below. [Hulu’s 30-day free subscription](https://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=Y2We7n7GoRk&offerid=763711.12&type=3&subid=0). It’s [ad-free](https://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=Y2We7n7GoRk&offerid=763711.12&type=3&subid=0) plan costs $12.99 per month. [Verizon](https://www.verizon.com/support/disney-bundle-faqs/) customer (or know someone who is), there is another free option. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission from the sale. Hulu’s live TV service, Hulu+ With Live TV, costs [$69.99 per month](https://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=t1ZX7*4ybQA&offerid=852731.230&type=3&subid=hululivetv) for its ad-supported plan and [$75.99 per month](https://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=t1ZX7*4ybQA&offerid=852731.230&type=3&subid=hululivetv) for its ad-free plan. The original book that it’s based on, The Hellbound Heart, was suggestive of a female Pinhead, and the comic books also explored the idea. There are a few new characters in this latest Hellraiser iteration, plus as mentioned, the role of the Hell Priest is played by a female actor. There, customers will be able to choose The Disney Bundle, which includes Disney+, Hulu and ESPN. So how can you watch Hellraiser online for free? The bundle saves users about $8 per month from subscribing to each service individually. In one of the most significant departures from the original film and novella, the character of the Hell Priest, aka Pinhead, is now female and played by Jaime Clayton.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "TheWrap"

How to Watch Hellraiser 2022: Is the Reboot Streaming? (TheWrap)

Jamie Clayton stars in a fresh take on the Hellraiser franchise, directed by David Bruckner.

It’s a new twist on the franchise with an emotional hook (the protagonist is an addict) and a new Pinhead (played by Jamie Clayton), but it delivers on the gore and practical effects that those coming to a “Hellraiser” movie would expect. She works together with her friends to uncover the mysteries of the box (and the man who previously owned it) before it’s too late. The long-running horror franchise has a new, 11th installment, but this one – in a twist of fate – is good, actually!

Post cover
Image courtesy of "Distractify"

The Ending to 2022's 'Hellraiser' Explained (Distractify)

Want the ending to 2022's 'Hellraise' explained in full? The film is the latest installment of the 'Hellraiser' horror film franchise.

[Jamie Clayton](https://www.distractify.com/p/is-jamie-clayton-trans)), the leader of the Cenobites, who demands a sacrifice. Here's the ending to the 2022 Hellraiser film explained. However, upon seeing that the Cenobites will unavoidably twist her wish to revive her brother, she chooses to not bring him back to life. Riley manages to bargain with Pinhead, sparing Colin's life in exchange for the traitorous Trevor's. The 2022 movie is the latest installment of the Hellraiser film franchise, which centers around humans trying to survive the hellish hordes of the Cenobites led by The Priest (known colloquially as Pinhead). With Riley having released the Cenobites, Pinhead promises her a wish with enough sacrifices.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "IGN"

Hellraiser Ending Explained - IGN (IGN)

Hellraiser returns with all new sights to show us. Here's what you need to know about the newest reboot to the franchise's ending!

Movie's Princess Peach11h ago - A side order of 1-Ups with your McChicken Nuggets?](/articles/mario-movie-mcdonalds-seemingly-leaks-how-princess-peach-looks) [The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Episode 7 Review - "The Eye"20h ago - Middle-earth burns as darkness looms.](/articles/the-lord-of-the-rings-the-rings-of-power-episode-7-review-the-eye) It features “classic” Assassin’s Creed gameplay and takes place in an open world, but is a mobile game rather than a console release.](/videos/assassins-creed-codename-jade-reveal-trailer-ubisoft-forward-2022) [Trombone Champ is a Hilarious Take on Guitar HeroTrombone Champ is available now on PC! Pinhead knows Roland will either see the light — literally — and embrace his newfound transcendence at the hand of an unseen deity, God or Devil, or he'll despise the eternal suffering as punishment for insulting their generosity. She can let Colin go, erasing the last reminder of deceased brother Matt (Brandon Flynn) from existence — possibly lifting a guilty weight — or she can mark Trevor, the encapsulation of all her struggles with addiction. [Dune: Awakening Reveal TrailerTake your place in the fight for Arrakis in Dune: Awakening, an open world survival MMO set in the sci-fi world of Frank Herbert's Dune.](/videos/dune-awakening-cinematic-reveal-trailer) [Assassin's Creed Codename Jade - Reveal TrailerUbisoft has announced Assassin’s Creed Codename Jade, a new game in the series set in Ancient China. Roland is granted his “mercy” wish, but at an ultimate cost — Pinhead bestows upon him the Leviathan gift of Power. David Bruckner — alongside co-writers Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski — explores how fear and excitement can unfortunately lead to the same outcomes. The Cenobites are summoned by the actions of Roland — they aren't renegade predators — and he must either accept or deny responsibility for what transpires. Riley's investigation of the evolving puzzle box — with 6 unique phases that offer an "Audience with God" upon completion — leads her to the Berkshire estate of vanished billionaire art dealer Roland Voight (Goran Visnjic). It's not long before the wires bind him, stretch him against a stone platform, his forearm skin is degloved Gerald's Game style, and he's yanked into a well of agonizing howls where the Cenobites roam. He chose the Liminal configuration upon his completion of the puzzle, translating to Sensation — but the Cenobites' gift isn't of human pleasure; it's of mortal pain. Roland is also fitted with a golden mechanism that protrudes like an ax through his spine and out his rib cage, pulling his nerves around churning gears.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "Billboard"

