Hellraiser 2022's ending brings a satisfying closure to Riley's rite of passage but shrouds Roland Voight's future in mystery. On the surface, the movie promises a thrilling ride with its disturbing depiction of hellish punishments that haunt the ones who cross paths with the Hellraiser franchise's iconic Cenobites. However, beyond its terrifying supernatural elements, the movie also shows a human core that explores themes of sacrifice and greed. It's these themes that add multiple layers to the character arcs and make their torrid journeys through Hell a lot more captivating.
Hellraiser begins as a game of cat-and-mouse between the Cenobites and a recovering substance abuser named Riley. This later morphs into a full-fledged showdown when Riley and her friends are trapped in a mansion, with the Cenobites dead set upon doing what they do best: inflicting unimaginable pain. Toward the end, Riley does manage to save herself from the extradimensional beings, but her win against them comes at a hefty price. Since the fate of Hellraiser's primary characters, remains unknown in its closing moments, here is a breakdown of the ending and all the plot points that lead up to it.
What Happens In Hellraiser 2022's Ending
Riley, Colin, and Trevor escape the Cenobites and hide inside Voight's caged mansion. Realizing that they will eventually face the Cenobites, Riley plans to step out of the mansion with Colin, lure a Cenobite inside, and then stab it with the puzzle box's blade to unveil its final configuration. Little do they realize that Trevor has always been planning to betray them, having previously made a deal with Voight. Riley's plan fails and Voight's sinister scheme comes to full fruition when he strikes Trevor with the puzzle box and gets his blood on it. With the final sacrifice almost out of the way, the Priest, a.k.a. Pinhead, shows up to grant Voight his second boon. However, to Voight's dismay, when he asks Jamie Clayton's Pinhead/Priest to free him from his Liminal (Sensation) configuration, the Priest claims it can only be replaced with another one.
Voight ultimately settles for Leviathan (Power) as a replacement for his Liminal (Sensation) configuration. With this, he is liberated from his nerve-pulling contraption, but a chain soon zooms out of his ceiling and slashes right through his chest. It then pulls him into Hell, while the Priest wickedly remarks, “Oh yes, we have such sights to show you.” In the meantime, Riley gashes Trevor with the puzzle box to make him the final sacrifice instead of Colin. As a reward for completing the puzzle box, the Priest grants her a boon, but she rejects Pinhead's offer, knowing there's a catch.
Let down by her choice — or lack thereof — the Priest (the original Hellraiser's Pinhead) announces that she has, by default, chosen the Lament configuration, which means she will live with the regret of harming her loved ones for the rest of her life. With what follows, the Cenobites leave, while Riley wonders if she made the right choice. In the closing scene of Hellraiser 2022, Voight experiences the grotesque consequences of his chosen configuration as a powerful force flays and needles him, with him becoming a Cenobite.
Why Did Trevor Agree To Help Roland Voight?
At first, Trevor seems as naive about Voight and the puzzle box as Riley. However, when Voight later confronts him and reminds him of his mission of making sacrifices to the puzzle box, it becomes evident that Trevor has been working for the morally skewed millionaire from the very beginning. Trevor's reason for helping Voight is revealed much later when Voight comes out of hiding to make a final sacrifice for Hellraiser's central puzzle box. That is when he tells Riley that Trevor has known about him all along. He discloses that Trevor works for him since he has paid him to do so and will continue helping him because "it is the best deal of his miserable life." Voight's words ring true as Trevor remains his accomplice until the end and even tries to set Colin up as the last sacrifice for the puzzle box.
