The Hellraiser franchise has never reached the heights of other horror franchises, but with ten movies over more than three decades, it obviously has a dedicated franchise. And there’s some genuine excitement around this latest attempt at a reboot by Hulu. The first being the presence of The Night House director David Bruckner. The second is a new take on the iconic Pinhead that finds trans actress Jamie Clayton taking on the role.
We’re getting our first look at Clayton’s Pinhead in the new Hellraiser. Some fans have taken issue with the decision to replace longtime Pinhead actor Doug Bradley, but Bruckner was gung-ho for the idea…
“We felt a kind of anticipation around the fans to reimagine the character,” Bruckner told EW. “We knew we wanted Pinhead to be a woman. Jamie was just the right person for the role. A person’s identity can be really exciting for a role in many ways, but I have to emphasize that Jamie absolutely killed, that’s how we got there.”
When you’re talking about a Cenobite like Pinhead, should something like gender really matter? Speaking of which, the Cenobites are getting reimagined, as well…
“We call him The Masque,” Bruckner said about the new Cenobite addition. “The Masque 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.” But will there be even more new Cenobites in Bruckner’s film? “I think that’s safe to say.”
This Hellraiser will have a script by Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski, with story help from Blade writer David Goyer. While it pulls from Clive Barker’s novel and shares elements with his 1987 film, Bruckner refutes the idea that this is a remake…
“This is not a remake. I just didn’t think you could ever remake the original Hellraiser. It’s too much its own thing and it would be, I think, perilous territory for filmmakers, because how do you top that? This is a new story in the Hellraiser universe.”
So expect Pinhead and his interdimensional cohorts to inflict a lot of pain, albeit in a way you’ve never seen before.
The cast is led by Odessa A’zion, who is joined by Brandon Flynn, Goran Višnjić, Drew Starkey, Adam Faison, and Aoife Hinds.
Hellraiser hits Hulu on October 7th, just in time for Halloween.
