Hellraiser is back, with a new TV show and movie on the way that aim to revitalize the venerable horror franchise. It’s been three years since 2018’s Hellraiser: Judgment, which continued the franchise’s downward trend into mediocrity. But that losing streak might be over with David Bruckner’s reboot, which reimagines Clive Barker’s original story, The Hellbound Heart.
The Dark Knight trilogy writer David S. Goyer is producing and writing, with the shoot currently underway. He’s seen the rushes and sounds hyped. After confirming that this will definitely be R-rated, he said he’s been bowled over with what he’s seen. As per Collider:
“I will say that we went back to the original novella for the source material, we’re really honoring Clive’s work. I can say that David Bruckner is a genius. It’s filming right now. The footage is terrifying and amazing, and the Cenobites are jaw-dropping.”
Rumors persist that the lead Cenobite will be female, which many have taken to mean we’re getting a female Pinhead. Grand Army and Fam star Odessa A’zion is tipped for the part, but anyone getting their panties in a twist about gender-swapping a character should remember the Cenobites are extradimensional beings and gender doesn’t mean much to them. Anyway, the BOOM! Studios Hellraiser comic books already featured Lady Pinhead, so this isn’t a big departure.
Beyond that, HBO Max has its own Hellraiser TV show in production. The pilot (and several subsequent episodes) are being helmed by Halloween director David Gordon Green, with Michael Dougherty and Mark Verheiden on writing duties.
It’s been too long since we saw a genuinely good Hellraiser flick, with the straight-to-DVD sequels to the 1987 movie largely disappointing audiences. I can’t wait to see what grisly and sadistic things the Cenobites are up to now, so let’s hope we get some images and a trailer soon.
Hellraiser will premiere on Hulu, with a release in 2022.