How to Watch 'Hellraiser': Ways to Stream the Horror Reboot & the ... (Billboard)

Hellraiser stars Odessa A'zion, Jamie Clayton, Adam Faison, Drew Starkey, Brandon Flynn, Aoife Hinds, Selina Lo, Goran Visnjic and Hiam Abbass. Explore.

[$6.99 a month](https://click.linksynergy.com/link?id=JRLLPXArni8&offerid=1097717.19140772418&type=2&mu%5B%E2%80%A6%5D%2F%2Fwww.hulu.com%2Fstart%2Faffiliate-liveTV%3Fcmp%3D8870) (or $69.99 a year) for the ad-supported package. 10), but there are ways to save on your subscription. The commercial-free subscription is $12.99 a month (or $129.99 a year). Hulu will be going up in price on Monday (Oct. The movie is streaming at no additional cost to subscribers. [Disney+](https://disneyplus.bn5x.net/Ko4K7) and [ESPN+](https://go.web.plus.espn.com/9WWGEQ) for a flat rate (currently $13.99 a month to stream with ads) and Hulu student is just [$1.99 a month](https://fave.co/3AWAkvs). Hulu subscriptions are currently 7). All products and services featured are independently chosen by editors. Goyer, Keith Levine, Barker and Marc Toberoff are producers. David S. [1987 horror classic](https://amzn.to/3MgYSVx?asc_source=web&asc_campaign=web&asc_refurl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.billboard.com%2Fculture%2Fproduct-recommendations%2Fhellraiser-how-to-watch-free-hulu-1235152448%2F), premiered on [Hulu](https://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=JRLLPXArni8&offerid=852731.18&type=3&subid=0) on Friday (Oct.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "Collider.com"

'Hellraiser': What Does Each Shape of the Lament Configuration ... (Collider.com)

Now that's a puzzle we want to solve! Hellraiser-2022-Lament-Configuration-Boxes-Explained-Featured. The ...

After a new Configuration is solved and the Cenobites claim a new victim, the puzzle changes shape automatically, presenting a new challenge to the owner. Finally, once all five sacrifices are offered to the Cenobites, the box takes the shape of a diamond, or The Leviathan Configuration, a representation of “power.” Each shape of the puzzle box corresponds to a Configuration. The Lament Configuration Box is a cubic puzzle that people need to solve to summon the Cenobites. The cut marks the person to be hunted by the Cenobites, and the only way to get out alive is to stab another person with the puzzle. [Hellraiser](https://collider.com/tag/hellraiser/) brings Pinhead (Jamie Clayton) back to torment a new cast of characters who get involved with the Lament Configuration Box.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "Them"

'Hellraiser' 2022 Review: Jamie Clayton Brings an Uncanny Intensity ... (Them)

For queer horror fans in particular, the diminishing returns of the series felt like a case of missed potential: original creator Clive Barker was one of the ...

As portrayed by Jamie Clayton, Pinhead is somewhere between a cherub and a demon, almost like the androgynous Lucifer of Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ. Though the setting is contemporary, the new Hellraiser is in many ways a welcome return to the roots of the series, with the Cenobites depicted as something truly beyond our world. Clive Barker’s original novella, The Hellbound Heart, on which the first Hellraiser film was based, serves as a more direct inspiration for the 2022 remake than any of the previous films.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "EW.com"

What the hell is going on at the end of the new <em>Hellraiser</em>? (EW.com)

Here's what the end of the new Hellraiser movie on Hulu means and how it sets up a sequel.

