Most of the time I feel like a movie being unsettling rather than scary is better. If a movie is just "scary " it's only scary in the moment, whereas if it's unsettling it stays with you over time.
That was an unsettling scene for sure. The idea that you aren't even safe when speeding away in a van is definitely scary. That almost had a The Ring vibe to it.
Jamie Clayton as Pin Head/The Hell Priest is so good. She had a nearly impossible task of trying to live up to Doug Bradley, and I feel like she knocked it out of the park.
If you're a fan of Clive Barker's work then you know that there really isn't a limit to how far you can push the depravity. It's never gratuitous, though.
I never found the original movies that gory or disturbing ,the movies were well made at least the first two were . The depravity could have been considerably more , like the books .
I have been *thirsting* for a good Hellraiser reboot ever since I watched the excellent video about the history of the Hellraiser franchise made by the youtuber In Praise of Shadows. There are so many interesting themes and in Clive Barker's original work that really got pushed aside as the sequel films progressed, and the cenobites just turned into generic torture demons rather than mysterious, chaotic-neutral-esque representations of the human Id.
@@CoOlKyUbI96 the previous 4 before them sucked as well and bloodline wasnt that great either only the first 3 are any good out of previous 10 films before this latest one
Apart from anything else about this movie, can we all just take a moment to appreciate how bloody amazing Jaimie Clayton was as the Hell Priest. Her presence was immense, her stature, her movement, beautiful, terrifying, soft spoken, deceptive, angelic and demonic. Blew me away.
And one thing I reflected on after watching the film was that I never compared her in my mind with Doug Bradley-I accepted her performance on its own terms, without even setting out to do so.
She still didn't have the presence or authority of the original Pinhead. Something about having a female was offputting to me. It sort of ruins the character.
@@stopthephilosophicalzombie9017 I suppose it's subjective whether a female Pinhead works for you (I didn't mind), but I should point out it's somewhat faithful to the original book (The Hellbound Heart), where the character is described as androgynous with a feminine-sounding voice.
I felt the same way but didn’t think it was due to the character being “female”, I think it was because Pinhead was more of an observer/arbiter in this one.
@@Kylopod That's interesting. I still got the impression that they tried to do the source material justice, but maybe i'm just attached to the old version.
Imo this Hellraiser underscores the theme of the human experience and how that shapes a person's perception of pain vs. pleasure. I really loved how this movie examines pain beyond physical, like mental and emotional anguish, and how something like regret has potential to be some of the worst pain a human can feel.
I get scared so easily and can’t watch horror movies alone at night… except for a copy of Hellraiser II that I found on VHS as a 12 yr old and snuck into my house. For some reason these stories by Clive Barker have an elegance in my eyes. Excited to watch this one.
wont say i'm a fan either-but i've watched some good horror movies.loved 'hereditary' and 'get out' amongst others.i think if there a very good reviews of a movie i'll watch it
Also cool to find out that Clive Barker managed to regain his copyright over Hellraiser - so it's likely that this will reflect in higher quality films/projects.
Is that a recent thing? Cause if he has had it for years then he has let it turn into a joke ! Really the only one that is Great is the first one , the second is pretty close and I like the third but it's a shadow of the first . The rest are horrendous! I do think the second one is pretty underrated and has this warped Dream like quality to it that I have always loved.
@@andysalter7192 He wrote The Scarlet Gospels as a sequel to The Hellbound Heart which is the book Hellraiser is based off of. He said himself that he was tired of people taking the IP of Pinhead and absolutely butchering the premise behind the original two Hellraiser movies, which are the only two Clive considers to be cannon. So, he wrote The Scarlet Gospels to put an end to it, and in the book literally kills off the character of Pinhead.
I think unsettling is the perfect word to describe this new Hellraiser, from Pinhead to the tension that builds in the film. To me It was also interesting how as the layers were revealed, that Reilly as a complex and troubled character made her choice. I would like to see the direction the next film takes, should they decide to do it.
Pretty wild that the new Hellraiser is going to be streaming on Disney+ in some places. After sequels with scripts so bad that Doug Bradley refused to play Pinhead again it's good to see a new Hellraiser that actually lives up to the name with a new Pinhead and has the enthusiatic approval of old one.
@@chr0me3ye It's no longer about the script at this point, Doug is just old now. It's one thing for Angus Scrimm to have played the Tall Man until the end because the character was old, but Pinhead is immortal, so it would require a lot of makeup and shadows and CGI to have Doug keep playing Pinhead (assuming he even has the energy). Even Robert Englund has hung up his glove, and he already used makeup and masks. 🤷
I love Doug but the director basically spilled the beans and said Doug cared about the money Which is fair he's undervalued - true the scripts were crap But Doug scoffed at being paid nothing and walked -sorry that's the truth
I think it’s due to the film being available on Hulu, which is owned by Disney, and it is distributed by Disney Platform Distribution. That could mean that the rights to the film belong to Disney.
I really liked the actress who played Riley. I thought she sold her character of being an addict and also paranoid. She did a fantastic job. I agree about the gore…. I was hoping for more … but none the less, I was happy to see this film.
Who would have guessed it’d be Hulu actually doing sequels/prequels/requels the way their franchises and fans actually deserve? Hope they keep it up. Also, SUPER stoked for this years Halloween special!!
@@jgalvan09 they have Hulu already that’s probably why the production value on the movies they’re remaking are so good. Who would’ve thought Disney would be behind good reboots for horror movies 🤣.
The one thing that bothered me is that in the opening scene, the guy is lured into opening the Box and is instantly taken by the Cenobites. In Hellraiser 2, Tiffany is lured as well but Pinhead realizes that she has been manipulated and stops the other Cenobites from harming her.
To be fair, the rules for this box are different. In the original, solving the box summons the cenobites and, in their minds, tells them “I’m interested in what you have to offer.” In this film, the box is used to sacrifice others to get an audience with Leviathan and ask for a boon.
yeah that one to but also the lead character was also got cut by surprise just by holding the box idk if that's just me but I think she wasn't supposed to get cut by the blade. Most of the victims were not even curious of solving the box they just got their blood on it which is sad like her brother and nora.
