You know, I think it’s about time we raised some hell around here.
By which I mean, of course, that I’d like to talk about the Hellraiser franchise. Adapted from Clive Barker’s novella The Hellbound Heart, the first entry into the Hellraiser canon was the 1987 film of the same name, written and directed by Barker himself. The film, a surprise box office hit, went on to spawn nine sequels and one remake, and to become one of the most iconic horror franchises of the 20th century.
The films, broadly, follow a character encountering the a mysterious puzzlebox that brings forth Pinhead (played mostly by Doug Bradley) and his cohort of Cenobites, sadistic and masochistic creatures from hell who devote themselves to pushing the limits of experience – positively or otherwise. Drawing on BDSM aesthetics and a distinctive mixture of the organic and the industrial, the films straddle different planes of existence, meshing a gritty version of reality with the supernatural and almost religious presence of the Cenobites. As Pinhead introduces them in the first movie, “demons to some, angels to others”.
Though, unfortunately, the movies lean more to the demonic side of the equation, at least as far as critical response goes. The first few films, all of which came with Barker’s stamp of approval somewhere behind the scenes, are generally pretty well-considered, a unique and distinctly sensual series of stories that wiggle under the skin with the appropriate amount of discomfort. But Hellraiser is a franchise of almost legendary lows, behind the scenes and otherwise – Hellraiser: Bloodlines was subject to such ham-fisted reworking that director Kevin Yagher took his name off the final product, while Hellworld and Deader were rushed out concurrently to meet filming restrictions in Romania, and it showed, with both skipping a cinematic release to trudge to dreadful video reviews. The franchise reached an agreed-upon nadir with 2011’s dreadful Revelations, with even creator Clive Barker decrying it – “I have NOTHING to do with the fuckin’ thing. If they claim its from the mind of Clive Barker, it’s a lie. It’s not even from my butt-hole.”.
But despite the differing quality of the movies that make up this franchise, I find Hellraiser a really compelling series – because of how distinct it is from other horror franchises that have spanned a similar period. When you look at your Friday the 13ths or Nightmare on Elm Streets, there’s usually a pretty straightforward general shape that these narratives take; characters encounter the villain, the supporting cast gets killed off in a variety of inventive ways, and then they’re cast back to wherever they came from till the next sequel. That’s not a bad thing, exactly, but Hellraiser is a franchise that takes on so many different genres, for better or for worse – sitting down to watch a Hellraiser movie, you’re not guaranteed the same plot beats or setting or even genre that you had the last time. From the small-scale family horror of the original to the noirish psychological horror of Inferno to the blend of historical and sci-fi drama in Bloodlines, it’s a series that adapts uniquely well to different genres. What you get might not always be good, but it’s often hard to predict, and that makes for an interesting viewing experience.
The main thing that draws the stories together, of course, is Pinhead. It took me a while to really get Pinhead as a character, but on a recent rewatch of the series, it all fell into place for me, and a big part of that is Doug Bradley’s iconic performance in the role (along with Barker’s excellent writing for him in the initial movies). He’s not a wise-cracking villain like Freddie or some faceless predator like Michael, but a stately, commanding, elegant presence dripping with intrigue, as seductive as he is repulsive. He could so easily just be a stand-in representation of the hubris of human desire, but instead, he’s this figure of temptation who slots so well into so many different kinds of stories across different genres. Every time Bradley turns up in the role, I can’t help but punch the air; no other franchise lays claim to a villain as distinct as Pinhead (or the Cenobites at large, to be honest), and everything from the costume design to the performance oozes with purpose. Of the other actors to take on the role, Jamie Clayton in the 2022 remake is the only one to come close, capturing that sonorous presence beautifully even against the backdrop of a less-impressive entry to the canon.
While thing have been pretty quiet on the Hellraiser front since 2022, I really think this franchise would do well against the modern horror backdrop. The inherent flexibility of the premise gives it an adaptability that would keep it from feeling too stuck in the past, and its unique visual identity gives plenty of room for new creators to bring their own stamp to proceedings without losing the flavour of the original entirely. The themes of desire versus sacrifice are universal enough to adapt to a modern setting, and, frankly, if Jamie Clayton can come back as Pinhead, I’d be happy to see where the series could go from here.
For all its faults, Hellraiser is a fascinating franchise – and one that I’d love to see make a real return to form in the coming years. Do you think the series would work well in the 2020s, or is it better left in the past? Let me know in the comments below, and check out the other entries into our franchise fanatic series here!
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By Lou MacGregor
(header image via Bloody Disgusting)
No But Listen 