Welcome back to Such Sights To Show You! Here we are, we have made it through the majority of the Hellraiser films. Its interesting how this franchise is. It is just as deadly as the Lament Configuration itself. It lures you in with its first two installments then dares you to continue with the next. After that, it's a series of twists and turns almost as if we were solving the box itself. Each new twist more deadly than the last. Or as some may say, disappointing. By the end, we have definitely seen so many sights that are held within.
First off, I'd like to say thank you to every one that has joined along for this ride. This is definitely a journey and one not to have taken lightly. I had seen some of these films in the past. But I have never seen them in this context before. It honestly has gave me a bit of an appreciation for what Hellraiser is. Second, I honestly could not do what I do without the support of my partner. They have been there for me and so supportive. They understood that I enjoy talking about movies. They understood that it's one of my dreams to get the chance to do this. Yeah, it doesn't pay. But doing this has never been about that, though it wouldn't be a bad thing if it did. And third, without the support of everyone that checks out these reviews - I honestly don't know if I would have kept along. Doing these reviews were originally my way of keeping my sanity while I recovered from my dental surgery this past year. But here we are, four years doing so. So thank you.
Now, here we are everyone. With all of the franchise in perspective, we can look forward to where things will go next. You may remember that I talked about The Night House last year. It was one of my Top 10 Films of the year. It was such an incredible film. When I was watching it, I just kept thinking how much it felt like a Clive Barker film. It just had that fantastic atmosphere and feeling that the first Hellraiser evoked.
So imagine my surprise and excitement when I had heard that David Bruckner was going to be helming a new iteration of Hellraiser. I could not imagine no one better to reinvigorate and reimagine Hellraiser. I did my best to keep my excitement handled though. Sometimes we can get so excited about something, it can cause one to be extremely disappointed when it wasn't what we were hoping for. I watched the one trailer. There was no other trailer for me. It quickly lured me in and set up the story. My partner isn't a big Hellraiser fan. When I showed them that initial trailer, they were a bit sold on it. Hopefully soon, I'll be able to share that with them.
Over the weekend, I kept my ear to the ground to see what people were saying about Hellraiser. I avoided spoilers so much. There was no way I would go into the film already having it spoiled. That has happened in the past, Scream 3 being a very good example. Someone spoiled that for me before I had the chance to see it. The word for Hellraiser was that it was good. I rested easy a little bit about that.
For those that would like to know, here's the plot crunch. A young woman must confront the sadistic, supernatural forces behind an enigmatic puzzle box responsible for her brother's disappearance.
As we all know, I like the original Hellraiser. It may not be my absolute favorite film. But I really respect it and enjoy it. After the first two installments, there hasn't been a Hellraiser that has managed to stand up to the original. However, this film does it.
One of the first things that I will say is that in a way I'd compare it to Evil Dead (2013). Actually, it would make a fantastic double feature alongside Evil Dead (2013). Both films have a bit of a similar theme as they forgo certain story elements in order to tell a more nuanced story regarding addiction. Yeah, there are some people that may say that the new Hellraiser isn't horny enough for them. But you know what, that's okay.
The approach with Hellraiser '22 is absolutely fantastic. It's an extremely well developed beginning chapter. It doesn't necessarily throw aside the lore that was established in previous films. It brilliantly develops things even further. Gone is the BDSM black leather look of the Cenobites. Now, they truly are a dark and twisted fairy tale with their new look - highlighted by their flayed skin. Pinhead's look is absolutely amazing. Honestly, each Cenobite is unique on their own yet manage to be awesome as a collective whole. While we have Pinhead, we also have a different take on Chatterer. Chatterer's appearance in the original was something that stood out as incredibly striking. In this incarnation, it honestly reminded me of Eligos from Ash VS. EVIL DEAD. It is still nice to see, but it does lessen the impact. Outside those two, we are treated to new cenobites: The Masque, The Weeper, The Mother, The Asphyx and The Gasp. All of these are still visually striking. However, some of them don't necessarily get enough screen time. The Gasp was incredibly haunting and a bit inspired by Angelique from Bloodline.
As of this writing, I've watched it three times now. None of these times have I felt that the film was a bit longer than it needed to be. It felt really solid in its pacing. Each of the characters felt interesting and relatable. I honestly was blown away by the fact that I never found myself hating any of those characters. I do think we get a little more of Pinhead and the Cenobites in this one than in the original film. Jamie Clayton absolutely leads the film in their portrayal of Pinhead. This incarnation easily stands alongside Doug Bradley's. I know that there were some people that may have said that Clayton wouldn't do well. But this performance is so damn entrancing. It left me hoping that we'd get more films with these Cenobites. There was a small aspect of the third act that felt a bit Thirteen Ghosts-ish. I was honestly surprised by where the film went. In one aspect, it wraps up the film in an interesting solid way. In another aspect, it does set the groundwork for something that could be explored in a sequel.
Hellraiser (2022) absolutely lived up to what I was hoping for. It doesn't remake the original. No, it blows open the door as a new chapter for this franchise. Literally, the sky's the limit as to where things could go next. And I know I"m excited about it.
Rating: 5 out of 5. (Enjoyed more than the original.)
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