Well, in Hellraiser 1, Kirsty just solves the puzzle and then the cenobites come to torture her until she offers them Frank, she didn't desire it there
I liked it quite a bit. I had 2 issues though. I wasn't thrilled with the new Pinhead. What made Doug Bradley's Pinhead so terrifying was the commanding voice and presence he had. He was almost always front and center. The new one was too soft spoken. I kept having to turn the volume up because I couldn't hear what she was saying. She also just hung back and stood there most of the time. I didn't find her scary or intimidating at all. The design though of her and the cenobites was definitely fantastic. The other thing was the slow burn of the gore. Hellraiser was famous for level 10 gore being in your face right away. The fact that they kept cutting away from the deaths in the first 2/3rds of the movie drove me nuts. Ultimately, I still like the new direction and think it's a great foundation to start a new series of films.
Nobody can do pinhead better the Doug Bradley. His short part in hellraiser deader made the whole movie come together. However I kind of liked the way pinhead was done in this one. It allows the humans to come across stronger. I particularly liked Roland. I'm sure most people have had experiences getting what they wanted but ended up suffering more getting our desire then we would have if we never got it. I hope that if they make another hellraiser it will explain how pinhead went from being male to female.
I read Hellbound Heart and am a fan of the first two movies. To be honest I never saw any of the other sequels, but have heard they were not very good. Saw the trailer for this one and was really encouraged, since Clive Barker got back control of his franchise. Prey was surprisingly good, so I am excited to see this one!! Hulu, keep on surprising me!!
1 - 5 are good, I really liked Inferno, using the prop hooked whip from the body mod shop to strip the flesh from that guys back, nice. Anyways, I’m looking for a lettered edition of the Hellbound Heart and The Scarlet Gospels. I have a copy of the 500 limited edition copies of The Scarlet Gospels, mine in “CB” of 500. What I’m looking for is one of the 26 lettered editions. Have you ever heard of either of these books being sold anywhere?
I've only seen 1 through 4 and I really like the second movie which develops the mythology. I never really liked the third and I have a soft spot for the fourth, even though it was butchered during production. After that, didn't even bother trying to see them.
At first I thought that new Hellraiser would be a remake or reboot, but I was wrong. According to the own director this movie can be considered as a spin-off or just a story told in a parallel universe somehow connected to the main one. This means they may consider that the original movie from 1987 is irreplaceable, so it makes more to create something new and not exactly a remake. At least I am pretty sure this movie is good because the director is great.
Now seeing your review made me realize that this movie made me forget about the gore that the franchise brought at the time and immersed me much more in the story and what happened in the movie. And for me that is a good thing.
Great review! Also, I was terribly disappointed that Prey didn't get to go to theaters. I would have gone to watch it for sure, had been planning to until I realized it wasn't going to be an option.
Finally! Even if this doesn't bring Hellraiser back to all it's gory glory, after all those horrible sequels it's good to hear this has some quality for those of us who've been hanging in there.
I would love to see what Mike Flanagan could do with free rein to make a Hellraiser movie or series. I think he could make the concept interesting again vs the increasing downturn into boring stupidity the studio movies have become since the first one.
Lord of Illusions, Raw Head Rex, Hellraiser 1 and Hellraiser 2, are all very good movies. Visually stunning with gut punches to the senses...........Clive Barker does horror so well.............
The issue is that the original Hellraiser was all about how pleasure and pain are basically the same thing and how the Cenobites weren't really the bad guys. The evil characters were the humans, like Frank Cotton. The Cenobites only came when called and took people to the realm of pure pleasure through pain. Instead, we have this flick about monsters torturing people without any of the psychology of the original.
I didn't get that at all from this film. To me, that's exactly what they were implying. That certain words mean the same thing, and that you should be careful what you wish for
They completely destroyed the mythology of the original. The first one was simple, you open the box > cenobites give you the experience of pain and pleasure > you die. This one is basically collecting the dragon balls to make a wish. It has nothing to do with exploring the further regions of sensation. The worst part for me is that solving the puzzle box doesn't really matter anymore because the only important step is stabbing someone with the knife. Anyone can literally solve the box and then stab a random person, and the random person will be the one punished wtf? Not only that but they can also stab cenobites? It makes no fucking sense, you can pretty much farm cenobites until you get the wish.
@@zonastarwars4397 That's what I'm saying! Hellraiser was originally about S&M on a whole new level. If anything any remake should have played up the pleasure aspect of it, and how Hell is simultaneously ultimate pleasure and ultimate pain and how the Cenobites are just the ones who do what humans call them to do and its the humans who are screwed up. Like remember how they didn't take that mute girl from Hellraiser 2? Now it's just some generic monster movie crap and it's about as sexy as flossing teeth after eating pork chops and as scary as a 45 year old grade school teacher dressed as Elvira for Halloween.
I just got done watching this and I couldn't agree more. I watched it and was left with the feeling that it was good but something was missing. I agree, the lack of supporting cast connection and the lack of Hellraiser level gore are the only complaints I have. The twist was very interesting. I had a good feeling that was the way it was going to turn out though.
Hey, I have been subscribed with the full bell for three years. This is the first video that has been shown on my feed for at least a year but this was a refreshing review because you don't err on the side of caution when describing a movie. Keep it up and I will catch up over the next few days.
The accurate depictions of the cenobites always had them acting as though they weren't punishing their victims. They don't differentiate between pleasure and pain, and treat it all as experience. The people who end up in the hands of the cenobites should be people that are naturally heading in that direction due to their own depravity. The poor depictions of the cenobites treat them like Jason going after random people with weapons.
Good review. I felt the same way. Great film. Could have been more darker and grotesque but they covered all the basics and respected the lore of the franchise. That's more than what any Hellraiser fan could hope for. It doesn't suck at least.
I loved it, as a fan of the ip including the book, Jamie's Hell Priest was an amazing character and I think the closest anyone has ever portrayed of an accurate Pinhead from the initial book.
I watched it over this last weekend. As a huge fan of the first movie, I think this one out did it. The original is still an amazing movie, but it’s more contained. That’s not a bad thing, but when thinking of how well the new movie is executed on the scale/scope it was done is just amazing. It felt like a more grand experience, and executed well.
I got the feeling they were trying to play it safe with this movie, and I'm OK with that. The series was floundering, and this felt like it got the ship heading back on the right course. I hope it gives on them confidence to be a little more daring with the next one if they continue the series.
Just saw the film and I'm not sure I like it. I really didn't like the whole sacrifice thing. You open the box, then the cenobites should take you not someone you stabbed with it. It's not the hands or blood that summons them, it's desire. Riley being annoying character was just a cherry on top.
Other than feeling more like a 90s slasher horror movie and not being scary I thought it was pretty fantastic. It had flaws, but I thought it was well-written, decently acted, and had amazing design and effects. You could tell the makers really wanted to do justice to the property.
