Movies
Horror 101: Pinhead, the Cenobites, and the Puzzling Nature of the Hellraiser Franchise
Everything you wanted to know about the Hellraiser franchise: who they are, where they came from, what they want, and how that funny little puzzle box plays into it. Hellraiser is a sprawling franchise with comics and short stories galore, beyond the massive scope of its 11 films. To simplify things, we’re sticking to the films, except for Hellraiser: Judgement, because it left on a cliffhanger that doesn’t make sense in continuity and most likely won’t be continued—obviously, spoilers for almost all the Hellraiser films. Let’s get into it!
Welcome back to Horror 101, a series of articles where we explain horror movie legends and their lore. For beginners, the confused, or just those who need a refresher, these articles are for you.
It’s been a popular topic recently: finding someone who matches your freak. And horror is full of them, just straight-up nasties whose limits of experimentation know no bounds. But who are the unmatched freaks? The unrivaled weirdos, not just in this world, but across all realities?
If Clive Barker is to be believed, it’s the Cenobites.
And today’s Horror 101 is all about the stars of the Hellraiser franchise: who they are, where they came from, what they want, and how that funny little puzzle box plays into it. Hellraiser is a sprawling franchise with comics and short stories galore, beyond the massive scope of its 11 films. To simplify things, we’re sticking to the films, except for Hellraiser: Judgement, because it left on a cliffhanger that doesn’t make sense in continuity and most likely won’t be continued—obviously, spoilers for almost all the Hellraiser films. Let’s get into it!
WHAT IS THE LAMENT CONFIGURATION?
Before we can explain what the Cenobites are, we need to explain the thing that summons them. Known as the Lament Configuration, Hellraiser’s iconic infernal invention is a puzzle box, that when solved opens a gateway between Hell and Earth, allowing the Cenobites free passage between the realms. This passage can only be closed by reverting the box to its original form.
The Lament Configuration was made by a man named Philip Lemarchand (because, as with all bad things, the French caused it). Hellraiser: Bloodline shows us that Lemarchand was commissioned by a French occultist, De L’Isle, who performed an intricate and bloody ritual to summon a demon. This unleashed Angelique, the first of the Cenobites. Lemarchand was struck with guilt and cursed, with his bloodline becoming dedicated to destroying the passage De L’Isle created, but more on that later.
Regardless of where it is in the franchise, the Lament Configuration is an artifact of terrifying power. The 2022 remake of Hellraiser shows the Lament Configuration in several other forms, each granting the user one wish. However, the wishes are a bit on the Monkey’s Paw side, as the film’s secondary antagonist Voight ends up wishing through the Sensation configuration for endless pleasure. He is of course given the Cenobites idea of endless pleasure: being made functionally immortal and implanted with an advanced mystical torture device that never relents.
WHAT ARE THE CENOBITES?
Speak of the devil, and you’ll inevitably have to explain his lore. The Cenobites, known as The Order of the Gash or Pinhead’s Gash for short, are an order of interdimensional demons whose perceptions of pain and pleasure are one in the same. These grotesque (if not stylish) beings are brutal and efficient torturers whose idea of a good time involves putting their victims through hell and dragging them back to their dark world.
Each Cenobite is brutally deformed, usually complete with flensed flesh, barbs and hooks, missing or deformed body parts, and bloodless pale skin. They also almost always wear leather outfits to fit their extreme BDSM ideals. On a textual level, the Cenobites and how they ravage people has always been an allegory for addiction (and in particular, sex addiction, but it expands as the series goes on and gets broader). They are beings stripped bare of anything but desire, and the extremes they’ll go to get what they want, and their aesthetics are tailor-made to match that.
WHERE DO THE CENOBITES COME FROM?
All Cenobites were once human, victims of the Lament Configuration that were chosen as priests by Leviathan due to a lack of faith or having a particularly cruel streak. We learn in Hellraiser II and III that they’re created by fusing a demonic spirit, completely amoral and chaotic killers, with a damned human spirit, whose ideas of structure and order allow the ruinous power to be focused and execute Leviathan’s commands.
WHAT DO THE CENOBITES WANT?
If their victim’s spirits escape Hell, however, they will endlessly hunt for them, and take out anyone in their path to get them back. Though their name would make them seem like a dark order of monks, they mostly act as jailers for the Hell they reside in. The Gash follows a structured hierarchy and destroys threats to that hierarchy with impunity. At the top of it all is the boss called Leviathan.
WHO IS PINHEAD?
Though the Cenobites of The Gash seem unrestrained in their merciless methods, every depiction of them shows them led by a head priest: Pinhead.
While the novella and subsequent stories don’t give much of an origin to Pinhead, we find out in Hellraiser 2 that he was once an English soldier named Elliot Spencer, who grew callous with life and began seeking new pleasures. Running into the Lament Configuration on his hedonistic journey, he was killed by the box and turned into Leviathan’s servant during World War 2. Since then, he has been such an icon of horror that you can’t have a Hellraiser without him.