Why Roland Voight Wants A Second Reward In Hellraiser 2022
Hellraiser 2022's opening scene shows that after experiencing everything a human possibly can, Voight sets out to feel something new by making many human sacrifices and solving the puzzle box to its penultimate configuration. He then coaxes a young man to complete the box puzzle, which makes him the final sacrifice for Hellraiser's terrifying Cenobites. For completing the puzzle, Voight gets to choose between Lament (Life), Lore (Knowledge), Lauderant (Love), Liminal (Sensation), Lazarus (Resurrection), and Leviathan (Power). Hoping to experience a life of endless pleasure, Voight chooses the Liminal (Sensation) configuration as his reward, without realizing that the Cenobites have a twisted sense of pleasure. As a result, Voight's greed becomes agony when a contraption that keeps twisting his nerves is installed on his chest.
After living with the excruciating pain of his nerves being pulled back and forth for years, Voight sets out to end his suffering by paying Trevor to help him complete the configurations of the puzzle. By doing so, he hopes to earn another boon, which he believes will help him get rid of the nerve-pulling contraption. Not everything goes as planned, though, since Hellraiser's villain, the Priest (aka Pinhead), only offers him a replacement for his contraption. Voight settles for the Leviathan (Power) configuration, but Hellraiser's ending makes it evident that it is no less torturous — if not more — than his previous Liminal (Sensation) punishment.
Why Riley Doesn't Resurrect Matt With The Puzzle Box Reward
Riley's entire arc in Hellraiser revolves around her trying to reverse her mistakes. As soon as she learns about the Lazarus configuration, she sets out on the destructive path of solving the box puzzle and earning a boon with the intention of resurrecting her brother, Matt. Her reason for pursuing the puzzle is arguably nobler than Voight's, but it is still self-serving because she clearly avoids taking accountability for her mistakes and repenting for them. After realizing that her desire to avoid living with regret is no different than Voight's lust for endless pleasure, she chooses not to resurrect Matt (played by Brandon Flynn from 13 Reasons Why's cast). Her choice makes her a worthy fit for the Lament configuration, which brings her story full circle as it was the first configuration she solved to open pandora's box. Riley's decision to not settle for a boon reflects how, unlike Voight, she realizes that the Cenobites always fulfill their promises but never in ways one expects them to.
Riley's overarching narrative also mirrors her history of substance abuse. Just as she tainted her relationship with her loved ones because of her addictions, she puts her friends in danger when she obsessively tries to complete the puzzle. Her experience with the Cenobites forces her through a significant catharsis. This ultimately helps her settle for the pain and agony that comes with being human instead of finding an escape from her emotions. Her arc concludes by establishing that the Hellraiser reboot is not about a typical battle between good versus evil. The movie instead uses the Cenobites as mere narrative devices to portray the different spectrums of morality that separate its human characters.
Does Roland Voight Become A Cenobite At The End Of Hellraiser 2022?
Roland seemingly gets pulled into the Cenobite realm after he chooses the Leviathan configuration. In Hellraiser's closing scene, a powerful invisible force strips his skin and puts needles in his throat, which indicates that he, too, has been turned into a Cenobite. Although this seems a little less agonizing than his previous Liminal configuration, it will likely come with its own set of troubles. Roland's final transformation is symbolic in Hulu's Hellraiser reboot because it contrasts Riley's climactic decision. While Riley holds on to her humanity by accepting the pain and regret that will follow, Voight loses his sense of humanity at the end to avoid pain and turns into a savage extradimensional creature.
What Hellraiser 2022's Ending Really Means For Riley
Riley's ending in Hellraiser may not be as terrifying as that of Voight, but it is still no less melancholic. She has no one to blame but herself for Matt's and Nora's deaths and will forever live with the regret of not listening to her brother. On the bright side, she is now better equipped to face her reality instead of escaping it with drugs or other short-lived pleasures. Considering Pinhead's spiteful nature in Hellraiser, Pinhead and the Cenobites may target Riley again and try luring her to reach out for the puzzle box. However, Hellraiser's ending proves that Riley has learned her lessons the hard way and may never reconsider going down the same self-destructive loop. Given how Hellraiser wraps up Riley's story, a sequel, if it happens, will likely introduce new characters along with Voight as a newly recruited Cenobite.