Solid 6/10. I think you pretty much touched on all the areas I had a problem with except Pinheads voice. In the beginning it worked but the more you hear it the less effective it is compared to the original but all in all pretty decent movie.
For Prey, I read that there were pre-existing agreements between fox and WB/HBO that the movie would be streamed on HBO Max if it released it in theaters, so that is why it went to Hulu, maybe a similar situation for Hell Raiser? Glad to hear the movie sounds enjoyable though, I can't claim to be a lo g time fan of the series but I appreciate what it does
I never watched the first Hellraiser movie, This was my first Hellraiser movie and it was really good. Not knowing the Original and watching this without expectations and remake logical understanding, made it a suspenseful and quite thrilling experience where to much gore didn't matter cause of the overall concepts of hell and how blood doesn't bleed there. And the deeper meaning of living on earth being a greater hell then the thrill of gaining your pleasure prize from the lament configuration at the end stages with its allegorical themes on self loathing and suicide survival.
New Hellraiser exceeded my expectations! I like old movies in this franchise and I'm Clive Barker's enthusiast. I really dig his writing manner. Also I'm watching closely what David Bruckner is doing - for me he's one of the most interesting voices and eye in modern horror. Ssso, I knew what I was waiting for and I knew I'd like it but HOLY FUCKING HELL! I couldn't peel my eyes off of Cenobites designs. Reminded me of "Martyrs" (the original) and I couldn't take that association out of my head for the rest of the movie. Definitely gonna rewatch it soon. And Ben Lovett's score, oh my god. Perfect reimagining of Young's iconic piece. They had such sights to show me and I reveled in them. Scalps off!
Yes!!! I thought of martyrs too. This movie def exceeded my expectations and aside from the awesome design of the cenobites I also loved the dialogue from them. Very unsettling in their philosophy about pushing the limits of pain and pleasure.
I saw this movie and loved it 😊 I just wish they would show more when they where taking the puzzle victims away. You would hear the scream but you wouldn’t see them being taken away.
I was born on the 29th of October so I love that it's Helloween every year for my birthday. Granted I live in Australia and Australia doesn't really do Helloween, but hope everything goes well for you and your partner! Get ready for no sleep for a year , but it's all worth it !. Though you could get lucky and have a baby that just sleeps all the time. Either way, good luck!
Thank you for the non-spoiler review! Can't wait to see this. Hellraiser is one of my favorite franchises. I'm glad you give Jamie a good grade, I was not a fan of hers in Sense8 and her choice as cast was my only concern, not because Doug wasn't in it or Pinhead wasn't a man, but only b/c of my thoughts on her Sense8 performance. Family movie night tomorrow will be fun. :)
It got universal praise, with critics that it's the best Adaptation of Clive Barker's classic horror film as well as being a close adaptation to his novella, The Hellbound Heart.
Ok. Critics also say the Ring Of Power is quality, and that's obviously bs. Critics reviews mean literally nothing. That being said,I love the original Hellraisers and hope this one does them justice.
If you like when a horror film goes for unsettling over jump scares, I would be curious to know what you thought of Alex Garland's latest film, Men (2022). I know it wasn't particularly well reviewed by critics or audiences, but I see a lot of parallels between what you liked from this movie and what Garland does in Men. On top of that, I really do think that the film was fantastic despite the poor reception, and it has easily been my favorite movie of the year so far.
That last act was seriously fucked up....its probably one of Alex Garlands most fucked up kind of movies and trying to figure it all out by the very end nearly lost me, lol. But yeah...its the most ptsd inducing thing I have ever seen, again and again...
Good review that raised most of the key points. I had a hard time with Riley (the character) for all the reasons mentioned here, but I wouldn't put that down on the actress. The way she was written and most of the dialogues between her and her co-cast felt dumb and plot driven rather than character driven. BUT the Cenobites and all the fantastical elements of the movie was veeery on point for me. I definitely want to see more of them and the way they and their dimension interact with ours.
Since I was a kid hellraiser was a must watch since FX did the 30 days of Halloween. Where you could see these and hide from your parents or hey sometimes my dad would say hey hellraiser is on ! I felt very let down from judgement even though they could have done so much more . I’m so happy they have been able to do this now I’m so excited to see it and see how much they have reached into the book and into what we loved about the originals.
"2022 is going to be one of those years people talk about when it come to horror." In 5O years when people are discussing the impact of the horror genera, literally no one will say anything about 2022 lol.
The original film is one of my favorite movies ever. I've seen this reboot twice now. While I still like the OG more...god damn, this is a great movie!
I wonder if the lower budgets of The Ritual and The Night House forced him to be more creative and skillful in his directing, and he got a bit too comfortable in the bigger budget with this. Kind of how M. Night seems to out out better work with smaller budgets.
I saw others describing the protagonist as "unlikable", but in certain ways they are in both Ritual and Night House too. We're given enough context to explain their behavior, so we know it's because of things they're going through, not necessarily representative of their underlying personalities. People going through really tough times won't be cheerful and easy going, just the way it is.
Yeah Bruckner has a habit of making each of his protagonists really flawed and complex; they're people you wouldn't hang out with in a day to day environment because they refuse to work through their issues in a healthy way *until* the horror starts. He seems to use the horror as a form of character catharsis after a traumatic event - Literally in the case of The Ritual, where Rafe Spall's character has to literally *work his way through* a dark place to reach the light on the other side.
I was surprised I liked it more than I thought it was going to. Solid flick with some good tense scenes. Van scene and the last 20 minutes were the best
The ending was amazing. However when I think back on the scene with Roland's "gift" I can't stop picturing it in an add for an IBD medication. Imagine him stumbling around in pain and the voice over goes "does your moderate to sever Ulcerative Colitis feel like a cynobyte torture? Then ask your doctor about colon flab today!" Then it cuts to the scene where the gift is removed and he starts laughing.
People say this every year about horror. Look at when Hereditary came out. Tell me what has been "decade defining"? Almost everything was a sequel, remake, reboot or retread of something already done before. Don't get me wrong, this year has definitely had some quality horror, but don't act like it hasn't been quality the past 2 decades. Again, tell me what horror movie came out that did something new and will change the genre for the next decade?
