The new Hellraiser looks terrific (at least what you can see of it, it’s awfully dark), boasting a visual stylishness commensurate with its relatively large budget and the talents of its director David Bruckner, who, judging by this and the recent The Night House, is quickly establishing himself as a horror filmmaker to be taken seriously.

There’s also a depraved billionaire (Goran Visnjic, enjoyably chewing the scenery), who unleashed the Cenobites in the first place, and his shady lawyer (Hiam Abbass, Succession, Ramy). Riley and Trevor, with the aid of Matt’s boyfriend (Adam Faison) and their roommate Nora (Aiofe Hinds), attempt to get to the bottom of the mystery, which leads them to such creatures as The Chatterer, The Whisperer, The Gasp, among others, as well as Pinhead. All hell literally breaks loose when that happens, beginning with the disappearance of Riley’s brother, Matt (Brandon Flynn). The only item they find there is the puzzle box, which has the unfortunate tendency to stab its users in their hands. The storyline, stretched out to an overlong two hours, revolves around Riley (Odessa A’zion), a young woman with addiction issues who impulsively goes along with the plan of her boyfriend Trevor (Drew Starkey) to burgle a storage unit.

Assuming, that is, that you don’t mind the fact that her outfits consist of her own flayed skin and she has, you know, large pins sticking out of her head. (Just ask anybody involved in the female Ghostbusters reboot.) But the character was originally conceived by Barker as androgynous, and Clayton, her voice electronically altered, strikes a suitably scary, forbidding and even sensual figure.

How well this will go over with the fans is anybody’s guess, since most horror movie buffs are not exactly known for their dedication to gender parity. For this remake/reboot/sequel (it’s a little of each), Jamie Clayton ( Sense8) makes history of sorts as the series’ first female Pinhead. The Cenobites’ leader is the iconic horror character Pinhead, previously played in most of the films by English actor Doug Bradley. Apparently dedicated to exploring the thin line between pleasure and pain, they would have fit right in at ‘80s-era S&M clubs. The Cenobites (am I the only one for whom the name conjures up images of delicious sugary treats purchased in shopping malls?), are in the habit of brutally torturing any humans who have the misfortune of summoning them. Director David Bruckner Talks Updating 'Hellraiser' for a Modern Audienceįor the uninitiated, the series, originally based on Clive Barker’s novella The Hellbound Heart (the writer also directed the original film), revolves around a mysterious puzzle box known as the “Lament Configuration,” a sort of demonic Rubik’s Cube that serves as a portal for the sadistic, otherworldly beings known as the Cenobites.

Clive barker 80s