Opinion: Why Hellraiser Deserves A Reboot

What makes a good horror film? I know that is a tough question to answer, as we are all different people with different ideas of what scares us. To some, all it takes to be spooked is a killer in a mask mowing down teens. Others require a higher level of psychological involvement in their horror films in order to truly be rattled. As we are all different, we are all entitled to our own opinions on the matter. Some people don't even see horror as a real genre, and simply shrug off those films entirely. No matter what side of the fence you're on, remember that this is an opinion article, and as thus, is not fact but rather my opinion on something. Okay, with that warning out of the way, let's get to the article.

Pinhead is easily one of the most recognizable horror characters of all time. There is no mistaking him for another character as no other character like him truly exists. From his menacing demeanor to his iconic pin filled face, he's been in the hearts and minds of horror fans since his debut on the scene back in the 80's. Sure the series got out of hand and now it is spiraling downward into the same murky waters most 80's and 90's horror franchises have been dropped into, but it can't control that. Hollywood does what it will do, and Dimension isn't exactly the powerhouse production company that they used to be. The only way that this series can truly be salvaged is if they rightfully hand it over to Clive Barker and allow him to create a remake or reboot, or whatever you wanna call it.

Now you may be asking yourself, a reboot? What kind of madness is that? I hate remakes and reboots, they're never good and Hollywood is absolute horse shit all the time. If you are, kindly leave this webpage, or grow a brain! Not all reboots are inherently evil, some are a necessary kind of evil. Such is the case with the Hellraiser series. I've recently been reviewing them again, and they are simply just alright. The first film is still a masterpiece, but all the sequels are lacking and devolve into a sort of over the top schticky comedy body horror mess. There is no decisive vision, only a bunch of division. It paints a very confusing picture about Pinhead, his minions, and their story over the years. The first film does nothing to give you any background on the characters really, but beginning in the second film they delved into the mythology of the titular character, Pinhead. Then they revealed all his secrets essentially, and even that he was formerly a person who was seeking out the ultimate pleasures in life. Gone was the towering and frightening demonic entity whose sole purpose was pain and pleasure, made relate-able by a simple and almost unnecessary plot device. I'm not saying this ruined the whole franchise, but it definitely took some of that edge away the more they've dived into Pinheads personal story. But then, suddenly, out of nowhere, the series just starts telling a completely different random set of stories that have no connection whatsoever. After the fourth film, it devolves into a series that has the words franchise fatigue plastered on every release. Pinhead became the main selling point from then on, and all it took to direct a Hellraiser film is a basic understanding of all his character tropes. Just like most the other horror icons before him, he fell to the mighty hammer blow of becoming a stereotypical character, as predictable as any other. It's hard to be shocked when Pinhead is killing his fiftieth victim with chains and other deadly weapons he's used innumerable times before. So it only makes sense that they would dust off this old franchise, pick it back up and say, "Hey, Hellraiser, stop using tried and true character tropes to create generic stories that aren't even 25% as visionary as the original film was."

(These are the chains that bind this series.)

The problem with the Hellraiser series doesn't lie in the special effects (except in the CGI department), it lies in the tired out mythology that they've been effectively espousing and reusing over the whole series' lifetime. We know all there is to know about Pinhead in the relative mortal realm, we know everything we could possibly want to about him really. They've run the well dry on his life, his background, and just about every other personal aspect they possibly could. Where then should the series go from here you might ask? I see a couple different avenues they could go down with a reboot really. Of course, these are both reliant on the hope that Dimension will stop producing the god awful sequels no one wants to see and instead decides to reboot the franchise, or sells the series to someone who will do just that. I know they are planning to release another sequel sometime soon, Hellraiser: Judgement, but it seems like they never have a solid release date for it and it just keeps being pushed back, which is no way to treat a franchise as old and recognized as Hellraiser. My hope is they will sell it to company such as Lionsgate or another production studio that will treat it with the care it deserves.