@@GrayWolf5000 Decade defining movies as In movies that will stand out this decade and are signs of good things to come. You know a decade is ten years, and it’s only 2022 right? Movies like Barbarian, Black Phone, X and Pearl, Fresh, Hellbender, Scream, Hellraiser, Smile, Halloween Ends coming out… this year alone has definitely been one of the more memorable years for horror in recent memory. You’re going to compare the year that Hereditary came out (overrated imo) to a year with a slew of high rated horror films? There’s a reason Chris said himself in this video that this year in particular will be remembered by horror fans.
@@Daddydaft Except all those movies from that list that have come out have been terrible. Would be nice to have a well thought out, scripted and acted horror flic, but unfortunately all we get is forgettable fast food junk.
My parents where Jehovah witnesses, Clive barker was one of my favorite early authors. 😂 you can imagine the many lovely quotes at the dinner table. Keep up the good work. appreciate you’re 🍿movie reviews. Hope this does it some manner of justice.
This movie was very good though I did not really like the 6 different puzzles but I can live with it. They say this is basically a re-adaptation but personally it fits nicely as a Sequel to Hellraiser II Hellbound. I mean Pinhead and the other cenobites were killed which would explain a new Pinhead and new cenobites and even gives us a reason why the puzzle box has changed. The new Pinhead could have done it. Plus in the stories, sequels, comic books, we always get a Chatterer in some form or another. Chatterer even has another Chatterer with him in some other formats. So despite it being a re-adaptation it still fits nicely has a sequel to Part 2. Hell you could even make it a sequel to part III if you wanted to. Either way it is a great movie and I loved it. The Female Pinhead was awesome but I also LOVED The Gasp which was the other Female Cenobite. She was beautiful and had some sweet lines in the movie.
Im SO READY for more Hellraiser. My hellbound heart has been itching for it for far too long! I won't be happy until I'm able to play a cenobite myself- as an aspiring actress, please let this team give us more 🥺 I'm sure all of us would love to be involved 🥺
Have not seen it yet but I'm hoping to learn more about the cynobite world. After multiple movies I want to see the other side. Learn how they began. Hopefully this reboot will open that door eventually.
This movie was way better than what I hoped it to be. Well written characters and some characters are already in pain in life, like riley being broke and has issues with her brother. The breathing problem serena has. Very hellraiser ish. And the climax was very interesting. Like how gifts can only be exchanged. And we see it from two perspectives. The difference between the choices of a girl in pain because she hurt others but wants only to help them. She saves Colin in the end, stabs Trevor only because he forced it on himself by trying to grab the box from her. And the choices of an eccentric rich guy who wants the pain to go away but still chooses power cause he is blinded by it his whole life. He completely forgets about the pain he is in when given the option of power. INCREDIBLY CONTRASTING and very well written. And Trevor wasn't your average villain too. He does it because his life is pathetic and wants money. Not because he is a bad guy or hates ppl or wants power. And he does get connected to some characters and tries to save them too in some instances. A nice moral story of dont seek after sensations. Be contend with what you have. Edit: Another interesting thing I found was when she stabs the chatterer cenobite and he is killed with chains and ripped apart, that cenobite never displayed any pain or hurt when the chains were on him. Shows how much pain these cenobites have endured that chains on their flesh is not a pain at all to them.
This movie, despite how well made it was, gave me the same depressing feeling Drag me to Hell did over how horribly unfair it all was. Except this time I was also mad. Because all Riley did for most of the movie was fucking over people who cared for her and wanted to help. Not only did she fuck them over, she doomed them to a fate worse than death. Hell, I was unable to properly enjoy the film because I hated Riley so much. At least in the original (and by that I mean first two movies) people taken by cenobites were peaces of shit that had it coming (Frank, Julia and Channard). But here we have three innocent people who've died in unimaginable agony because one stupid girl was intent on ruining her life and they tried to help. Trevor kinda deserved it, but honestly, it was hard for me to hate him more than that little cunt Riley. So, after all that the ending felt really empty to me. "She learned her lesson and will live the rest of her life in pain and regret" is bullshit. Her life was already fucked up, given enough time she would've ended up in that spot anyway. She's pretty much gotten away scott free when people far better than her paid the ultimate price for her mistakes. I'm mad about Matt death the most. All he did was selflessly help his ungrateful bitch of a sister, and all he gets is living hell and equally ungrateful death, when he had all his life ahead of him with a man who loved him (and would've shared his fate if Riley didn't have an asshole boyfriend at hand). Only for his sister to just ditch an effort to save him in some overdue moment of moral clarity. Even an ending where Matt comes back as a ghoul that needs human blood to survive (similar to Frank) so Riley would be forced to care for him and bear all his deserved hatred would've have been a much more just, if not happier, ending. And a nice twisted allegory of what Matt had to endure, trying to lift her up. Oh, and don't get me started on Vaught. They guy fucks over twice as many innocent people as Riley and in the end gets the ultimate price (look at him at the end: the bastard is as happy as he gets). I suppose that's the point of the movie. But holy hell is it frustrating.
@@borealsullivan5486 well said. The lament pain of Riley is nothing compared to what matt put up with. Even if Riley had just listened to Matt in the beginning and not have a relationship with Trevor a recovering alcoholic, all this would have been avoided. We need a sequel to either see Riley grow up, become mature and taken on the cenobites or stay immature and get a bad fate happen to her. Until then this story is not complete
@@Sriram-ig6pr Also, unrelated, but the loophole of cenobites themselves being eligible "offerings" for the puzzle box felt like a plot hole, even though I can't find any fallacies in it. It just seems kind of... "gamebraking". I like to think of it more as a "commitment to the bit" on cenobites' part than a legitimate law of conduct. It almost seemed like Chatterer and Pinhead had telepathic conversation on what to do next after Rikey stabbed him. Something like this: "Did that bitch really stabbed me with the blade just now?" "That she did." "Wow. That's a first one. Magnificently idiotic, but admirably creative nonetheless." "She really is an instrument of disaster, isn't she. Ohh, what a delightful specimen..." "That's great, but what do we do now?" "Well, there's no rule that says she *can't* do something like that as far as I know. If Leviathan won't interfere, we'll roll with it..." "But wouldn't that make us look a little... Stupid?" "On the contrary. I think it will make us look even more ruthless and unforgiving." "If you say so. See you in the next manifestation then." "Adeau." *rips apart woth hooks" P.S. I headcanon that cenobites can't die and in case if they get too overzealous with self-mutilation (or something like this happens) Leviathan can just reassemble them from scratch. Relatively tame "modifications" on Vaught after his ascension compared to other cenobites seem to suggest that he's welcome to add as many more as he likes.
