The Hellraiser reboot is finally happening – and its casting of iconic villain Pinhead has got the internet talking. Doug Bradley memorably played the role of the Cenobite sadist in the first eight movies in the horror franchise, starting with the 1987 original. The upcoming Hulu remake, however, is set to star Sense8 and The L Word actress Jamie Clayton in the role, marking the first time the character has been played by a woman on film.
As always happens when a traditionally male role is recast as female, certain folks have gotten up in arms and complained. Here’s the thing, though. In this case, the Hellraiser remake is just returning to creator Clive Barker’s original intentions. The series is inspired by Barker’s novella The Hellbound Heart, in which the character who would become known as Pinhead was described as being of unknown gender, though there were hints they were female-presenting.
Those fans who knew what they were talking about, then, have hit back against the haters and defended Clayton’s casting, as well as expressing their own excitement for her portrayal, on social media.
Here’s an extract from the original novella, which proves Clayton is an “excellent choice”.
Folks are genuinely intrigued and excited.
What a waste of good suffering.
Some people need to do their research.
There was a female Pinhead in the comics, too. In fact, Barker’s BOOM! comic book series had series protagonist Kirsty become a Cenobite herself.
The Hellraiser remake, the eleventh entry in the franchise overall, comes from V/H/S director David Bruckner and the cast features Odessa A’zion, Brandon Flynn, Goran Visnjic, Drew Starkey, Adam Faison, Aoife Hinds, and Hiam Abbass alongside Clayton. Barker is on board as a producer. Filming has already wrapped, so with any luck, we should see it arrive on Hulu sometime in 2022.
