Word on the street is that a Hellraiser reboot is indeed being filmed and may even be nearing completion. Originally conceived by Clive Barker back in 1986 in a novel titled The Hellbound Heart, the writer turned director would premiere his own movie adaptation in 1987 in a horror/sci-fi/fantasy hybrid that pushed the envelope for what was possible in genre cinema.

After a score of sequels, half good, half bad, the franchise went quiet except comic books and a novel released in 2015 called The Scarlet Gospels. It was a crossover of Hellraiser and Lord of Illusions following Harry D'Amour's descent into hell to confront the Hell Priest AKA Pinhead, in an underappreciated chapter in Clive Barker's mythos.

While there isn't a ton revealed about the new Hellraiser reboot, we did learn that the Hell Priest would be performed by transgender actor Jamie Clayton with the film directed by David Bruckner based on a story by David S. Goyer. The Hell Priest is non-gendered in the original novel, so Jamie Clayton is a great choice not only considering gender but if you look at Clayton's photos, there is a beaming glare that, with the right makeup, can surely bring out pure evil. News of such a thoughtful approach with fantastic talent is a huge sigh of relief for fans who were bombarded by a number of low-budget sequels that squeezed the franchise towel dry.

Now Hellraiser is finally getting a proper comeback that fans of the leather-clad cenobites are tearing their flesh off in anticipation for. Let us indulge in the no-holds-barred evil delights of Hellraiser as we reminisce on the high and low points of the interdimensional demons on their quest for Hell on Earth.

Clive Barker's Relationship with Hellraiser

pin earth
Dimesion Films

Clive Barker's love/hate relationship with the franchise began in England, where he conceived of a forbidden romance between a man named Frank Cotton and his brother Larry's wife, Julia. The affair is interrupted when Frank's uncontrollable lust achieves supernatural levels of curiosity as he becomes fixated on a legendary box that promises unlimited pleasure and pain to those who can solve it. With an obsessive desire to go well beyond rational boundaries, Frank solves the box which cracks our very reality, creating a temporary vortex between Earth and another realm that some would easily identify as Hell. But is it?

Therein lies some of the brilliance of Barker's imagination as he proposes a dark realm that is not grounded in a Judeo-Christian worldview but of something entirely unique, functioning more in the realm of science fiction and fantasy. Out of this crack strolls an awesome army of damned souls whose flesh has been woven into their black leather garbs, looking like the most awesomely goth metal band from your worst nightmare. Unfortunately, their idea of a good time is torturing you mercilessly for eternity.

Related: Best Horror Movies Directed by Women, Ranked

Led by the former Elliot Spencer (who we learn more about in movies two and three), the Hell priest was dubbed "Pinhead" by horror fans who now appears alongside other iconic famous monsters in the annals of horror lexicon such as Frankenstein, Regan MacNeil, Freddy Krueger, and other legends of the genre, a reality Clive Barker may not have been prepared for.

Deeper Into the Depths of Hell

Doug Bradley is the Cenobite Pinhead in Hellraiser
Entertainment Film Distributors

The original film was distributed by New World Pictures, a Roger Corman enterprise, which houses a library of cult classics that spawned franchises. Hellraiser was fit for world expansion. The second film delivered the goods introducing Dr. Channard, an evil neurologist who harbors a secret obsession with "Hell" and the puzzle box, designed by a toymaker from the 18th century (more on that in the 4th entry).

Hellbound: Hellraiser II finds Kirsty Cotton, the survivor of the first film played by Ashley Laurence, recovering in a hospital from the traumatic events brought on by her uncle's attempt to escape Hell. Unfortunately, Dr. Channard is performing bizarre experiments on his patients that are motivated by his desire to learn more and more about the forbidden zone of the cenobites. Kirsty rescues a mute named Tiffany, one of the doctor's subjects. Together, they venture into Channard's wake of interdimensional madness, encountering familiar characters and monsters from the previous film, including Pinhead, setting up his central focus in the third film.

Hellbound left some things to be desired, but overall did a fine job of carrying the torch, upping the film's scope, gore, and insanity to a satisfying degree. It also brought viewers directly into Hell itself, a labyrinth of torture cells underneath some form of ancient technology known as Leviathan. The movies never returned to Hell, which left much to be explored.

Related: Best Horror Movies of the 70s, Ranked

Hellraiser's next chapter transported key cast and crew out of England and into the United States. Moving forward under another studio, Dimension Films, the tone of the franchise shifts into a different flavor altogether. There was a clear recognition of Pinhead as an icon of horror at this point. Directed by Anthony Hickox, the film leans heavily into the mythology of the Hell Priest performed once again impeccably well by British actor Doug Bradley. Hickox's stylized directing and signature use of wild camera angles and abrasive sound design help to elevate Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth to the cult classic status it has rightfully earned over the years.