As far as I have seen, in almost every good horror movie or novel, you really do not see the antagonists that much. That is what makes the most effective horror stories, in my opinion. This film had that in spades.
would this be a good introduction to the series? idk how much I'd like it and seeing as this is seemingly a bit toned down maybe it'd be good to watch it before going to the originals?
@Sir Christofer Braxton you do know hellraiser like prey is a Hulu original and Chris mentions that in the video that would be why his comment is about liking prey
That assertion isn't true. The Walt Disney Studios has always been the legacy player that is most supportive of theatrical releases and of keeping their windows long and exclusive. Disney's management has traditionally believed that theatres are necessary to establishing and fostering franchises. Disney also enjoys the most market power of any studio in negotiations with exhibitors, so the company can drive the hardest bargains.
This ALMOST felt more like a fantasy to me. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it but it did not scare me. It was fascinating. I wish they made more out of the fact that she was an addict- aka, someone willing to tow the line between life and death in order to chase sensation (albeit pleasurable). Also, there is a masochistic theme related to addiction they could have dove further into. Either way, I found the movie fascinating. Also, I’m not a Hellraiser aficionado but there was something about the motives of the cenobites that reminded me of Martyrs, albeit not quite as fleshed out (pun intended).
So I'm looking at Chris's background in this video and I see my favorite rental store 'Family Video'. Sadly the one where i live shut down during covid. I will always have fond memories of that place.
1:36 Not just is at a remake it's originally British and being made by Americans, which often happens as well and often doesn't go well, good to see this one isn't a disappointment though. I imagine this is where the difference in gore levels come from as well.
It was Clive Barker’s book, then he wrote and directed the first movie, that’s it. He had no part in the production on any of the other movies after it.
I haven't watched horror movies in a while. I watched this and I was pretty terrified during the hell scenes. Even pinhead was pretty good. You can't top the og with his voice thought.
Most of the time I feel like a movie being unsettling rather than scary is better. If a movie is just "scary " it's only scary in the moment, whereas if it's unsettling it stays with you over time.
I agree 100%.
Like the VVitch and it Follows and other great titles
like se7en, i still think about that all the time
Agreed.
The only movies that “scared” me was Texas Chain Saw Massacre, the Exorcist, and Black Sabbath.
The part where they are in the van and it starts separating while they were driving... That was an amazing scene.
That was fucked up 😆
Probably the most Hellraiser-y part of the movie. Nightmare material.
I said the same thing!
That was an unsettling scene for sure. The idea that you aren't even safe when speeding away in a van is definitely scary. That almost had a The Ring vibe to it.
I loved the functionality of the Lament Configuration changing shapes and the different rewards given to you depending on which puzzle was solved.
Unsettling or disturbing is many times better than just gore jump scares.
The green inferno wasn’t scary but it was disturbing af and I loved it.
So you're saying that Hellraiser 1&2 were mere gory jump scares???
@@J.X.Sanchez777 I don’t remember me saying that.
@@emcsquared8681 Haha, I liked green inferno too, but a lot of people didn't and I don't understand them.
Lol but this film has unlikable forgettable characters, plus too many shit horror film tropes
I hope they make green inferno's sequel, the movie was underrated af
Jamie Clayton as Pin Head/The Hell Priest is so good. She had a nearly impossible task of trying to live up to Doug Bradley, and I feel like she knocked it out of the park.
*He
@@lapetitefee Never LOSER hahaha
If you're a fan of Clive Barker's work then you know that there really isn't a limit to how far you can push the depravity. It's never gratuitous, though.
Well with him being a depraved dude himself into sado shit it ain't surprising.
I never found the original movies that gory or disturbing ,the movies were well made at least the first two were . The depravity could have been considerably more , like the books .
I agree 100%
Or maybe it's all gratuitous and you just don't have any moral compass
If it got gratuitous it would be no better than the Human Centipede.
I have been *thirsting* for a good Hellraiser reboot ever since I watched the excellent video about the history of the Hellraiser franchise made by the youtuber In Praise of Shadows. There are so many interesting themes and in Clive Barker's original work that really got pushed aside as the sequel films progressed, and the cenobites just turned into generic torture demons rather than mysterious, chaotic-neutral-esque representations of the human Id.
🥛🥛🥛🥛
You should also check out the TH-cam channel “Mr H reviews”, he has a lot of awesome Hellraiser content
I really am looking forward to this film. It already sounds far better than the last two Hellraiser films. Those two felt very amateur and low effort
@@CoOlKyUbI96 the previous 4 before them sucked as well and bloodline wasnt that great either only the first 3 are any good out of previous 10 films before this latest one
You're the reason movies that don't need remakes get remade. Thanks
I think this movie was done very well! The lead actress was awesome and the pinhead actress did a great job!
The lead actress??? Did we watch the same movie?? If you think movie was very well I’m pretty sure you think mean girls 2 is a great movie.
@@smashing559 I agree she was honestly terrible.
@@smashing559 she ate it up y’all are being miserable for no reason
I think some parts she was pretty good and others I thought she was aight
So pinhead is a girl now 😂😂😂😂
I would have LOVED to see both Prey and Hellraiser in the theatre. Pinhead and the Cenobites were absolutely fantastic.
Apart from anything else about this movie, can we all just take a moment to appreciate how bloody amazing Jaimie Clayton was as the Hell Priest.
Her presence was immense, her stature, her movement, beautiful, terrifying, soft spoken, deceptive, angelic and demonic. Blew me away.
And one thing I reflected on after watching the film was that I never compared her in my mind with Doug Bradley-I accepted her performance on its own terms, without even setting out to do so.
She still didn't have the presence or authority of the original Pinhead. Something about having a female was offputting to me. It sort of ruins the character.
@@stopthephilosophicalzombie9017 I suppose it's subjective whether a female Pinhead works for you (I didn't mind), but I should point out it's somewhat faithful to the original book (The Hellbound Heart), where the character is described as androgynous with a feminine-sounding voice.
I felt the same way but didn’t think it was due to the character being “female”, I think it was because Pinhead was more of an observer/arbiter in this one.
@@Kylopod That's interesting. I still got the impression that they tried to do the source material justice, but maybe i'm just attached to the old version.
Wait...its a movie! I thought it was a series 😳 my excitement level just went up a notch.
Hbo max is developing the series
@@horselord7648 Hope they will take the anthology road.
Imo this Hellraiser underscores the theme of the human experience and how that shapes a person's perception of pain vs. pleasure. I really loved how this movie examines pain beyond physical, like mental and emotional anguish, and how something like regret has potential to be some of the worst pain a human can feel.
