While we are still a few days from the debut of Jamie Clayton’s Pinhead in Hulu’s new Hellraiser movie, the actress’ portrayal of Clive Barker’s Hell Priest has already been getting a lot of attention. Taking over the iconic role that was played for decades by Doug Bradley, Clayton appears to be bringing the Cenobite leader back to its roots with an adaptation that also seems to be breathing some much needed life into the Hellraiser franchise after several lacklustre sequels. In an interview with Screen Rant, Clayton explained how getting into the character was greatly helped by the new costume design. She said of the process:
“Wild, from start to finish. The second that I saw the drawings by Keith Thompson, who did all of the drawings and who David's worked with before, I was completely floored. I had no idea how they were going to execute that. And then the Russells at Russell FX, Josh and Sierra, are incredible in the way that they executed the whole thing.
Once I'd have the makeup on and the whole thing, it was a double-edged sword getting there mentally and then also getting there physically. The suit and the neck and the fit, it all helps me get there physically. But David and I had many conversations about the Priest's intentions, and what she might be thinking or feeling in any of these different scenes with these different characters. We talked about them a lot, so I was able to sort of mentally prepare on the day, as going in through makeup.
Then once the neckpiece goes on, I'm kind of in it. From the minute that I step out of the makeup trailer, I'm really in it for the duration of shooting. I'm just very quiet, and I isolate myself. I really only would talk to David while I was shooting, and then to Sierra in a corner.”
Early Reviews Praise Hellraiser For Bringing Terror Back To The Franchise
Hulu’s Hellraiser is a reboot of the franchise rather than a sequel, and its new Pinhead has been drawing praise from many, including original Hellraiser actor Doug Bradley. While the movie doesn’t debut on Hulu until October 7, the first reviews have promised a return to form for the franchise, and possibly the best Hellraiser movie since the 1987 original.
Although there is always a lot of stigma around any kind of changes to an iconic role that has been played by the same actor for decades, many were initially unhappy about the role going to Jamie Clayton, but it seems that the change up is one of the biggest strengths of the new adaptation of Barker’s novella The Hellbound Heart.
Hellraiser received its world premiere on October 4th at Beyond Fest in Santa Monica, California, which has delivered another mostly positive wave of reviews ahead of its general release on Hulu this Friday. There has currently been no date set for the movie’s release on international streaming platforms, but will likely come to Disney+ in most European areas sometime in the near future.