Original horror films have a way of being more than high body counts, blood splatter, and spilling guts. The best ones act as social commentary, while others offer a glimpse into a world only a few can understand. So the subsequent sequels that lose sight of what made the franchise so great are of concern. Of course, some live on to be great. But for the Hellraiser franchise, it didn’t live up to expectations and got worse with every new installment. Luckily, in the age of reboots, a franchise can find new life and a new audience. And David Bruckner’s Hellraiser unlocks the puzzle that’s perplexed the franchise for so long by going back to its roots and exploring S&M through the lens of horror.
Hellraiser follows Riley (Odessa A’zion), a recovering drug addict living with her brother Matt (Brandon Flynn), Matt’s boyfriend Colin (Adam Faison), and another roommate (Selina Lo). Matt is concerned that Riley could slip because she’s in a relationship with another addict, Trevor (Drew Starkey). Eventually, Matt and Riley have a heated disagreement about the latter’s well-being, forcing her to move out and engage in criminal activity with Trevor. That’s when Trevor tells Riley about a shipping container of expensive art that they could fence. The art turns out to be a mysterious puzzle box called Lament Configuration.
Trevor and Riley don’t know what it is, but that doesn’t stop the latter from curiously playing with it. But, of course, what happens next is a series of unfortunate events. First, solving the puzzle means summoning the demonic (or angelic) Cenobites. These are beings from another dimension with horrible, painful-looking disfigurations and multiple piercings. And they share the joys of their pains with those who solve the puzzle box. Soon, those within Riley’s circle are also drawn into the mystery, with Matt being the first victim as the box wounds him, thus summoning a Cenobite to capture him.
Believing that it is her fault, Riley goes on a mission to find Matt, which takes her to the estate of the wealthy Richard Voight (Goran Višnjić). She discovers Voight’s interest in the box and summoning these demons there.
Based on Clive Barker’s “The Hellbound Heart,” Bruckner’s vision of “Hellraiser” goes back to its roots of what made the original so great. Although it explores some new ground and expands the mythology, it retreads some familiarity, making it somewhat lackluster. Yes, the Cenobites are a walking dichotomy of pure grotesqueness and alluring beauty. And no one embodies that division better than Pinhead (Jamie Clayton, our first female Pinhead). She moves gracefully and does things to herself, like pulling a pin out of her head that makes our muscle tense up in fear. Yet, the evil is there, slowly pulsating outward as she walks closer to her helpless victims who can’t escape her reach. And when she asks questions, your answers for salvation are futile. When she commands, you had better deliver. At this point, we should already know why.
Clayton’s presence is beautiful and commands respect. The pins on her head, the bone-chilling dead eyes, and the ominous distorted voice run chills down your spine. She speaks of giving one pleasure through pain and salvation through agony. This Pinhead enjoys taking her time drawing out that misery by slowly and excruciatingly delivering it to those who have yet to feel what they feel. Of course, because sharing is caring, she lets fellow Cenobites, like the Chitterer, in on some of the action. Best of all, she isn’t trying to copy Doug Bradley’s iconic performance of the original Pinhead. Instead, the actor is making it her own. Not only does this help distinguish the two versions, but it adds a layer of complexity.
The rest of the Cenobites are just as frightening to look at. While the spirits of the original characters use leather, piercings and chains are all there. However, they’ve been given a more modern-day update that celebrates their painful disfigurements and S&M culture. Though the leather isn’t much of a factor, characters use peeled-back skin to reveal many blood-soaked muscle fibers and bones. And the piercings are not just there to shine a light on the makeup and costuming. They are also an effective tool to use on their victims.
And what works about this delivery is how it is viewed through the eyes of Riley. Because she’s a recovering addict, no one can trust what she sees or says, even if the Cenobites are real. As such, when the other victims see them, they experience the sensations of being high for themselves and parallel Riley’s feelings. Except, now it all is painful, or maybe it’s pleasurable. Whatever the case may be, it doesn’t end well for some of the characters who may have had Riley’s best interest but end up being another victim.
Using Riley’s addiction as a plot device is a good setup for the main story, but it requires its characters to walk some familiar ground. We already know how they are drawn to a box begging to be opened – and get frustrated when they express that it should never have been opened in the first place. Of course, that is a lazy trope but one that is unavoidable, given the MacGuffin’s nature and the film’s premise. So we are bound to characters opening the box despite the multiple warnings and our knowledge of the franchise’s mythology. And yet, we get to experience that through a different lens. One that feels a little more modern and welcomes representation by having its first female Pinhead.
And just as Pinhead takes her sweet time, “Hellraiser” moves along rather slowly. Again, this is done to out the intensity and scares of some of the stalking sequences. Even the characters being pulled into the alternate realities feels stretched out both in time and from a visual standpoint – and you’ll see how the camera stretches and warps certain spaces and rooms.
Though this “Hellraiser” has sex and torture, it isn’t nearly as kinky as the ones that came before it. Sure, there are a few parallels of the S&M culture in the characters’ designs and methods of killing, but it is nowhere near as intense as the original. One would think this new “Hellraiser” could push the boundaries on what the original was known for in a modern-day setting with the cinematic violence and sex, given that it is being released on Hulu.
While all horror franchises have their good and bad sequels, “Hellraiser” is the one to have endured the longest run of terrible subsequent follow-ups, with each one being worst than the last. But what Bruckner’s Hellraiser does so well is that it goes back to the franchise’s roots and has a lead character – the supporting ones in this are fine but don’t add much – and a story that we can connect with. In addition, the film makes excellent use of Riley’s addiction to address how our choices impact those around us and then links those themes to Riley’s arc.
Whatever the case, this “Hellraiser” is an excellent addition to the franchise, one that fans of the original can welcome with open arms, and newer fans will be interested in seeing it expand. Because, as we’ve all seen before, someone is bound to be interested in opening the box again.
7/10.
