MOVIE REVIEW – Jamie Clayton is the new Pinhead in director David Bruckner‘s reimagining, which takes a departure from the original series and revives it as a brand new reboot. Once again titled Hellraiser, the film brings brand new characters, conflicts and Cenobites to the universe originally conceived by Clive Barker, who also directed the first film.

In the eleventh film in the Hellraiser franchise, a recovering alcoholic and drug addict, Riley (Odessa A’zion), steals and unlocks a mysterious “rubik’s cube” type infernal “toy” that summons sadomasochists from beyond the grave, led by their high priest Pinhead (Jamie Clayton). These mutilated “Cenobites” either drag Riley or someone he chooses – intentionally or not – into a supernatural dimension where torment and ecstasy are indistinguishable and last forever.

Now it’s up to Riley and his friend Trevor (Drew Starkey) to unravel the box’s mysteries and stop the Cenobites before they drag everyone into a perverse hell.

Twelve to a dozen?

Yes, it’s really hard to believe, but eleven Hellraisers have been made: this franchise may be one of the most famous and prolific horror film franchises. However, since Hellraiser, there has hardly been an episode that has been widely seen in cinemas – only Bloodline in 1996, but that was quickly dropped from the US offerings. The last six episodes were low-budget, DVD-only sequels that mostly ignored the mythology Clive Barker set up in the classic first part, which the first three sequels attempted to flesh out with mixed success. The six subsequent sequels were so weak that it is not worth saying more about them.

This new Hellraiser, directed by David Bruckner (The House of Night), is in many ways a return to the series. With a substantial budget, outstanding visuals (albeit not in cinemas, but on Hulu), impressive make-up effects, grotesque gore and a story that mostly works. It’s also a story that ignores all the previous episodes – even the good ones – and significantly changes the puzzle box’s rules, The Lament Configuration. Bruckner’s Hellraiser is clearly a reboot, unlike previous sequels or a possible remake.

The devil is in the detail

The changes that Bruckner’s reboot makes to the Hellraiser mythos give his film – and any future sequels – more scope. Lament Configuration was a modern-day Pandora’s box in Barker’s hands. All it takes is the desire to open it, even if you don’t know its contents, to transport its owner to a realm where pain and pleasure are inseparable. The original films, to varying degrees, are about temptation and desire, which Barker closely associated with BDSM, dressing his Cenobites in leather bondage gear.

In the new Hellraiser, Riley discovers that the puzzle box can be configured in a number of ways, and must decide whether to continue the process, either initially without knowing the consequences, or later because he believes it will provide him with supernatural rewards. It is surely no coincidence that Riley is involved in a 12-step programme at the beginning of the film, and that opening the puzzle box is a series of reversed steps that either leads him to ruin, makes his friends collateral damage, or ultimately gives him the opportunity to overcome his inner (and outer) demons. It is less about temptation and more about addiction.

The Cenobites in Bruckner’s Hellraiser are not wearing the original leather suits, as the latest film is not about perversion but a completely different physical experience.

More pleasure and less pain

Horror fans will no doubt enjoy much of the new Hellraiser. Visually, the film is utterly captivating and the acting is nothing to complain about. Jamie Clayton beautifully captures the essence of the iconic villain Pinhead while giving his demon a more aristocratic, elegant character. And the decision to make solving the puzzle box into a series of events means that certain characters in the film have to be killed off one by one, which gives the film a necessary rhythm and also allows the film to focus on the familiar iconography of the franchise.

That said, watching this structure mirror the simple slasher flicks that the better films in the series have mostly avoided in the past is a little painful. We see a series of deaths that eventually culminate in a big showdown, so the plot doesn’t bring too many surprises for the seasoned viewer.

The previous Hellraiser films were mostly about sadism and perversion and explored sexual themes using Clive Barker’s supernatural concepts. The attraction of horror and the exact same behaviour was indeed inseparable. Bruckner depicts Riley’s difficulties in recovery, but although the parallel between horror and addiction is clear, stylistically, he never manages to equate the two for the audience. Thus, while undoubtedly entertaining and beautifully executed, the Hellraiser reboot never reaches the aesthetic, psychological or philosophical heights of the best works in the series.

This Hell was worth revisiting

Compared to the cheap video and DVD sequels, Bruckner’s Hellraiser is a fine work, but it’s also roughly on par with the original theatrical films and the iconic first feature. While the story offered more depth than it eventually concluded, it’s still a solid Hellraiser movie.

The newest Hellraiser is a huge step forward for the franchise after over 20 years of low-budget, misbegotten sequels that were more and more oafish. Longtime fans of the franchise and newcomers alike will be pleased with Bruckner’s respectful, albeit heavily updated approach to the series and of course the entertainingly extreme violence.

-BadSector-