FINALLY SOMEONE GETS THE THESIS OF THE MOVIE!!!
I get scared so easily and can’t watch horror movies alone at night… except for a copy of Hellraiser II that I found on VHS as a 12 yr old and snuck into my house. For some reason these stories by Clive Barker have an elegance in my eyes. Excited to watch this one.
The only movies that ever scared me were "Aliens" and "The House of Usher" as a kid. lol
No other movies scared me ever again.
Im not a fan of horror movies but man I love this time of year for your channel. These reviews are always so fun.
You know what else are fun?
Horror movies.
Chris said this year will be good for horror, i think both in movies and in the real world as well
wont say i'm a fan either-but i've watched some good horror movies.loved 'hereditary' and 'get out' amongst others.i think if there a very good reviews of a movie i'll watch it
@@burlhorse61 imagine putting get out in the same sentence as hereditary
Also cool to find out that Clive Barker managed to regain his copyright over Hellraiser - so it's likely that this will reflect in higher quality films/projects.
But he kills off Pin Head in The Scarlet Gospels?
This is a paycheque for him and nothing more
Is that a recent thing? Cause if he has had it for years then he has let it turn into a joke !
Really the only one that is Great is the first one , the second is pretty close and I like the third but it's a shadow of the first .
The rest are horrendous!
I do think the second one is pretty underrated and has this warped Dream like quality to it that I have always loved.
@@andysalter7192 He wrote The Scarlet Gospels as a sequel to The Hellbound Heart which is the book Hellraiser is based off of. He said himself that he was tired of people taking the IP of Pinhead and absolutely butchering the premise behind the original two Hellraiser movies, which are the only two Clive considers to be cannon. So, he wrote The Scarlet Gospels to put an end to it, and in the book literally kills off the character of Pinhead.
@@andysalter7192 he only had creative control over the first two movies, so yeah all the bad sequels not his fault.
Jamie Clayton was in every way my favorite part of this movie. Everytime she was on screen, my eyes were glued to her. Amazing performance.
I think unsettling is the perfect word to describe this new Hellraiser, from Pinhead to the tension that builds in the film. To me It was also interesting how as the layers were revealed, that Reilly as a complex and troubled character made her choice. I would like to see the direction the next film takes, should they decide to do it.
Pretty wild that the new Hellraiser is going to be streaming on Disney+ in some places. After sequels with scripts so bad that Doug Bradley refused to play Pinhead again it's good to see a new Hellraiser that actually lives up to the name with a new Pinhead and has the enthusiatic approval of old one.
Did doug bradley turn this one down too? Man looks so good he wouldve completed it.
It always seems insane to me that movies like Hellraiser and Starship Troopers are on Disney Plus in countries other than the U.S.
@@chr0me3ye It's no longer about the script at this point, Doug is just old now. It's one thing for Angus Scrimm to have played the Tall Man until the end because the character was old, but Pinhead is immortal, so it would require a lot of makeup and shadows and CGI to have Doug keep playing Pinhead (assuming he even has the energy). Even Robert Englund has hung up his glove, and he already used makeup and masks. 🤷
I love Doug but the director basically spilled the beans and said Doug cared about the money
Which is fair he's undervalued - true the scripts were crap
But Doug scoffed at being paid nothing and walked -sorry that's the truth
I think it’s due to the film being available on Hulu, which is owned by Disney, and it is distributed by Disney Platform Distribution. That could mean that the rights to the film belong to Disney.
Nice! Always love the Halloween specials!! Hopefully we can hear more about your movie during this spooky season!
I really liked the actress who played Riley. I thought she sold her character of being an addict and also paranoid. She did a fantastic job. I agree about the gore…. I was hoping for more … but none the less, I was happy to see this film.
Its so great to see your Halloween specials are back again,I look foward to them every year. Excellent stuff Chris,thank you.
I absolutely love the opening for your Halloween special videos this year!
Who would have guessed it’d be Hulu actually doing sequels/prequels/requels the way their franchises and fans actually deserve? Hope they keep it up.
Also, SUPER stoked for this years Halloween special!!
they keep this up rumors about Disney buying hulu might come true one day, I use hulu for sports but they're crushing it with content so far
@@jgalvan09 in Japan, few of the Hulu horror and action movies were released in Disney+ like Fresh and Prey. It wasn't in Hulu.
They should make a terminator movie and make it low budget sci fi horror like the first one
@@jgalvan09 Disney has majority owned Hulu since 2019.
@@jgalvan09 they have Hulu already that’s probably why the production value on the movies they’re remaking are so good. Who would’ve thought Disney would be behind good reboots for horror movies 🤣.
The one thing that bothered me is that in the opening scene, the guy is lured into opening the Box and is instantly taken by the Cenobites. In Hellraiser 2, Tiffany is lured as well but Pinhead realizes that she has been manipulated and stops the other Cenobites from harming her.
Yeah for sure. You had to have intention to seek pleasure. In this case the puzzle has to feed so intention is out of the window
Ok literally 😂 watched this for that reason making sure I didn’t forget that part
To be fair, the rules for this box are different. In the original, solving the box summons the cenobites and, in their minds, tells them “I’m interested in what you have to offer.” In this film, the box is used to sacrifice others to get an audience with Leviathan and ask for a boon.
yeah that one to but also the lead character was also got cut by surprise just by holding the box idk if that's just me but I think she wasn't supposed to get cut by the blade. Most of the victims were not even curious of solving the box they just got their blood on it which is sad like her brother and nora.
Well, in Hellraiser 1, Kirsty just solves the puzzle and then the cenobites come to torture her until she offers them Frank, she didn't desire it there
I liked it quite a bit. I had 2 issues though. I wasn't thrilled with the new Pinhead. What made Doug Bradley's Pinhead so terrifying was the commanding voice and presence he had. He was almost always front and center. The new one was too soft spoken. I kept having to turn the volume up because I couldn't hear what she was saying. She also just hung back and stood there most of the time. I didn't find her scary or intimidating at all. The design though of her and the cenobites was definitely fantastic. The other thing was the slow burn of the gore. Hellraiser was famous for level 10 gore being in your face right away. The fact that they kept cutting away from the deaths in the first 2/3rds of the movie drove me nuts. Ultimately, I still like the new direction and think it's a great foundation to start a new series of films.
