We have such sights to show you. Or at least we will, when Hellraiser comes to TV.
Deadline has just announced that the classic Clive Barker horror property will be adapted as a television show. They’re reporting that producers Roy Lee (IT) and Dan Farah (Ready Player One) have teamed up with rights holders Lawrence Kuppin, David Salzman and Eric Garden in an attempt to make the franchise the next big thing in horror TV.
The series began in Clive Barker’s disturbing 1986 novella The Hellbound Heart, which tells the tale of Frank Cotton, a hedonist seeking the ultimate erotic experience. To this end, he tracks down a puzzle box known as the Lemarchand Configuration. Solving this puzzle will apparently open a portal to a dimension populated by creatures who can deliver the ultimate sensual experience. Unfortunately for Cotton, though, what lies on the other side are the Cenobites, sexless monsters who describe themselves as “explorers in the further regions of experience. Demons to some. Angels to others.” Let’s just say it doesn’t end well for him.
The property is best known for the movie series, which kicked off in 1987 with the Clive Barker-directed Hellraiser. The film followed the novella’s plot relatively closely, becoming a cult hit and cementing Pinhead as an iconic horror presence.
Right now, we have no word on what Barker’s involvement will be, but it’s reported that this new adaptation will develop the mythology established in the movies to tell a new set of stories. This could mean an anthology show centered around various unfortunate mortals fatally tangling with the Cenobites or perhaps an ongoing narrative in which we follow a group of characters caught up in their machinations. Right now, the producers are searching for a showrunner and are hoping to pitch it at one of the major streaming networks.
Whatever this Hellraiser series proves to be, the unique combination of sadomasochism, grotesque imagery and interdimensional menace should make it stand out from the crowd. Personally, I can’t wait to see what nightmare crawls out of this extremely promising deal.
