The Priest (our latest version of Pinhead for the uninitiated) says that you can never return from a threshold you’ve already crossed…which shows she hasn’t seen this film given this is a return back over the threshold of bloody fun we’ve been waiting for.
Hulu’s Hellraiser Reimagines a Cult Franchise
Hulu continues the hot streak it had from the recent success of Prey with another franchise continuation: Hellraiser. The 2022 hard reboot and reimagining of the 1987 original film follows Riley, an addict in recovery living with her brother Matt. Fallen on hard times and with rent due, Riley and her lover Trevor break into a shipping container owned by old billionaire Roland Voight’s and find the enigmatic Lament Configuration. As Riley solves the puzzle box, the beings summoned return to continue their harvest.
Much like Prey, I think this fresh start to the new dynasty of Pinhead (this time around just called The Priest) and company is the vital resuscitation for a property that’s been on the ropes as long as Hellraiser has been. It’s a welcome change, and a big budget shock to the system, which also helps make this a possible contender for the best legacy film of the year. I have to talk specifics to really get into what works and doesn’t work, so head to the Bottomline to avoid the
Cosmic Horror and Social Commentary in the Script
Starting with the script, the film really makes you feel the cosmic horror of the Cenobites in an impactful way that even the first movie in the franchise didn’t entirely capture. Beyond that, the story explores themes that are heavier and more vital to the social issues plaguing America today than you’d expect, specifically with Riley’s addiction taking center stage. Her journey for the truth behind what took her brother ends up being a surprisingly poignant allegory for dealing with the fallout of addictive behaviors and the consequences of indulging them; for that, I commend the film.
Speaking of Riley, our lead Odessa A’zion is the real standout of this movie. Riley is vulnerable and human in her flaws, but never errs on the side of weakness or indignity, and A’zion’s performance is to be thanked for that. Regrettably, she is also so good she’s forced to sometimes carry the rest of her co-stars.
Mixed Bag: Dialogue and Supporting Characters
The dialogue is undeniably mediocre in the front half of the film following Matt’s disappearance, and it feels especially bad whenever Colin and Riley are on screen since the tension between them over Matts’s death should be evident but is never fully realized; a shame since both A’zion and Faison are great actors, but maybe didn’t get the best of direction on those terms. The same can be said of Trevor & Norah, who are really only here as sacrificial lambs for The Priest to dice up for Leviathan. It’s a shame because we get a hint at them being developed into actual characters in the first 15 minutes but lose that train of thought and end up with the same pigs for the meat hooks we get in a lot of the other movies.
But of course, what you’re really interested in is our villains, who make up for every shortcoming this movie has. Jamie Clayton’s The Priest, whose casting was met with a hotbed of discussion and eager anticipation from the jump, stacks up as a powerhouse alongside (and against?) Doug Bradley. I imagine there will be many arguments to come amongst horror nerds over which is the true greatest Pinhead. Her voice and demeanor are different, and she lends an ethereal facet to the role that you’d expect from an extradimensional torture demon with alien ideas of sensation. Supporting actor Goran Visnjic whose appearances bookend the movie makes a great secondary antagonist of billionaire Roland Voight, who manages to invoke his threatening nature even when he’s up against forces he doesn’t fully understand.
Cenobite Designs: A Gory Masterpiece of Horror
In honor of these belles of-the-special-effects ball, of which I have one thing to say: the new Cenobites are out of this world and will absolutely, no contest, have the best creature design you will see in a horror film this year. They just hit the pin on the head when it comes to remixing the classic look of the Cenobites without fully alienating what made them so dope in the first place; we don’t have slick black leather, but the formerly ornamental wounds they have now practically make up their entire costume as fleshy pseudo clothing. Gross, but above all else ingenious. I particularly enjoy the newest member of the Gash, The Weeper with his bisected limbs (though my love for Chatterer has not diminished in the slightest). And I have to give some love to The Gasp, who gets a money shot reveal of her flayed back that was just the biggest and best possible flex the makeup department could have done. Well played.
On a technical level, the film is all aces. And though the music is overly bombastic at points for my taste, it’s never tonally out of place, and when those musical stingers hit, they hit like wire cutting to the bone.
Hellraiser 2022 Review: The Bottomline
Slow to a start character-wise and not without some flaws, Hellraiser (2022) drops us directly into some mind-bending visuals, nasty master-crafted special effects, and some seriously mean-spirited monsters that make for a body-breakingly wild and grotesque experience. Be warned, this isn’t for the faint of heart. It’s got gore beyond the boundaries of gore—and that’s quite all right by us. We’re not judging, go watch it ASAP.
Hellraiser is streaming on Hulu.