Hellraiser

Hellraiser

A young woman struggling with addiction comes into possession of an ancient puzzle box, unaware that its purpose is to summon the Cenobites, a group of sadistic supernatural beings from another dimension.

  • Released:
  • Runtime: 120 minutes
  • Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thrillers
  • Stars: Jamie Clayton, Odessa A'zion, Drew Starkey, Brandon Flynn, Goran Visnjic, Adam Faison, Aoife Hinds, Hiam Abbass, Selina Lo, Jason Liles, Yinka Olorunnife, Zachary Hing, Kit Clarke, Predrag Bjelac, Gorica Regodić, Vukašin Jovanović, Ivona Kustudić, Greg De Cuir, Miodrag Milovanov, Nikola Kent, Katarina Gojković
  • Director: David Bruckner
 Comments
  • HelloSugary - 10 June 2024
    Hellraiser Review (2022)
    N the chilling remake of the 1987 classic, Hellraiser (2022) brings Clive Barker's sinister tale into the present day with a fresh, yet faithful twist. The story revolves around Odessa A'zion, a modern-day witch whose journey intertwines with a demonic puzzle box. Odessa embodies the complexities of a 20-something, caught between the pursuit of personal happiness and the call of charity. This narrative deftly blends occult spirituality, social elitism, and the trials of coming-of-age.

    In a bold reimagining, Pinhead is portrayed as a woman, adding a new layer of depth and terror. The antagonist, an old yet attractive art dealer, employs a steampunk torture device in his quest to gain an audience with God. To achieve this, he must offer six sacrifices through the puzzle box, each more gruesome than the last. The film's gore is at times overwhelming, forcing even the most hardened viewers to avert their eyes. Scenes of blood, sinew, and exposed spinal cords are more abundant than on a slaughterhouse floor.

    The narrative unfolds across several settings, beginning in the gritty streets of Belgrade, Serbia, where the puzzle box is exchanged in a shady deal. The story then transitions to a lavish party at the art dealer's mansion, where the true horrors of the box begin to reveal themselves. In the midst of this chaos, we meet our heroine in a starkly contrasting New York City apartment, sharing a moment of intimacy with her older homosexual brother.

    Odessa's theft of the puzzle box, alongside her boyfriend, sets off a chain of catastrophic events. After being expelled from her brother's apartment and witnessing his death, she delves into the dark history of the puzzle box. This leads her to the art dealer's mansion, a place teeming with malevolent secrets and unspeakable horrors. As the narrative reaches its climax, Odessa faces a profound choice: to seek an audience with God or reject the dark power of the box. She chooses the latter, opting for a path of moral integrity. In a haunting finale, her boyfriend Allen transforms into a Cenobite, symbolizing the eternal consequences of their actions.

    Hellraiser and Clive Barker's oeuvre remain underrated, celebrated for their unique fusion of horror and occult spirituality, often eschewing traditional Christian motifs. Barker's work resonates deeply with those drawn to the mystical realms of Egypt and India, offering glimpses of ascension and profound connections to Kabbalah and Hermeticism. This film encapsulates a worldview that embraces reincarnation and the eternal struggle between good and evil, making it a standout in the genre.
  • neilmcgroarty-41861 - 23 January 2024
    Not bad but not a patch on the original
    I enjoyed the story, some of the gore and the ideas but it just wasn't brutal enough. The cenobites as others have said just looked like people in rubber ( or CGI) suits, not scary at all and they had no presence, the priest was dull and boring and without any authority or instilling fear in the viewer. A good attempt but ultimately I wanted more. The story had promise and in different hands could have been so much better. It was at least 30 minutes too long also, we could have gotten to the end so much quicker. It just felt like a horror film without a main villain to be honest which is just ultimately criminal. The best since the third for me but a wasted opportunity.
  • Sandmanreviews - 5 November 2023
    Don't waste your time or money on this crap
    I decided to watch this flick because it was available on one of the streaming platforms I am paying for. I haven't seen the original from the eighties so I have nothing to compare it to. So how was it? It started out pretty interesting, but became quickly pretty dull. The mystery around the puzzle box is what drives the plot forwards, but the monsters that comes out of the box are ridiculous, mildly speaking. The point with watching a horror movie is that it's suppose to be scary. This movie isn't scary at all. The things that's suppose to scare you look like characters from a cosplay party. If you're not a Hellraiser fan you may want to skip this movie, and I believe for the fans of this franchise it may be wise to do that as well.
  • zotovictash - 29 December 2022
    Not terrible - But it ruined Pinhead for me
    While the movie was very much entertaining, and even scary from time to time, I can't help but rant. Anyone who has seen the original film probably feels the same way.

