1987’s Hellraiser, written and directed by Clive Barker and starring Clare Higgins and Doug Bradley, is one of my favorite horror movies ever. It and the first sequel are amazingly well done, with solid practical effects with solid villains. The rest of the franchise? Eh, we won’t talk about that. Still, it’s a prime time for (another) reboot, and Spyglass Media Group is looking to produce it with David S. Goyer writing the script.
Goyer is the writer behind Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy and Man of Steel. He also directed Blade Trinity, which we will not hold against him. Spyglass chairman and CEO Gary Barber said that Goyer was the right storyteller to take a fresh look at Hellraiser and adapt it for current audiences.
“For generations, his [Barker’s] brilliantly twisted and imaginative Hellraiser haunted the minds of moviegoers with its searing imagery of Pinhead,” Barber said according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Goyer put out a statement that reiterated his status as a fan who is looking forward to crafting something fresh and new for the franchise: “Having the chance to reimagine Pinhead and the Cenobites for a new audience is a nightmare-come-true. Gary is a true fan as well, and we’re committed to making something dark and visceral.”
For those unfamiliar with the Hellraiser franchise, in the original film, a jerk named Frank Cotton buys strange a puzzle box from a dealer which is supposed to expose him to new carnal pleasures. He solves it and releases these creatures called “Cenobites” and they introduce him to some new carnal pleasures all right—through severe sadomasochism, dragging him into a hellscape. A lot of hooks, a lot of leather.
Frank’s brother Larry ends up moving into the house after Frank “dies” with his second wife, Julia, who is horny for his dead brother. Julia accidentally frees Frank and the two end up killing people in order to fully return Frank into a human state. I won’t spoil the rest of the movie for those who haven’t seen a 32-year-old-film, but essentially, it’s a slasher film with a little more leather and kink.
Crafting a new installment for Hellraiser is fairly easy, considering it doesn’t have any main characters that need to be in the movie for a long period of time. The box is the evil plot device, and as long as a hedonistic jerk finds it, then it’s pretty much full steam ahead.
I don’t think that they should reboot the original movie—part of what made that movie so good was the practical effects, and a reboot would just be too glossy. Additionally, the fewer Cenobites, the better. We don’t need cut scenes of them every ten minutes, we don’t need their threat looming over the entire movie. They aren’t Freddy or Jason, just let them come in at the beginning and a little bit of the climax. The true bad in the series is human nature, and there is plenty of that to feed off of and manipulate.
Also, more female big bads! Hellraiser 2 has a great female villain. More of that, please.
What do you wanna see in a Hellraiser reboot?
(via THR, image: Entertainment Film Distributors)
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