The terrifying Cenobites are back, almost 40 years after Clive Barker turned his novel The Hellbound Heart into the groundbreaking horror film Hellraiser. A lot of talks have been going around about the new look that the primary Cenobite, Pinhead, played by actress Jamie Clayton, will have in the upcoming remake by David Bruckner, which will premiere on Hulu in October. Doug Bradley, the original Hell Priest played by an English actor, thinks the concept for Pinhead, set to be released in 2022, is great. Bradley, whose film and TV career spans decades, is already a legend of his time.
There’s little doubt he has a firm grasp on the Cenobite leader and spokesman thanks to his eight-film stint in the role, beginning with 1987’s Hellraiser. Since Barker, the remake’s producer, is a personal friend of Bradley’s, the latter was given the opportunity to make his first cinematic appearance as Pinhead. Bradley’s depiction as the sadomasochistic extraterrestrial entity was unearthly and sophisticated, with a cool manner that didn’t seem to suit the character’s reputation as a monster. According to Bloody Disgusting, the actress was asked about the impending reboot and Bruckner’s choice to cast a female Pinhead at this year’s Silver Scream Con “Hellraiser has always been about breaking the rules in some manner. There’s nothing really novel about the concept, but I’m curious to see where it goes.”
Since Bradley has devoted so much time to the character, his thoughts naturally carry more weight with many long-time fans of the franchise. Bradley was so impressed by their new appearance of Clayton that he turned to his own Twitter to extol its virtues. “In a way, I’m shocked by this! The palette, the keyhole/locket/tracheotomy thing at the throat, the shine of the “pinheads,” and the ingenious redesign of the makeup all merit praise. It’s seductive, frightening, disturbingly simple, and subtle. As perfect as could be hoped for. Rest in Pain and War, Doug ” Together with Bruckner on the highly successful The Night House, Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski adapted Goyer’s (The Dark Knight) narrative into a screenplay for the Spyglass Media and Hulu Original film remake.
The filmmaker told Alyse Wax that Hellraiser was an opportunity to delve deeper into Barker’s expansive universe and tell a fresh tale inside the “rich and nuanced material.” In 2022, a young lady who has been dealing with addiction meets the enigmatic Lament Configuration, a puzzle box with the capacity to open Earth’s realm to the Cenobites. This is not a continuation of the previous 10 chapters. Pinhead (Clayton), the Hell Priestess, leads a legion of vicious creatures who pay back their summoners in kind, whether they want to or not. Clayton, when asked about Bradley’s influence and how she feels about playing a horror film legend, of course, thanked Bradley. Wax inquired of the actress whether she was nervous about assuming the part, and she said, “plenty and lots of them… I mean, Doug is a cultural figure, so there’s that. Those exquisite bloodstained shoes are too large for anybody to fill.
So, David and I just had a lot of discussions about who this version would be, how she would sound, what her goals would be, and how she would act.” According to Bradley, the updated design will make Clayton appear great. She says her character’s outlook is “very dark” and “sensual,” which seems about right. Odessa A’zion, Adam Faison, Drew Starkey, Brandon Flynn, Aoife Hinds, Jason Liles, Yinka Olorunnife, Selina Lo, Zachary Hing, Kit Clarke, Goran Visnjic, and Hiam Abbass are all set to appear in Clayton’s Hellraiser.
On October 7th, Hulu will debut the original series Hellraiser.