David Bruckner, director of the 2022 Hellraiser reboot, addresses the origins of the franchise's new Pinhead. Hellraiser, a horror franchise started by Clive Barker in 1987, has spawned a whopping 10 installments. Though the original film was well-received, providing a haunting and original twist on the genre and introducing a villain with a fascinating design, most of the subsequent sequels earned negative reviews. However, the franchise still enjoys a cult following, due largely in part to its haunting villain, Pinhead a.k.a The Hell Priest. Originally played by Doug Bradley, Pinhead and his army of Cenobites were the focus of many of Hellraiser's sequels, some of which delved into his background as a veteran of World War I.
Directed by David Bruckner, the new film will feature Jamie Clayton as the villain, marking a change from the original with a female version of Pinhead. Though the character was set up in past installments with the appearance of female Cenobites and the implication of a female Hell Priest in Clive Barker's original 1986 novel, The Hellbound Heart, some viewers have expressed frustration over the choice to recast Pinhead for a modern audience. However, original Pinhead Bradley has made it clear that he's on board with the updated villain. Fans have wondered if the new Pinhead came from one of the past female Cenobites, and now Bruckner has clarified some details about the Clayton Pinhead's past.
In a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter, Bruckner alludes to the iconic villain's backstory, hinting at the creative team's desire to retain an element of mystery in the horror reboot. The director admits the Priest has "forgotten quite a bit of her origin," due to her single-minded pursuit of her goals. This aspect of the character shows the reboot's version of Pinhead has plenty in common with the original iteration of the terrifying figure. Check out Bruckner's full quote below:
Oftentimes, in horror, when you’re working through the screenplay, you really want to limit what you tell the audience. There’s a lot of tension built in what you don’t know, but when you get into design and into sculpting the characters with the actors, you have to make decisions. You can’t be wholly abstract. So it’s almost a parallel creative conversation where we really fill in the gaps, so to speak, of where the Cenobites come from, what the history of the labyrinth is and what the possibilities are behind the Priest origin. It really depends on what the actor needs or what the world needs, for us to visualize it properly. So we did talk a bit about the Priest, but we also talked about the idea that she had forgotten quite a bit of her origin. She has long been engaged in her pursuit of extreme experience and bestowing that upon others, so I think that’s where her mind resides.
How Jamie Clayton's Pinhead Is Already Benefiting The Reboot
Bruckner's desire to maintain the character's mystery makes his response vague, though it does include some key insight into Clayton's Pinhead. His mentions of the Cenobites' creation and history of the labyrinth hint at Pinhead's mythological origins, while his description of her "pursuit of extreme experience and bestowing that upon others" detail what's important about the villain ahead of the film. With a more book-accurate version of Pinhead, Clayton's iteration of the villain avoids replacing Bradley's portrayal of the character while allowing for slight changes, including a chilling Hell Priest and Cenobites redesign revealed in the trailer. Clayton's version of the iconic villain offers the franchise a fresh start after its many unsuccessful sequels, ushering in a new, more terrifying era for the contemporary reboot.
While Bruckner's comments don't reveal much about the villain fans have been so curious about, his passion for the reboot is palpable, which is encouraging for fans of the franchise. While the trailer, released on September 20 went a long way in stoking fans' excitement for the new Hellraiser film, some are still uncertain about the film's necessity, due to the many sequels already in the franchise. However, it's likely that the modern take on the Hellraiser story, which will be available on Hulu October 7, will justify its existence with an inventive and creative spin on the classic franchise.
Source: THR
