There are some movie monsters that can be played by anyone, but there are some that are so iconic for allowing their own face to become the monster that fans have a hard time allowing the fictional character to live on beyond the original actor. Along with the combination of Robert Englund and Freddy Krueger, Hellraiser’s Doug Bradley and Clive Barker’s creation Pinhead is a character that has tried and failed to replace its leading man. Now, Hellraiser is tackling that problem by casting Jamie Clayton in the role of the Cenobites’ leader, and while some fans have taken issue with this, Doug Bradley has addressed the new casting during an appearance at Silver Scream Con, as reported by Bloody Disgusting. He said, at length:

“It seemed like [a female Pinhead] was coming. It’s an interesting piece of casting. I don’t know Jamie. Of course, they’ve taken even a little bit of a wrinkle in that, because Jamie is transgender. I’m not familiar with her recent work, but there was a science fiction series on Netflix several years ago called Sense8, which I was quite a fan of. Jamie was in that, and I really, really liked her performance in that. I really can’t say more than that. I do like to point out that I did wear a skirt as Pinhead. It’s an interesting casting decision. Well, that only goes so far. We say ‘female Pinhead’ like we know what that means, but there are a million shades of femininity. Where exactly are they going to go with that? Everything about Hellraiser has always been transgressive. Everything, always, from start to finish. It’s not a new idea in that sense, but I’m intrigued. I’m in the same position as all the rest of you, I guess, to see where that goes. I was at Monsterpalooza, a convention in Pasadena, a couple months ago, and I met the guy who’s playing the new Chatterer. He’s like 6’9″ and a beanpole, so they’re going in lots of different directions. It’s another interesting casting idea. Cenobites of all shapes and sizes! The thing that will make the movie work or not is none of that. It’s the story. If the story is strong, the movie will work. That’s why Hellraiser has succeeded; not because the Cenobites are gloriously fucked up and so is Julia, which they all are. All of those elements are magnificent in the film, and Chris Young’s score is one of the best ever written. All of that is true, but the story is what makes Hellraiser work, so we’ll see what happens.”

Related: Why Hellraiser Deserves the Upcoming Reboot

Hulu’s Hellraiser Brings More Of Barker’s Character To The Screen

Hulu Hellraiser
Hulu

There is no denying that Doug Bradley made the character of Pinhead his own, but it was not exactly the character that Barker wrote in his novella The Hellbound Heart. As with much of Barker’s work, there are aspects of his story of forbidden passions and pain that are not as clear as some would believe if they have only come across Pinhead in the movies. The character, who is not referred to as Pinhead in the original story, is depicted as a being beyond definable gender, sometimes appearing to lean into the male form, but also being characterized at other times as more female. For this reason, the switch of gender, and in particular using a transgender actress like Jamie Clayton, is almost as perfect a way around the Bradley predicament as possible.

Although there are going to be comparisons made between the two versions of Pinhead, if the story and execution of it are up to scratch, Hellraiser could defy doubters and create a whole new version of the character that can be enjoyed by another generation of horror fans, and who could finally bring to screen Barker’s original vision of his hell priest. Hellraiser will arrive on Hulu on October 7, 2022.