Nobody can do pinhead better the Doug Bradley. His short part in hellraiser deader made the whole movie come together. However I kind of liked the way pinhead was done in this one. It allows the humans to come across stronger. I particularly liked Roland. I'm sure most people have had experiences getting what they wanted but ended up suffering more getting our desire then we would have if we never got it. I hope that if they make another hellraiser it will explain how pinhead went from being male to female.
I read Hellbound Heart and am a fan of the first two movies. To be honest I never saw any of the other sequels, but have heard they were not very good. Saw the trailer for this one and was really encouraged, since Clive Barker got back control of his franchise. Prey was surprisingly good, so I am excited to see this one!! Hulu, keep on surprising me!!
Hold your horses there, you've not seen it yet...
@@SilviaVanThreepwood Everyone says it's good so far who has seen it so it is encouraging I think
The third film's not so bad.
1 - 5 are good, I really liked Inferno, using the prop hooked whip from the body mod shop to strip the flesh from that guys back, nice.
Anyways, I’m looking for a lettered edition of the Hellbound Heart and The Scarlet Gospels. I have a copy of the 500 limited edition copies of The Scarlet Gospels, mine in “CB” of 500. What I’m looking for is one of the 26 lettered editions. Have you ever heard of either of these books being sold anywhere?
I've only seen 1 through 4 and I really like the second movie which develops the mythology. I never really liked the third and I have a soft spot for the fourth, even though it was butchered during production. After that, didn't even bother trying to see them.
All I wanna know if Motorhead's Hellraiser is played in the credits 😤
They play Ozzys version
At first I thought that new Hellraiser would be a remake or reboot, but I was wrong. According to the own director this movie can be considered as a spin-off or just a story told in a parallel universe somehow connected to the main one. This means they may consider that the original movie from 1987 is irreplaceable, so it makes more to create something new and not exactly a remake. At least I am pretty sure this movie is good because the director is great.
Now seeing your review made me realize that this movie made me forget about the gore that the franchise brought at the time and immersed me much more in the story and what happened in the movie. And for me that is a good thing.
Great review! Also, I was terribly disappointed that Prey didn't get to go to theaters. I would have gone to watch it for sure, had been planning to until I realized it wasn't going to be an option.
I'm glad to hear this is a good movie because I was hoping for it to be good. I series will always have a special place in my heart.
Chris, I love the fact you mentioned the sorely underrated ‘The Ritual’. Would love to see a review of it from you ❤️
The ritual is even better than the new Hellraiser
Finally! Even if this doesn't bring Hellraiser back to all it's gory glory, after all those horrible sequels it's good to hear this has some quality for those of us who've been hanging in there.
Same director as The Ritual? That was one of the best horror flicks in recent years.
I would love to see what Mike Flanagan could do with free rein to make a Hellraiser movie or series. I think he could make the concept interesting again vs the increasing downturn into boring stupidity the studio movies have become since the first one.
Your mention of Barker's damaged characters reminded me of Lord of Illusions, a movie no one ever talks about that I'd love to see a review of
Scott Bakula is in that movie. He's great in it.
Lord of Illusions, Raw Head Rex, Hellraiser 1 and Hellraiser 2, are all very good movies. Visually stunning with gut punches to the senses...........Clive Barker does horror so well.............
I really like the changes they made to the box and the way it operates. Also loved all the new cenobite designs save Voight's at the end.
The issue is that the original Hellraiser was all about how pleasure and pain are basically the same thing and how the Cenobites weren't really the bad guys. The evil characters were the humans, like Frank Cotton. The Cenobites only came when called and took people to the realm of pure pleasure through pain. Instead, we have this flick about monsters torturing people without any of the psychology of the original.
have you seen it yet?
@@ArtofLunatik i think he means the other "not so well made" sequels
I didn't get that at all from this film. To me, that's exactly what they were implying. That certain words mean the same thing, and that you should be careful what you wish for
They completely destroyed the mythology of the original.
The first one was simple, you open the box > cenobites give you the experience of pain and pleasure > you die.
This one is basically collecting the dragon balls to make a wish. It has nothing to do with exploring the further regions of sensation.
The worst part for me is that solving the puzzle box doesn't really matter anymore because the only important step is stabbing someone with the knife. Anyone can literally solve the box and then stab a random person, and the random person will be the one punished wtf?
Not only that but they can also stab cenobites? It makes no fucking sense, you can pretty much farm cenobites until you get the wish.
@@zonastarwars4397 That's what I'm saying!
Hellraiser was originally about S&M on a whole new level. If anything any remake should have played up the pleasure aspect of it, and how Hell is simultaneously ultimate pleasure and ultimate pain and how the Cenobites are just the ones who do what humans call them to do and its the humans who are screwed up. Like remember how they didn't take that mute girl from Hellraiser 2?
Now it's just some generic monster movie crap and it's about as sexy as flossing teeth after eating pork chops and as scary as a 45 year old grade school teacher dressed as Elvira for Halloween.
I just got done watching this and I couldn't agree more. I watched it and was left with the feeling that it was good but something was missing. I agree, the lack of supporting cast connection and the lack of Hellraiser level gore are the only complaints I have. The twist was very interesting. I had a good feeling that was the way it was going to turn out though.
Your Halloween Specials may be my favorite Halloween tradition. Thanks for the great videos as always!
Lmao I love the background dude! A good reminder from my childhood
First a new Hellraiser and now a new Halloween movie is coming out this year and this month of Halloween. I really love this month.
Hey, I have been subscribed with the full bell for three years. This is the first video that has been shown on my feed for at least a year but this was a refreshing review because you don't err on the side of caution when describing a movie. Keep it up and I will catch up over the next few days.
The accurate depictions of the cenobites always had them acting as though they weren't punishing their victims. They don't differentiate between pleasure and pain, and treat it all as experience. The people who end up in the hands of the cenobites should be people that are naturally heading in that direction due to their own depravity. The poor depictions of the cenobites treat them like Jason going after random people with weapons.
Exactly. The Cenobites were always "angels to some, demons to others." Now, they're just generic horror movie demons.
The cenobites in this are more of a religious order, servants of the hell priest rather than ungainly gods.
My wife and I are literally losing our minds over this movie. We can’t wait!
Good review. I felt the same way. Great film. Could have been more darker and grotesque but they covered all the basics and respected the lore of the franchise. That's more than what any Hellraiser fan could hope for. It doesn't suck at least.
2022: The Resurgence of Things That Don't Suck!