Option One: The first road, and the most obvious, is to just do a flat reboot of the original film with very little variation. Of course, I don't really think this should be the way they go about doing it, but it is something that could be likely to happen. The original does have some dated special effects in the monster department and Clive Barkers vision could truly be unleashed with the prospects of new special effects, but a flat remake seems like franchise suicide, as the story doesn't really translate to today's standards. The story is very 80's, and the likelihood of it connecting with anyone in today's society is probably slim to none. It is not a story that carries over into our modern moral compass. Not only that, but it is occasionally riddled with some of that signature 80's cheese dialogue that exuded out of almost every 80's horror film at the time. No one takes that stuff seriously anymore, though the bulk of the film is deadly serious. It would take a small miracle to get today's audience in the seats to see a film that is so dedicated to the roots of 80's horror cinema. In other words, it would only attract fans of the original, and even then, it would likely fail to do that since most fans would see it as a shallow reboot without any soul or passion. Hollywood wants what will make them money, so the likelihood of this ever happening is probably zero percent but I thought it was worth noting this option anyway for vanity, and to further point out that some kinds of reboots are really shallow and others are not. 

(This is pretty seriously gross even to this day.)

Option two: Reboot the story with a completely new canon and mythology, and update it to be a more modern tale. This is the option I personally want to see, we've seen pinhead, we've seen his minions, we've seen everything the Cenobites have to offer. Why not start over and give us something fresh, or even better, something more horrifying. Take us into their world, a world of Hellish creatures where pain is for pleasure. The box is an overplayed plot device at this point, and even though it will likely be in any iteration of the franchise, the least they could do is give it more purpose. It's a gateway, but it's only ever worked for the Cenobites. Why has no one ever been sucked into it themselves? I firmly believe that they would be able to create an entirely new series based around the world that the Cenobites inhabit. There are so many new things they could introduce to us by taking the protagonists into Hell with Pinhead and all his minions. The most terrifying aspect of the series has always been the Cenobites so it only makes sense to take us further into their realm in a new iteration of the series. The canon is dead, long live the new canon! I don't go to see a horror film so I can be reminded of my day to day life, or so I can see something relate-able, I go to see something truly horrifying. I want to see people getting tormented in Hell, I want to see the true meat of the psychological torment that goes on within the depths of the Cenobites world.  We've seen Pinhead torment people in the real world time and again, with the same weapons and the same minions and the same plot devices every time. But so far the only bit we've seen of their world has been in small flashback sequences that don't offer much to work with, or short glimpses when they enter into our realm. There is a whole world of monsters there; horrifying, disfigured, utterly disgusting monsters that will do everything they can to torment people for their pleasure. Yet they haven't even tapped into the potential in that realm, the possibilities there are endless. The real world is limited, it has laws, it has physics, Hell doesn't need to follow those laws, or those physics. Everything is and can be distorted by the Cenobites, and that in itself creates a whole new slew of possibilities for psychological horror and sheer torment for Pinhead and his minions. We've only seen a handful of the horrifying denizens that would inhabit the world of the Cenobites. The possibility for new monster designs and demons is astronomical, completely and utterly through the roof honestly. Every Hollywood exec should be chomping at the bit for this possibility, it would be a horrifying and utterly mortifying reboot. With newer special effects and a modest budget Clive Barkers true vision could finally be achieved. 

(You can bet your ass there's a lot more of this in Hell.)

A reboot is the only way they could possibly work either of these options out without completely and utterly destroying the horrible canon that exists right now, and the only person fit for the job is Clive Barker himself. He's been gunning for a reboot for years, but they won't give it to him. This is exactly the kind of reboot the horror world needs but doesn't seem to deserve. It is ripe for the picking with possibilities and still has the pull and power to draw an audience if they were to reboot it. But if they wait until the series has completely disappeared  from the public's consciousness, it will be too late. I already fear they have waited a bit long on this gestating project, and it will never see the light of day. I think you would be hard pressed to find another horror franchise that needs to be rebooted more badly than this one, since the mythology has become a mess and makes absolutely no sense at this point. So, let's review what we've discussed here: Hellraiser is a tired franchise in need of a reboot, there are two paths that they could take on this reboot, one is original and one is boring and atypical. Which path do I think Dimension is most likely to take? I think they'll just keep dumping out sequels until they burn the franchise out entirely, and then and only then will there be a true possibility for a reboot, likely from another production studio entirely. But what do you guys think? Feel free to post your opinion in the comments and share the article with people you think might be interested in joining in the conversation.