    It was off to a promising start. It did resemble the hellish 80s saga with a hint of Gen Z atmosphere. And it felt like our favorite anti-heroes are sooo back!

    And then it turned out that Pinhead is, in fact, a Disney princess. Now, I guess that the feminine touch was added on purpose and that it does come with another type of value. Still, a massive chunk of the original character's appearance (and fear factor) was lost So while I truly wanted to love it, it was just like Hellraiser Light.
  • martin_kincade - 17 December 2022
    Admiral reboot! I liked it a lot
    Not sure why there are so many haters and low ratings! I loved the original franchise and think this is an admiral reboot. The lead character has nods to Kirsty from the original franchise but with a contemporary edge. The storyline is decent and the way the coenobites are introduced keeps you interested, it's not all Pinhead from the getgo! Which leads me into casting for this role. NO-ONE can replace Doug Bradley, but I think Jamie Clayton is sensational and switching to a female lead is the perfect step forward, and the only way to move on from the legacy of Doug. Loved this update and reboot, it's far beyond anything that has been done in the past several years with this franchise. Can't wait to see more. Let's hope there's a follow up!
  • Stanlee107 - 4 December 2022
    Hell of a job?!
    For a remake or reimagined version of this franchise, it is far from being the worst I have seen. The storyline is fine & the special effects are decent. The writers have tried to incorporate the LGBT into the storyline.

    The film seemingly have an unusual storyline that introduces the Cenobites in the first scene & then delves into the main troubled protagonist Riley's (Odessa A'Zion) who is a recovering addict. She is staying with her brother and his boyfriend. Her recovering 12 step boyfriend convinced her to steal from a rich family. They come into possession of the ancient cursed box.

    It is neither great nor bad. I have watched the original & it hasn't gone down the predictable gore fest.
  • owenpont-70803 - 21 November 2022
    Not The Worst Reboot...........
    Not a bad reboot at all. This isn't a perfect reboot by any means, as it follows a lot of the same problems as lots of horror movies face. Like the characters acting very dumb through the duration of the film to keep it going, and the last second plot twist to try to keep things interesting. But the kills were solid, and quite grotesque. And for Hellraiser, that has come to be expected. The last batch of sequels this franchise has gotten were dreadful so its nice to see Hellraiser jump back to its feet with a lively enough reboot. Overall this was a welcomed addition to a franchise that has been waiting for another good film for quite awhile.
  • rmmil - 10 November 2022
    Pointless rehash
    Hollywood recipe to revive IPs: Ummm...let's change the gender / ethnicities of the characters...that's about it.

    For example, why is Pinhead a woman this time?? Don't know, not explained...oh well. Very typical example of this film's world-building (or lack of it).

    I will say that this film.is better than the original Hellraiser 3+, because all of those films were just the worst, but that's not saying much. But it was a far cry in quality compared to 1 or 2 in the series.

    Unlike 1 or 2, this film has no identity, all the cenobites have been CGI'ed into something that looks far less scary than the original makeup and prosthetics of the original films. Also, all the human characters have little to no backstory, and the deaths are rushed and mostly serve no purpose to the plot itself..

    For example, the Asian friend literally existed just to die, I knew absolutely nothing about her character. She was just "there". Then not.

    The movie feels like someone fed all the original films into an AI and told it to "make a Hellriser film"...it's technically accurate, but has no style or "soul" behind it.

    I also don't understand taking the time in the film to set up obvious sequels which will never come. Nowadays modern Hollywood takes interesting IPs and just absolutely chews them up and spits them out into oblivion, guaranteeing the property is now dead.

    Congratulations!