The Engineer was quite the intimidating, if briefly seen, foe in the first Hellraiser, but a deleted scene almost had him return in Hellraiser 2. Legendary horror author and occasional director Clive Barker has given pop culture many grotesque creations to admire and fear. Barker has a gift of being able to bring to life things that are shockingly horrifying and gross, yet also often strikingly beautiful, at least for those inclined to macabre imagery. Perhaps nowhere is this more apparent than in the early Hellraiser films, and of course the novella that spawned them.
Barker both wrote and directed Hellraiser, after being unhappy with the first two horror movies based on his work. He would also oversee Hellbound: Hellraiser 2 as executive producer, and is also credited with the story ideas that writer Peter Atkins fashioned into the sequel's script. While not quite as great as the original, Hellbound is a very worthy follow-up, and indeed feels like a continuation of the story began in Barker's film.
That said, not every element of the first Hellraiser was revisited in the sequel, and that included the monstrous Engineer, a Hell beast that almost prevented Kirsty's return from her first aborted journey into the realm of pain and pleasure. The Engineer was supposed to appear again in Hellraiser 2, but his scene ended up deleted.
Hellraiser 2's Engineer Return Deleted Scene Explained
At one point during Hellbound: Hellraiser 2, Kirsty and her new friend Tiffany are attempting to escape from Hell, but first they encounter Kirsty's resurrected wicked stepmother Julia. The confrontation ends with Julia getting stripped of her skin, and Kirsty and Tiffany escaping, only to find that Hell has decided to follow them in the form of the Dr. Channard Cenobite. However, between the Julia confrontation and their escape, Kirsty and Tiffany were to be chased by The Engineer down Hell's blue-lit corridors, in much the same way he pursued Kirsty in the first movie. At one point the creature even grabbed Tiffany's wrist, but Kirsty was able to help her break free.
Sadly, The Engineer's deleted Hellbound: Hellraiser 2 return scene has yet to surface in full, although it may one day do so, as the famous deleted scene of Pinhead in surgical scrubs finally did turn up after decades of fan interest. Some proof does exist that the scene was shot, however, as flashes of it are in older previews for the film, and a still can be found online of The Engineer near Julia's discarded skin. It's unknown why The Engineer's return was deleted, but considering that there were issues with the effects powering it in the first movie - one can clearly see that it's being pushed down the hallway at one point - perhaps similar problems occurred.