Hellraiser 2022: Release date, trailer, cast, plot & more
HuluHere’s everything we know about this year’s Hellraiser reboot, from its release date and trailer, to cast, plot, whether there’ll be a Hellraiser 2, and other details.
Originally based on The Hellbound Heart novella, Clive Barker launched the Hellraiser franchise back in 1987. Pinhead’s poster grimace suggested another run-of-the-mill, supernatural slasher, but the first film was a one-time flash of sadomasochistic madness.
It spawned nine sequels, of which there’s two worth watching: Hellbound: Hellraiser II, more of a horror adventure than its predecessor; and Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth, the first step into bargain-bin obscurity for the series which also happens to feature one of the best Cenobites, CD.
Their quality aside, the sequels proved one thing: the Lament Configuration’s suffering is doomed to repeat itself, and later this year, Hellraiser will return.
Hellraiser 2022 release date: When is it coming out?
The Hellraiser reboot has a release date of October 7, 2022. Hellraiser will debut on Hulu in the US.
Unfortunately, plans for UK distribution still haven’t been announced at the time of writing. While many suspected it would drop on Disney+, it has since been confirmed that it won’t be a Disney+ release.
Hellraiser 2022 trailer: Is there a trailer, and where can I watch it?
Yes, there is a trailer for Hellraiser, and you can watch it below:
The film recently received its MPAA age rating. To the shock of nobody, it’s been rated R for “strong bloody horror violence and gore, language throughout, some sexual content, and brief graphic nudity.”
We’ll update this space once the trailer drops online.
Hellraiser 2022 cast: Who’s playing Pinhead, and who else is in it?
Sense8 and Designated Survivor star Jamie Clayton is playing Pinhead in the Hellraiser reboot. The iconic role was first brought to life by Doug Bradley, who left the franchise after Hellraiser: Hellworld.
Alongside Clayton, the film also stars Odessa A’zion as Riley, Brandon Flynn, Goran Visnjic, Drew Starkey, Adam Faison, Aoife Hinds, Selina Lo, and Hiam Abbass, all in undisclosed roles.
The reboot is directed by David Bruckner, who earlier helmed The Night House, The Ritual, and segments of V/H/S and Southbound. Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski have penned the script, with Clive Barker and David S. Goyer serving as producers.
As for new Cenobites, only one has been revealed: The Mask. “The Mask is one of my favorite Cenobites and it’s just a tease of really what’s to come as far as the Cenobites are concerned,” Bruckner told Entertainment Weekly.
Hellraiser 2022 plot: What will the reboot be about?
The synopsis for the Hellraiser reboot reads: “In this reimagining of Clive Barker’s seminal Hellraiser franchise, a young woman must confront the sadistic, supernatural forces behind an enigmatic puzzle box responsible for her brother’s disappearance.”
Here’s a quick explainer of Hellraiser: there’s a puzzle box called the Lament Configuration. When completed, it opens a door to a realm beyond pain and pleasure, where you’ll come face to face with extra-dimensional beings who specialize in suffering, known as Cenobites. “Explorers in the further regions of experience. Demons to some, angels to others,” as Pinhead says.
Plot details are relatively slim, bar the inclusion of Pinhead. In a statement, Barker said the reboot will “pay homage” to the original while having never-before-seen scale.
“Having seen some of the designs from David Bruckner’s new Hellraiser film, they pay homage to what the first film created, but then take it to places it’s never been before,” he said, as per Variety.
“This is a Hellraiser on a scale that I simply didn’t expect. David and his team are steeped in the story’s mythology, but what excites me is their desire to honor the original even as they revolutionize it for a new generation.”
Goyer, who worked on The Dark Knight trilogy, earlier described the film to Bloody Disgusting as “terrifying and amazing” with “jaw-dropping” Cenobites.
Hellraiser 2: Will there be a sequel?
While Hellraiser 2 hasn’t been confirmed at the time of writing, Bruckner is keen to return for another chapter.
“Should the fans and the movie gods allow, I would love that idea,” he said.
“Hellraiser is a unique challenge, I think, for a group of filmmakers because, you know, it could be a guy in a mask, but it’s not, it’s inter-dimensional demons that shoot chains at you from an endless labyrinth.
“It’s complicated and not just conceptually but also logistically. I feel like I speak for our whole team, the SFX, the VFX, the production design, we learned a lot on this. It is tempting to think we’d have an amazing grip on it going forward, should there be an energy and an appetite for it.”
You can read our review of Hellraiser here.
We’ll update this article upon further announcements.