Rumors of a Hellraiser remake have been circling for years now, but as plans have been consistently falling through, fans have only had the “pleasure” of seeing sequel after sequel – the last four of which have gone straight to home video. Hell, the last (awful) sequel didn’t even have Doug Bradley playing the titular torturer, and honestly, with such disgraceful sequels being churned out at an alarming rate, I was finding it hard to even care about a full-fledged remake of the original.
Of course, the keyword there is “was,” as Clive Barker has decided to jump back in the fire and script the long-anticipated remake. Taking to his personal Facebook page, Barker revealed the following:
A few weeks ago I had a very productive meeting with Bob Weinstein of Dimension Pictures, in the course of which I pitched a remake of the first HELLRAISER film,” he revealed. “Today I have officially been invited to write the script based upon that pitch.
What can I tell you about it? Well, it will not be a film awash with CGI. I remain as passionate about the power of practical make-up effects as I was when I wrote and directed the first HELLRAISER.
Oh Clive, you know how to say all the right things, don’t you?
If there was ever a time to be excited about another Hellraiser movie, this would be it. For those of you not caught up on your horror trivia, it was Clive Barker who both wrote and directed the original film back in 1987 (based on his own novella), and it’s since become one of the most iconic cult horror films the genre has to offer. There’s a reason the franchise spans nine films, and that very reason is Barker’s critically acclaimed original.
Barker went on to explain his remake will have a “fresh intensity,” and will supposedly be even “darker and richer” than his original – which is a pretty big challenge. It’s hard to imagine these S&M demons, the Cenobites, being even darker and meaner than before, as they were already pretty devilish, especially Pinhead himself.
Played by Doug Bradley, Pinhead became one of the most famous horror icons of all time, torturing victims while looking like a giant pincushion, but with updated filmmaking techniques, I can’t help but think Barker’s remake will be something comparable to Fede Alvarez’s Evil Dead remake – prettier, bigger, more vibrant, and brutally unforgiving. Oh yeah, and two thumbs up for practical effects. Any horror film that attempts to use only CGI has no idea what makes the horror genre so damn fun, and is essentially shooting itself in the foot.
But, as I’ve stated, Doug Bradley was not part of the most recent Hellrasier sequel, so there are questions surrounding his participation in a remake. If it’s up to Barker though, Bradley will be back.
I told the Dimension team that in my opinion there could never be a Pinhead without Doug Bradley, and much to my delight Bob Weinstein agreed.
I don’t have to explain why we need Doug back, right? Please, Doug Bradley, if you’re reading this, get back with Clive and restore the Hellraiser name – your fans are counting on you!
While there are no names being mentioned concerning a director just yet, let’s wait and see if Barker doesn’t get behind the camera. It worked for the original Hellraiser, why not try it again?
Let’s not get greedy, though. For now, let’s just be happy that Barker is revamping his horror hit for modern audiences, and let’s hope that a whole new generation discovers the kinky, gory tendencies of the Cenobites – rebooting Hellraiser with a much more fitting franchise entry.
So what do you think, will Barker be able to bring us a remake worthy of Pinhead’s legacy?