I feel like I speak for our whole team, and this is everything, the SFX, the VFX, the production design, we learned a lot on this and I think it certainly is tempting coming out of it to think we'd have an amazing grip on it going forward, should there be an energy and an appetite for it." Certainly, Bruckner is enthusiastic about the notion of making a second film if Hellraiser 2022 proves a hit with audiences. It felt like what to me was in the spirit of Hellraiser was a degree of invention and a commitment to showing them something that they haven't quite seen before. And what exactly is the fate of It is likely this deity who is responsible for Voight's transformation and it is also likely that they are turning him into a new Cenobite. In Barker's franchise-inaugurating 1987 film Hellraiser, the Cenobites are clad in leatherware, a clothing choice inspired by the writer-director's own visits to S&M clubs.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "Collider.com"

'Hellraiser': How Does the Reboot Compare to the Original? (Collider.com)

Now that Hellraiser is on Hulu, it is time to discuss which version better captures the horror of The Hellbound Heart and the Cenobites.

While even the original Hellraiser has a straightforward horror story, the movie became part of our collective nightmare due to the stylish design of the Cenobites and the bone-chilling acting of Doug Bradley as the Hell Priest, the villain popularly known as Pinhead. The reboot does not aim to remake what was done before, but to push the franchise in a new direction. And the visual design of the Cenobites, the puzzle box, and the Labyrinth dimension all echo Barker’s original vision. If we think about the novel adaptation alone, the original Hellraiser is miles ahead of the reboot. [Hellraiser](https://collider.com/tag/hellraiser/) quickly became one of the most influential horror movies of the 1980s, spawning a profitable franchise of movies, comic books, and merchandising. The reason is simple: the new movie doesn’t try to copy The Hellbound Heart.

Hellraiser Movies Ranked from Worst to Best (Den of Geek)

The Hellraiser franchise has such sights to show us! But some are worth seeing more than others.

Bloodline goes on to trace the LeMarchand curse from the past, to present day, and finally to the distant future in outer space, where a descendent of its inventor has created a spaceship to trap and banish the Cenobites. Even without skin, hell, maybe even because she’s without skin, Julia oozes malicious sex appeal as she gets revenge on Kirsty and especially Frank (Sean Chapman,) the cowardly ex-boyfriend who jilted her for an eternity in exquisite torment. This definitely seemed like a run of the mill thriller they slapped a little leather and blood onto to call it a Hellraiser movie. The movie unfortunately becomes a very rote slasher by the time it goes to space. This is part Hellraiser story, part Jacob’s Ladder ripoff, particularly in the last act. A prequel and a sequel, the fourth movie in the series is the most ambitious of the franchise. At first glance, this appeared to be a homecoming of sorts with Ashley Laurence returning as the original Hellraiser final girl, Kirsty Cotton. When the film license for Hellraiser was about to expire at the beginning of the last decade, Dimension Films slammed this failure into production in a matter of weeks. But as soon as the truth is revealed, we also learn Kirsty is unhinged herself, having made a deal with Pinhead before she was banished to death. It’s just as lazy as the writing in the screenplay of this nihilistic, direct-to-video tale starring a former MTV veejay (Kari Wuher) as a reporter traveling to Bucharest to “investigate” a cult of Pinhead worshippers. Meanwhile Henry Cavill (Batman v Superman, The Witcher) appears in one of his earliest performances. [Clive Barker](https://www.denofgeek.com/clive-barker/)’s gruesome, twisted psychosexual 1987 horror film, [Hellraiser](https://www.denofgeek.com/hellraiser/).

Post cover
Image courtesy of "Salon"

How "Hellraiser" director David Bruckner resurrected a classic by ... (Salon)

How "Hellraiser" director David Bruckner resurrected a classic by swapping desire for the hunger of addiction.