…Or her, or they, or it! In the 2022 remake, Pinhead (just called The Priest) doesn’t have any of this backstory, and is portrayed by Jamie Clayton instead of a traditional male actor one would expect. This is overtly a nod by director David Bruckner to the fact that in the original novella, Pinhead is androgynous with some feminine traits (but is only referred to with the pronoun “it”). The story version is seemingly gender nonconforming, while all the press and discussion about the film indicates remake Pinhead as female.
All of this to say, at the end of the day, a Pinhead is a Pinhead regardless of gender, and this franchise would be way worse without him, her, or them.
HOW DO YOU DEFEAT THE CENOBITES?
While it’s seemingly impossible to destroy the Cenobites, they can actually be slowed down and even swayed to your side. The simplest method of getting away from them is to, of course, revert the puzzle box to its original form and send the Cenobites back to Hell. The Cenobites have on one occasion been reminded of their formerly human lives, and turned on Leviathan for making them that way. However, this was only a temporary armistice as Pinhead eventually returned to his wicked ways.
But the most surefire way to stop the cenobites is one of the franchise’s most controversial moments: going to space and boxing them up like a gift. Remember how earlier in the article I mentioned the Lemarchand bloodline trying to negate the effects of creating the box? The Lemarchand family repeatedly tried and failed to create a puzzle box to do so, known as the Elysium Configuration: a device that could produce an unending source of light that would shut the pathway made by the Lament.
This came to a head in 2172, during the events of Hellraiser: Bloodlines. After multiple attempts, Dr. Paul Merchant had designed a space station known as the Minos. When the cenobites went to space to hunt down Merchant, it was revealed the Minos was the Elysium Configuration, and he had lured them into a trap.
Since this is as far into the future of their universe as the story goes, Pinhead and his Gash were all (or will be in about 150 years, give or take) trapped in the Elysium Configuration satellite, constantly being blinded by eternal light.
Live by the puzzles, die by the puzzles.
…WHY CD-HEAD?
Why not CD-Head? Look at him!
He is perfect the way he is.
And that will be it for today’s Horror 101 lesson. See you in the next class, and stay tuned to Horror Press’s social media feeds (@HorrorPressLLC on Twitter and Instagram) for more content on horror movies, television, and everything in between!
My New Year’s resolution is to spend more time watching my favorite app. Luckily, Shudder is not taking it easy on us this holiday season, so I may meet my quota this January. The streamer is bringing in the new year with quite a few bangers. We have classics from icons, a new title from the first family of indie horror, and a couple of lesser-known films that have finally found a home. So, I am obviously living for this month’s programming and think most of you will too. I have picked the five films that I believe deserve our collective attention the most. Get into each of them and start your 2026 off on the right foot.
The Best Movies to Stream on Shudder This Month
Carrie (1976)
A sheltered teen finally unleashes her telekinetic powers after being humiliated for the last time. Carrie is the reason I thought proms might be cool when I was a kid. This Brian De Palma adaptation is one of my favorite Stephen King adaptations. It is also an important title in the good-for-her subgenre. I cannot help rooting for Carrie White (Sissy Spacek) when I watch her snap at this prom and then head home to accidentally deal with her mom. The only tragedy of this evening is that Carrie had to die, too. I said what I said, and I will be hitting play again while it is on Shudder. This recommendation goes out to the other recovering sheltered girls who would be the problem if they had powers. I see you because I am you.
You can watch Carrie on January 1st.
Marshmallow (2025)
A shy 12-year-old gets sent to summer camp and finds himself in a living nightmare. While Marshmallow did not land for me, I know plenty of people who love it. Which makes this the perfect addition to the Shudder catalogue. I am actually excited to see more folks fall in love with this movie when it hits the streamer. If nothing else, it will help a few folks cross off another 2025 title if they are still playing catch-up with last year’s movies. It also gets cool points from me for not taking the easy route with the mystery it built. I hope you all dig it more than I did, and tell your friends about it. Perhaps you could even encourage them to sign up for the app.
You can watch Marshmallow on January 1st.
Chain Reactions (2024)
Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre cemented his horror legacy over fifty years ago. So, it is long overdue for a documentary where horror royalty can discuss its impact on them and their careers. I have been waiting for a couple of years to hear Karyn Kusama and Takashi Miike talk about Hooper’s work and how he inspired them. So, I am super geeked that Shudder is finally giving me the chance to see this film. The streamer is also helping the nerds out by adding The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) and The Texas Chain Saw Massacre 2 (1986) this month. If you are also an overachieving couch potato, I will see you at the finish line next week.
You can watch Chain Reactions on January 9th.
In the Mouth of Madness (1994)
An insurance investigator discovers the impact a horror writer’s books have on people. I love chaos, and John Carpenter chaos happens to be one of my favorite kinds of chaos. While we talk about The Thing and Halloween all the time, this maestro has given us plenty of horror to celebrate. In the Mouth of Madness is very much one of those titles vying for a top spot among the best of his filmography. To sweeten the batshit pot, this movie features Sam Neill. You know that he only shows up in our genre if the movie is going to be legendary. You cannot tell me this is not a Shudder priority this month.
