Hellraiser – Review
121 Minutes, Rated R
Written by Ben Collins, Luke Piotrowski, and David S Goyer
Directed by David Bruckner
**NOTE: Read Mark’s review below, then listen as he and Ryan discuss the film (along with last week’s horror release, Smile) in more depth.**
Synopsis:
A young woman struggling with addiction comes into possession of an ancient puzzle box, unaware that its purpose is to summon the Cenobites, a group of sadistic supernatural beings from another dimension.
Clive Barker’s original Hellraiser spawned 9 sequels. Nine? What is this, Friday the 13th?
Anyway, after years in development limbo, horror fans are finally getting a sequel/reboot, this time showing up on Hulu.
Full disclosure time: I’m fairly certain I didn’t watch any of the original films in full after Hellraiser 2, though I may have caught snippets of Hellraiser in Space… what was that one? Four?
Regardless, I’ll also admit that I was hesitant enough about this simply because it seems to be de rigeur in Hollywood right now to take a popular, existing IP and reboot it badly. Horror being perceived as the easiest genre to do this to because it’s all just blood and scares, right?
Well, I think if you’re a fan of the first two Hellraiser films, you will probably be okay with this movie. Sure, they toy with the rules of the box a bit (micro), but they also try to expand the way the box functions on a macro level, as well, which is interesting, if not necessarily 100% true to the spirit of the originals.
Think of the 2022 Hellraiser this way: much as the 2013 Evil Dead wasn’t a reboot or direct sequel, this Hellraiser is more like another tale in the universe in which the puzzle boxes exist.
So, if you can look at it from that point of view, then you will probably be okay watching this version.
It’s nice to see what else can happen in a world you think you know, so long as it’s done withing the bounds of what has come before (taking into account logical –key word– extensions of those boundaries).
Also, I would be remiss if I didn’t point out a flaw in the film’s marketing. They’ve been pushing the fact that Pinhead will be portrayed by a woman (which is true, and completely okay), but if you go into this film expecting Pinhead to be a major player throughout the film, you may be disappointed a bit.
She’s not a 2-minute cameo or anything, but her screen time is hardly as impressive as even Hellraiser 2, nor does she seem to occupy the position of extreme authority within the Cenobites often granted by the fans to Doug Bradley’s incarnation.
You have been warned.
Overall, Hellraiser (2022) is an enjoyable enough watch, holding itself together despite its dependence on more classic horror tropes than the original films did.
[Listen to Mark and Ryan discuss the film in depth for more on that.]
Hellraiser will release exclusively on Hulu October 7 and stars Odessa A’zion, Jamie Clayton, Adam Faison, Drew Starkey, Brandon Flynn, Aoife Hinds, Jason Liles, Yinka Olorunnife, Selina Lo, Zachary Hing, Kit Clarke, with Goran Visnjic, and Hiam Abbass.
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