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In 1987, horror master Clive Barker took over the director’s chair to adapt his novel The Hellbound Heart. Hellraiser quickly became one of the most influential horror movies of the 1980s, spawning a profitable franchise of movies, comic books, and merchandising. After 35 years and nine mostly forgettable sequels, Hellraiser is getting a reboot on Hulu, with David Bruckner (The Ritual, The Night House) taking the helm over the franchise. While the Hellraiser reboot makes an effort to stand on its own, comparisons with Barker’s original film are inevitable. So, now that Hellraiser is available on Hulu, it is time to discuss which version better captures the horror of The Hellbound Heart and the Cenobites.
Which ‘Hellraiser’ Is Closer to the Novel?
If we think about the novel adaptation alone, the original Hellraiser is miles ahead of the reboot. The reason is simple: the new movie doesn’t try to copy The Hellbound Heart. Instead, David S. Goyer, Ben Collins, and Luke Piotrowski develop a brand new story that still reuses all the main elements of the original Hellraiser. We still have a villain, Roland Voight (Goran Visnjic), who goes after the Cenobites to experience new pleasures that are not available on Earth. And the visual design of the Cenobites, the puzzle box, and the Labyrinth dimension all echo Barker’s original vision. However, the similarities with The Hellbound Heart stop there.
Barker made the first Hellraiser movie by transforming his novel into a script that mostly tells the same story. The reboot, however, tries to follow its own path. Fans looking for a faithful adaptation of the original novel might be disappointed. However, by creating an original story, Hulu’s Hellraiser ensures it can offer horror fans something new. The reboot does not aim to remake what was done before, but to push the franchise in a new direction. That’s also why Hulu’s Hellraiser expands Barker’s original mythology by introducing new Lament Configuration puzzles, reimagining the rules that bind the Cenobites to human desire, and casting a new star to play the Hell Priest(ess).
What About the New Pinhead?
While even the original Hellraiser has a straightforward horror story, the movie became part of our collective nightmare due to the stylish design of the Cenobites and the bone-chilling acting of Doug Bradley as the Hell Priest, the villain popularly known as Pinhead. While Pinhead was not intended to be more of a threat than other Cenobites, the character became so popular that the Hell Priest became the symbol of the Hellraiser franchise, coming back for most of the sequels and even getting his own spinoff novel by Barker, The Scarlet Gospels. The quality of a Pinhead can make or break any Hellraiser movie. Fortunately, Jamie Clayton lives up to the high standard left behind by Bradley. Clayton’s version of the Hell Priestess is terrifying, carrying the same dangerous stoicism Bradley came up with to make Pinhead stand apart from other horror icons.
Finally, while both versions of Hellraiser could be blamed for putting style over substance, this creative choice worked better in 1987, when Barker’s unique horror universe was still fresh. The reboot is beautiful, and Bruckner’s steady direction does Barker’s vision justice. However, there’s not much more to grab our attention than stylish monsters and impeccable gore. And 35 years later, that is not enough for the reboot to surpass the original, as we get to the credits feeling like we’ve seen all that before. That is the main reason why Barker’s Hellraiser remains the definitive Cenobite film. Even so, the reboot deserves a watch, especially for fans who suffered for so long with subpar sequels.
Hellraiser is available right now on Hulu. Check out the movie’s trailer below:
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