You can watch In the Mouth of Madness on January 10th.
Mother of Flies (2025)
A terminally ill young woman and her dad head to the woods to seek out a recluse who claims she can cure her cancer. The Adams Family has been holding court on Shudder for years, so it feels right that Mother of Flies is a Shudder Original. More importantly, this fest favorite has one of the best performances of 2025. Which makes it a great time for people to finally get to see it and get in line to give Toby Poser her flowers. Whatever you think your favorite Poser role is, it is about to change when you see her as Solveig. I am being serious when I say that this movie might be the first family of indie horror at their best.
You can watch Mother of Flies on January 23rd.
New year, but same Shudder. I would not want to go into 2026 any other way, personally. I hope these horrific recommendations bring you the good kind of anxiety. Or at least distract you from the state of the world for a bit.
I’m happy Netflix knew I would be back on my bull shit. Now that we’re in January, and the end-of-year lists are done, I’m trying to cram as many 2025 titles into my eyeballs as I possibly can. I know it sounds backwards, but it’s sadly a yearly tradition now. No matter how many titles you cram into a year, there are always a ton more you missed. Because I am broken, I need to know if I missed anything that should have been on my lists ASAP. Then I can drag myself for not getting my eyeballs on things sooner. Or worse, seeing titles that came out after my deadline and would have definitely been on there. I need to feel resentment for their schedules not letting me be great.
Luckily for me, the streamer has dropped quite a bit of new stuff recently. This includes movies and shows that I put off, or that legitimately premiered a couple of weeks ago. So, now I can spiral in the comfort of my own home as I binge all of these titles like a maniac. If you are also trying to walk into the new year stressed out, then maybe this streaming guide is for you, too.
City of Shadows (2025)
When a burned body is put on display on the facade of an iconic building, two inspectors must work together to solve the crime. I don’t know much about this Spanish thriller, but I know winter is the time for an unsettling mystery. The show is based on the first book of the Milo Malart tetralogy written by Aro Sáinz de la Maza. So, if it’s as good as I hope it is, there is a whole world with this inspector awaiting us in print. I’m ready to take all six of these episodes in one setting if the streaming Gods allow.
Frankenstein (2025)
Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi, and Christoph Waltz are among the names in this newest adaptation of the beloved Gothic horror classic. Guillermo del Toro’s take on Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is clearly one of the top priorities this month. While I skipped it in festivals because of the runtime, I knew I would have a date with it on Netflix this winter. While it has been on the streamer for a minute, I wasn’t able to dedicate two and a half hours to it. I also had watched my friends’ mixed reviews come in, and couldn’t take another disappointment last year. So, I saved this treat for the holiday. Fingers crossed, it is better than people are saying it is.
I Know What You Did Last Summer (2025)
A new group of friends is tormented by a new stalker in this sequel to Kevin Williamson’s other ’90s slasher. I’m indifferent to the I Know What You Did Last Summer movies. Some are less awful than others, and I think this one was fine, but I know the original source material. Which means I know just how far they stray from what the original author, Lois Duncan, was about. So, I look at these movies and the flimsy premise they repeat differently than a lot of my friends. I think it’s an interesting look at how IP gets handled in Hollywood, but I don’t usually get much out of these. Which is another reason I’m kinder to this Jennifer Kaytin Robinson film than some people. While I won’t be rewatching it this January, I think a lot of people who missed it in theaters are going to have fun with some of these kills now that it’s on Netflix.
Stranger Things: Season 5 (2025)
The long-awaited conclusion to Stranger Things is finally upon us! Will Vecna take out some of this ridiculously large cast on the way out? I hope so. Will we pretend to be surprised when Eddie Munson gets a few seconds of screentime? I refuse to play this game. However, are we all going to tune in to see how this epic ride ends? You betcha! I hate that they’re breaking this final season up into three chunks, but I will be sitting for all of them.
The first four episodes hit in November. The next three landed on Netflix on December 25, and the finale premiered on December 31. I don’t know what to expect, but I know I am so ready to close this chapter of my relationship with Netflix and the Duffer Brothers. If it is even half as good as season four, then I will be a very happy nerd.
Troll 2 (2025)
A new troll awakens, causing Nora, Andreas, and Captain Kris to find new allies to take it down. This Norwegian monster flick almost got by me, so I’m happy Netflix dropped the trailer for this one. I’m using this as an excuse to finally watch the first one. I’m thinking a double feature is in order, so I can spend a whole day with these trolls. This is not my usual type of party, but after Troll Hunter won me over, I figure anything can happen. So, I will not judge you if you’re not feeling this out of left field pick. Just know that I’m running at it with an open mind and hoping to see some carnage as a reward.
These are just the Netflix titles I’m prioritizing. This is in no way a complete overview of all of the new shows and movies they’ve added this winter. We also know that they usually have a ton of international bangers that they refuse to advertise. So, I end up stumbling over Korean titles every January and then trying to tell people we missed some really excellent stuff. So, pick up your remote and turn your phone off. It’s time to Netflix and Chill in the less sexy and more nerdy way.
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