Streaming Service: Hulu
Movie Name/Year: Hellraiser (2022)
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Length: 2h 1min
Rating: R
Production/Distribution: 20th Century Studios, 247Hub, Phantom Four
Films, Spyglass Media Group, Hulu
Director: David Bruckner
Writers: Ben Collins, Luke Piotrowski,
David S. Goyer, Clive Barker
Actors: Jamie Clayton, Odessa A’zion,
Goran Vidnjic, Selina Lo, Hiam Abbass, Brandon Flynn, Drew Starkey, Jason Liles,
Aoife Hinds
IMDb Blurb: A take on Clive Barker's 1987
horror classic where a young woman struggling with addiction comes into
possession of an ancient puzzle box, unaware that its purpose is to summon the
Cenobites.
Cat’s Point of View:
Where do I even begin? When the original Hellraiser (1987) hit theaters, it was a big deal. The visuals from the trailers and
posters promised some good scary fun and horror skirting the edge of taboo. Of
course, at that time I still wasn’t allowed to watch R-rated movies, so I had
to wait until much later to actually experience Hellraiser. The image of “Pinhead,” as the ‘lead Cenobite’ has forever
been dubbed, and became enmeshed in pop culture so that it was inescapable even
without seeing the whole film. You could say I was on pins and needles in
anticipation of watching the franchise. (I couldn’t help it.)
It would be fair to say the same was relevant now, as Selina
and I both listed this new Hellraiser
as our #5 pick on October’s Top 20 list.
While some of the subsequent sequels weren’t necessarily as
well-received, Hellraiser left a huge
impact on the horror genre. That shouldn’t have been much of a surprise, since
the source of the story came from the mind of one of the masters of horror, Clive
Barker (The Midnight Meat Train, Candyman,
Hellbound Laments). It was his novella, Hellbound
Heart, which started it all. I’ve enjoyed his work and was happy to hear
that this new incarnation of Hellraiser
was returning closer to text than the prior iterations.
How so, you might wonder? It turns out that Barker really
hasn’t loved the moniker that audiences have given his precisely-pinned
purveyor of taboo and hellish “delights.” Thus, “Pinhead” has been rebranded a
bit as the Hell Priest, or simply “The Priest.”
Another change-up came in the
form of casting for this central character. I’ve heard mixed reactions to the
fact that the new incarnation of the role went to Jamie Clayton (The Snowman, Sense8, Designated Survivor).
Let me tell you, though; she did a phenomenal job with the part. In Barker’s
original story, the Hell Priest was portrayed as a bit of an androgynous being
with a somewhat feminine voice. Clayton nailed it. (Pun intended.) For those up
in arms about the choice, just keep in mind that the original actor for
Pinhead, Doug Bradley (Book of Blood,
Howard Lovecraft and the Frozen Kingdom, Dota: Dragon's Blood), went on
Twitter to praise Clayton’s performance and show his support.
Finally, the aesthetic of the Cenobites
got a bit of an update. Director David Bruckner (The Signal, The Ritual, The Night House) worked with Barker on some
of these concepts for the film. They decided that the slick BDSM wear that we’re
accustomed to seeing these otherworldly beings wear has become more mainstream
these days, so wouldn’t deliver the same horror or shock factor that it did
back when this franchise originally launched. Instead, this new Hellraiser gives us a vision of beings
that truly take pleasure in pain and suffering.
Bruckner is a prime example of
why we continue to relish diving into horror anthologies when they present
themselves -- such as ABCs of Death
(2012) or V/H/S (2012). Bruckner, in
fact, directed the segment titled “The
Accident” in the first V/H/S. You
never know when a really promising director will pop up. I’m actually excited
that he’s reported to be involved with the production of the upcoming V/H/S/85, which was just recently
announced to land on Shudder in 2023. I
digress…
I really enjoyed how the story
for this new Hellraiser played out.
There were twists and turns as the infamous puzzle box of pain wreaked havoc
upon the unsuspecting. I couldn’t even begin to list the elements of the
production that really had me giddy, as it would be awash with spoilers. Hellraiser continued to pose the question
of how far someone would go to get what they wanted, and also the choices made
when given the opportunity. If you dig deep, you’d find questions of morality,
lessons on being careful about what you wish for, and much more – but that’s not
really why we watch these movies, right? It’s the body horror and slasher
thrills that tend to draw the box office, but I can’t help but like the
intellectual side of it, too.
Odessa A’zion’s (Nashville, Am I OK?, Good Girl Jane)
character, Riley, had a compelling story as the primary protagonist. I was
invested in her struggle as she fought her own personal demons even before she
had to take on literal ones. Her experience with the cursed puzzle box was
quite the rollercoaster.
I’m actually excited to see where
this franchise goes from here.
You can find Hellraiser streaming on Hulu. Its October release this year was
well-timed as a great addition to this spooky season's Halloween watch lists.
Rotten
Tomatoes Critic Score – 67%
Rotten
Tomatoes Audience Score – 64%
Metascore – 56%
Metacritic
User Score – 6.1/10
IMDB
Score – 6.2/10
Trust
the Dice: Cat’s Rating – 4/5
Movie
Trailer:
No comments:
Post a Comment