Director David Bruckner is set to raise a bit of hell in two days’ time, adding on to 2022’s arguably historic horror slate with Hellraiser, a reboot of Clive Barker’s legendary franchise, seeking to put the series back on its feet after most of all the follow-ups to the original film fell flat.
In the film, actress Odessa A’zion portrays Riley McKendry, a young woman fighting addiction who happens upon a puzzle box. Little does she know that solving it will result in summoning the Cenobites, demonic beings who torture humans for their own sadism, to the earthly plane. As luck would have it, that’s exactly what happens, and the Cenobites, led by horror villain icon Pinhead (portrayed by Jamie Clayton) proceed to indulge in their macabre habits.
And it looks to be a home run, marking the second time this year that a down-and-out franchise has been given brand-new life thanks to fresh eyes (with Prey having done the same for the Predator franchise earlier this year). Indeed, Bruckner sounds to have crafted a reboot that captures the Hellraiser ethos in a way that arguably hasn’t been done since the franchise’s cinematic inception in 1987.
Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter, while not entirely sold on the film’s plotting, was more than happy to highlight the film’s visuals, unabashed relationship with gore, and Clayton’s performance as the first female Pinhead.
The new Hellraiser looks terrific (at least what you can see of it, it’s awfully dark), boasting a visual stylishness commensurate with its relatively large budget and the talents of its director David Bruckner, who, judging by this and the recent The Night House, is quickly establishing himself as a horror filmmaker to be taken seriously.
The Wrap‘s Dave White called the reboot an “elegant return” to Barker’s creation, praising the creative team’s ability to create one of this year’s most visually-striking marvels.
The assignment was “red flesh and raw meat, but make it fashion,” and their work is an elegant slam dunk.
And Patrick Cavanaugh of ComicBook.com was relieved to see that the Hellraiser franchise still has plenty of life left in it, given that the franchise carries a more extreme niche that, while making it less accessible to wider audiences, makes the people who do love it, really love it.
Hellraiser will never find the mass appeal of other franchises, but when it resonates with a viewer, it passionately resonates with them, which is what has kept faith in the franchise alive for all these decades. This new take on Hellraiser is just as gruesomely gorgeous as the best entries in the franchise and its narrative is engaging enough to keep us interested
Hellraiser will release on Hulu on Oct. 7. You can read our review here.