Composer Randy Miller also did a fantastic job keeping pace with Christopher Young's hauntingly iconic music, an absolute key ingredient for the brand. Hell on Earth is a slick movie and has solid performances by Terry Farrell (of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), Kevin Bernhardt, and Paula Marshall. Where Hell on Earth really shines is delivering action sequences where we finally see the devastation the cenobites are capable of when fully unleashed into a major metropolis. Where the first two films may have been a bit more graceful and artistic, part three celebrates the heavy metal culture that was amassing around the brand, unleashes monster mayhem, and delivers insane levels of gore. It divided fans for years due to these stark differences, but most people have come around to appreciate just how shameless and fun the movie is.

First Look at New Pinhead in Hellraiser: Judgment
Lionsgate Films

Few horror film franchises made the leap into outer space as gracefully as Hellraiser. In part IV, Bloodline, we're treated to a story that spans past, present, and future, attempting to weave an ambitious full-scale horror odyssey that had never been done in the genre before or since. While the movie feels less cohesive than the previous three, it still manages to deliver a compelling tale about a cursed bloodline that was responsible for this whole hellish mess in the first place. We learn about the origins of the Lament Configuration, a puzzle box commissioned by the mysterious Duc de L'Isle, another mad man intent on tearing a hole in time-space to meet demons. Featuring Adam Scott in one of his earliest film roles, we are led into the next century by demoness Angelique. She takes on more of the iconic cenobite aesthetic in contemporary times. The film tracks a family lineage beginning with a toymaker whose bloodline is inadvertently tasked with keeping hell at bay. Doug Bradley delivers more great Pinhead moments, and the movie introduces another series of fantastic creature designs, culminating in an outer space climax where Pinhead is destroyed forever. Well, maybe not forever.

Doug Bradley would appear briefly in four more direct-to-video installments in the franchise, but not in the last two. The first of which, Inferno, was directed by Scott Derrickson and deserves to be separated from what follows. While obviously a clear step down from the theatrical outings of the franchise's former glory, Derrickson's movie is a fairly competent film, delivering a compelling mystery with a hellish climax. The movie stars Craig Sheffer (of Nightbreed) and James Remar in a kind of Jacob's Ladder descent into madness (which is pretty much what all the films attempt to do from here on out).

Unfortunately, Ashley Laurence's return could not salvage the mess that is Hellraiser: Hellseeker. Hellraiser: Deader came next and was rumored to be based on a script retrofitted to be a Hellraiser movie. The film is about a reporter (played by Kari Wuhrer) pursuing a mystery around a suicide cult. Apart from a few shots, it has very little to do with the Hellraiser franchise. Hellraiser: Hellworld marks the end of Doug Bradley's appearance as Pinhead and any logic the franchise maintained. Attempting (unsuccessfully) a self-referential plot device, transforming the Hellraiser franchise into a popular online game, a group of teenagers (one of which is Henry Cavill) get caught up in a plot involving a grieving father (Lance Hendrickson) trying to get revenge on Pinhead.

If you thought that was bad, Hellraiser: Revelations isn't much more than a glorified fan film leaning heavily on the found footage pipeline that was popular at the time. Last but not least (genuinely) is Hellraiser: Judgment. While still trying to function in a budget range that could never support "The Star Wars of the horror genre," Judgment attempts to get the franchise back on the right tonal track but still struggles to reach the heights of the franchise's former glory. The movie was directed by Gary J. Tunnicliffe, who does have a history with the productions, going back to the makeup department on part three, and his love for the franchise is evident. You do get a sense he did the best he could with what he was given, and he's cool in the role of 'The Auditor.'

Hellraiser is Ripe for a Reboot

Hellraiser - 1987
Entertainment Film Distributors

Hopefully, the new movie embraces what made the original four so compelling. Why we lost characters becoming cenobites, journeys into the fascinating landscape of hell, Christopher Young's iconic score, and inventive and gory set pieces that were a signature of the franchise is anyone's guess. While the simple answer is likely "money," there remains an odd lack of respect unique to the Hellraiser franchise.

While Wes Craven seemed to ensure his Nightmare of Elm Street films remained above a certain quality benchmark or John Carpenter's Halloween films never ceased to deliver what fans expected, Barker appears to have abandoned the series. One can only ponder what could have been if the movies had maintained quality control. Fans will hopefully be treated to something special when this new movie is released, but sadly it can never undo the damage that has been done.