And part of what's terrifying about them is that they have come back to us and stand here on the threshold and are the reaching out to you. The world felt bigger than that, and we didn't want to boil anything down to that to anything that specific. And we have such a different understanding of gender identity today in 2022, than back when the film first came out. We started to push body modification a little bit further, we started to ask ourselves questions of what if we thought about the Cenobites not being tethered to an earthly subculture, but having been unchained, so to speak, having the freedom to really explore their pursuits, in ways that we hadn't thought about. But it contains a kind of dread, and a kind of a yearning for responsibility and growth. One was the fact that in the original, there's that whole idea of them having these almost the monastic robes. You have a version of Pinhead and the female Cenobite. So it wasn't just a metaphor for pleasure, desire, identity, whatever you're seeking when you open this thing, but that it was also could be translated into a doorway to the extremity of any human pursuit. There's a lot of pressure to create "likable" characters, and I put it in quotes because likability is not my favorite term, and it doesn't necessarily have anything to do with empathy. I would argue that Julia is the protagonist of the original film: You're on a journey alongside her where you're trying to decide whether you want to reconstitute your dead, would-be lover, who happens to be the brother of your husband – who is coming together in the attic in this really gruesome way. And so it was a little bit later that I discovered the series and . I'm wondering how much of that aspect of it translated into the script for the 2022 version?

Post cover
Image courtesy of "Den of Geek"

How Hellraiser (2022) Changes the Lore of the Original (Den of Geek)

Hulu's Hellraiser reboot makes some devilish changes to the lore that Clive Barker established in his 1987 cult classic horror movie.

One of the positives of the 2022 version of Hellraiser is it does away the muddied confusion as to whether the Cenobites’ Labyrinth is Hell in the Judeo-Christian sense, or if it’s simply a nightmarish parallel universe. It’s implied that all of the Cenobites were created in a similar fashion. Only those who’ve succeeded at feeding six victims to the box like Voight and Riley get the privilege, nay the pleasure, of Cenobite-hood. In that flick, Laurence was brought back for the first time since the ‘80s to throw Kirsty’s character under the bus. The original Hellraiser movies were actually far more bizarre and esoteric in their structure, despite delving into much of the same ‘80s slasher imagery as the later Nightmare on Elm Street movies (also in Barker’s movies, it’s the young people outliving the adults). But as she realizes what has happened, Pinhead appears to her repeatedly to bargain, even bending the rules to encourage Riley to keep playing, sometimes by letting her sacrifice a fellow Cenobite to the box, and sometimes by allowing her to pick a secondary victim by blood sacrifice after Voight gets in the way. In that film and its source material, one of the characters accidentally bleeds on the spot where Frank was abducted by the Cenobites, as well as where his last drop of semen landed. We later discover that the Leviathan-shaped puzzle box we saw at the beginning of the movie is the Lament Configuration’s final form. Rather than a perfectly cube-shaped box, it has an almost hourglass figure, and to solve its riddle, Joey must twist it closer to the shape of a diamond… Hellraiser (2022) is a different story entirely, one loosely about the destructive allure of addiction, and the lingering scars and regret it leaves behind. The flesh of Pinhead’s victims is not the only thing that’s bent in surprising and unnatural shapes. All the trailers and ads tease of familiar sensations, and suggest that we’re going back to the original source material for [Clive Barker](https://www.denofgeek.com/clive-barker/)’s twisted mingling of pleasure and pain, dominance and submission.

Post cover
Image courtesy of "Ready Steady Cut"

Hellraiser review - a return to form for the franchise (Ready Steady Cut)

This review of the Hulu film Hellraiser 2022, directed by David Bruckner does not contain spoilers or any significant plot points.

That being said, this film clearly holds the 1987 film in very high regard and comes closest to capturing its spirit than any other film in the franchise, so fans will likely be pleased. This new Hellraiser follows recovering addict Riley McKendry as she attempts to discover the truth behind her brother’s disappearance and the role a mysterious puzzle box played in it. Goyer](https://bleedingcool.com/movies/hellraiser-reboot-writer-calls-film-terrifying/). This wasn’t some campy slasher where some faceless goon hunted down sex-crazed teens, nor was it about some family trying to survive a haunted house–which were essentially the two types of horror films in the 80s. [Clive Barker’s ](https://screenrant.com/hellraiser-movies-clive-barker-rights-regained-franchise-future/) [Hellraiser](https://screenrant.com/hellraiser-movies-clive-barker-rights-regained-franchise-future/) came out in 1987, it was immediately recognized as a different breed of horror film. [The Night House](https://readysteadycut.com/2021/08/23/the-night-house-review-a-slow-burn-ghost-thriller-that-ultimately-leads-to-nothing/) director [David Bruckner](https://bloody-disgusting.com/exclusives/3734931/clive-barker-interview-exclusive-conversation-hellraiser/) helmed the reboot from a script penned by [Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski](https://www.creativescreenwriting.com/sex-death-puzzles-ben-collins-luke-piotrowski-on-hellraiser/), from a story by The Dark Knight‘s [David S.

Explore the last week