Hellraiser (2022)
Directed by David Bruckner

As a franchise, Hellraiser has been through a lot. With evil video games, trips to space, multiple police procedurals, and a low-budget remake so bad that Doug Bradley refused to appear in it; the Hellraiser brand has kind of taken a beating. Revitalizing franchises has been all the rage for these past few years, with Halloween, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Predator all getting new entries recently, so I wasn’t shocked when I heard that Hellraiser was going to get a new entry, the 11th in its franchise. What did surprise me was who was announced at the helm, David Bruckner, who directed the excellent film The Night House. Bruckner made an impression on me with The Night House’s gothic atmosphere and supernatural horror elements, a lot of which reminded me thematically of Hellraiser, and he seemed to be a logical choice for this reboot. After all the pain it’s gone through, Hellraiser deserves another good movie, did we finally get one?

Our film follows Riley McKendry, a down-on-her-luck woman in a 12 Step program attempting to treat her addiction issues. In an attempt to make some quick cash and get her disapproving brother off her back, Riley agrees to accompany her boyfriend Trevor, who she met in the same 12-Step Program, on a quick trip to steal the contents of an abandoned shipping container that Trevor believed held valuables, for a variety of reasons. After finding a mysterious puzzle box in the container, Riley begins a downward spiral into madness that may be fueled by her abuse of drugs and alcohol…or perhaps by something more sinister.

I’ve held off from addressing this for long enough so let me start this review in earnest by saying that the newest Hellraiser is an alright movie, definitely head and shoulders above the many embarrassing entries that Pinhead suffered in the straight-to-DVD days. It’s far from a perfect movie, but Hellraiser does a lot right and I will give credit where credit is due. Most importantly, the gothic imagery on display is heartwarming, and the gruesome effects that the franchise is known for are back with a vengeance, giving you what you would expect from a Hellraiser movie. The story is kind of in the middle for me, some parts I really enjoyed, while others felt a bit confused and muddled. One thing that I will say is great is the designs for the new Cenobites, they are awesome, and I was so happy to see the Chatterer return. I didn’t get as much time as I would like with the new Pinhead, but I enjoyed Jamie Clayton’s performance and wouldn’t mind seeing her in the role again.

Although I enjoyed Clayton’s performance, I wasn’t as keen on the rest of the cast. I wouldn’t call any of the other performances bad necessarily, but it is clear that the performers needed to find their voices. These issues might have been caused by the characters being a touch too anemic for a psychological horror film in this vein. Attempts are made to link Riley’s addiction issues with her interactions with the puzzle box, but the connection is never as strong or clear as it needed to be, and that may have kept Odessa A’Zion from making that seem real. No one else gets that much material to work with, but again, I think this is more of a character weakness than an acting weakness. But it is great to see a diverse young cast working, and I hope they have many more opportunities in the industry.
You’re probably noticing a lot of weasel words in this review. Sadly, that’s because Hellraiser kind of falls into an awkward position for me. I love the original Hellraiser so much, and even if the sequels never managed to reach the same heights as the first, I have a soft spot for that big dumb series. After getting so hyped for this movie and hoping it would bring Hellraiser back to its glorious past, it is a letdown to see that movie and think it’s just okay. For that reason I can’t give this a general recommendation, I don’t think there’s enough in here for anyone who isn’t a fan of the Hellraiser franchise. However, if you’re starved for more Hellraiser content then you may get something out of this. It certainly isn’t as painful as the last 8 movies.