Ready for a new puzzle?
“Hellraiser,” a new take on the immortal 1987 Clive Barker classic (itself based on one of Barker’s more memorably macabre stories), is headed to Hulu in October as part of the streaming service’s Halloween line-up. And a terrifying new trailer has just debuted.
The trailer moodily establishes the return of some of the most iconic elements from “Hellraiser,” including (but not limited to) the insidious puzzle box and the appearance of Pinhead and an inter-dimensional demon (this time played by “Sense 8” standout Jamie Clayton). Instead of a straight remake of the 1987 original, the new movie concerns a recovering addict (Odessa A’zion) who takes possession of the original puzzle box and must try to figure out the mysteries behind it. Talk about fighting your demons!
Development on a proper “Hellraiser” sequel has been going on since at least 2007, with several sets of filmmakers attempting to update the property after years of being held hostage by Bob Weinstein’s Dimension Films. (Oftentimes he would produce a wholly unrelated horror movie and insert Pinhead into it during post-production for a couple of scenes, just to retain the “Hellraiser” license.)
This new “Hellraiser” reboot was finally brought to life from the “Night House” team of director David Bruckner and screenwriters Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski (producer David S. Goyer has a “story by” credit stemming from an earlier iteration of the screenplay). Barker’s “The Hellbound Heart” once again serves as inspiration.
Somewhat unsurprisingly, the less you know about this new “Hellraiser” the better, but the trailer does a good job of shrouding the storyline (and, obviously, much of the gore) in shadow. If you’re worried about being spoiled, even if you’ve seen the trailer, there are still plenty of surprises.
“Hellraiser” hits Hulu on October 7.