I think the scene with the girl Noel? Was pretty gruesome lol but ya I suppose Hulu didn’t want to push it too much
I loved it, as a fan of the ip including the book, Jamie's Hell Priest was an amazing character and I think the closest anyone has ever portrayed of an accurate Pinhead from the initial book.
I watched it over this last weekend. As a huge fan of the first movie, I think this one out did it. The original is still an amazing movie, but it’s more contained. That’s not a bad thing, but when thinking of how well the new movie is executed on the scale/scope it was done is just amazing.
It felt like a more grand experience, and executed well.
I got the feeling they were trying to play it safe with this movie, and I'm OK with that. The series was floundering, and this felt like it got the ship heading back on the right course. I hope it gives on them confidence to be a little more daring with the next one if they continue the series.
Just saw the film and I'm not sure I like it. I really didn't like the whole sacrifice thing. You open the box, then the cenobites should take you not someone you stabbed with it. It's not the hands or blood that summons them, it's desire. Riley being annoying character was just a cherry on top.
Other than feeling more like a 90s slasher horror movie and not being scary I thought it was pretty fantastic. It had flaws, but I thought it was well-written, decently acted, and had amazing design and effects. You could tell the makers really wanted to do justice to the property.
Solid 6/10. I think you pretty much touched on all the areas I had a problem with except Pinheads voice. In the beginning it worked but the more you hear it the less effective it is compared to the original but all in all pretty decent movie.
For Prey, I read that there were pre-existing agreements between fox and WB/HBO that the movie would be streamed on HBO Max if it released it in theaters, so that is why it went to Hulu, maybe a similar situation for Hell Raiser? Glad to hear the movie sounds enjoyable though, I can't claim to be a lo g time fan of the series but I appreciate what it does
I never watched the first Hellraiser movie, This was my first Hellraiser movie and it was really good. Not knowing the Original and watching this without expectations and remake logical understanding, made it a suspenseful and quite thrilling experience where to much gore didn't matter cause of the overall concepts of hell and how blood doesn't bleed there. And the deeper meaning of living on earth being a greater hell then the thrill of gaining your pleasure prize from the lament configuration at the end stages with its allegorical themes on self loathing and suicide survival.
What Chris said about these movies, that they should be in the theaters is so true.
I love your horror recommendations. I struggle to find people in my life to share horror with and talk about.
watch the last drive in on shudder and connect with the mutan fam, they're great.
@Lunova you can talk with me but based on horror what we've both watched and like.
New Hellraiser exceeded my expectations! I like old movies in this franchise and I'm Clive Barker's enthusiast. I really dig his writing manner. Also I'm watching closely what David Bruckner is doing - for me he's one of the most interesting voices and eye in modern horror. Ssso, I knew what I was waiting for and I knew I'd like it but HOLY FUCKING HELL! I couldn't peel my eyes off of Cenobites designs. Reminded me of "Martyrs" (the original) and I couldn't take that association out of my head for the rest of the movie. Definitely gonna rewatch it soon. And Ben Lovett's score, oh my god. Perfect reimagining of Young's iconic piece.
They had such sights to show me and I reveled in them. Scalps off!
Yes!!! I thought of martyrs too. This movie def exceeded my expectations and aside from the awesome design of the cenobites I also loved the dialogue from them. Very unsettling in their philosophy about pushing the limits of pain and pleasure.
Great review! I love hearing both pros and cons, and not just total praise or bashing.
I saw this movie and loved it 😊 I just wish they would show more when they where taking the puzzle victims away. You would hear the scream but you wouldn’t see them being taken away.
So glad this ended up being a good film. I was surprised when I saw the trailer! Definitely going to give it a watch as a hellraiser fan. 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽
This is my most anticipated film of the year. I am really looking forward to it.
Me and my wife get so hyped for this month. We also have our first child. It’s super challenging but exciting. Best of luck with the movie man.
I was born on the 29th of October so I love that it's Helloween every year for my birthday.
Granted I live in Australia and Australia doesn't really do Helloween, but hope everything goes well for you and your partner!
Get ready for no sleep for a year , but it's all worth it !.
Though you could get lucky and have a baby that just sleeps all the time.
Either way, good luck!
Thank you for the non-spoiler review! Can't wait to see this. Hellraiser is one of my favorite franchises. I'm glad you give Jamie a good grade, I was not a fan of hers in Sense8 and her choice as cast was my only concern, not because Doug wasn't in it or Pinhead wasn't a man, but only b/c of my thoughts on her Sense8 performance. Family movie night tomorrow will be fun. :)
It got universal praise, with critics that it's the best Adaptation of Clive Barker's classic horror film as well as being a close adaptation to his novella, The Hellbound Heart.
Ok. Critics also say the Ring Of Power is quality, and that's obviously bs. Critics reviews mean literally nothing. That being said,I love the original Hellraisers and hope this one does them justice.
It is a completely different story from the Hellbound Heart, so not a close adaptation. This new movie is its own thing.
If you like when a horror film goes for unsettling over jump scares, I would be curious to know what you thought of Alex Garland's latest film, Men (2022). I know it wasn't particularly well reviewed by critics or audiences, but I see a lot of parallels between what you liked from this movie and what Garland does in Men. On top of that, I really do think that the film was fantastic despite the poor reception, and it has easily been my favorite movie of the year so far.
The last 15 minutes fucked me up. 😂
That last act was seriously fucked up....its probably one of Alex Garlands most fucked up kind of movies and trying to figure it all out by the very end nearly lost me, lol.
But yeah...its the most ptsd inducing thing I have ever seen, again and again...
Great movie. I watched it on Blu-ray. Looked great.
Men was frikkin awasome
@@ALLCAPSKELL where the dude gave birth from himself over and over.. Something like that. The whole movie was a weird ass ride.. In a good way
Good review that raised most of the key points. I had a hard time with Riley (the character) for all the reasons mentioned here, but I wouldn't put that down on the actress. The way she was written and most of the dialogues between her and her co-cast felt dumb and plot driven rather than character driven. BUT the Cenobites and all the fantastical elements of the movie was veeery on point for me. I definitely want to see more of them and the way they and their dimension interact with ours.
Since I was a kid hellraiser was a must watch since FX did the 30 days of Halloween. Where you could see these and hide from your parents or hey sometimes my dad would say hey hellraiser is on ! I felt very let down from judgement even though they could have done so much more . I’m so happy they have been able to do this now I’m so excited to see it and see how much they have reached into the book and into what we loved about the originals.
this is the film i have been most excited for this year, followed by the Chucky season 2, so im excited for the positive reviews. cant wait
There's a Childs Play TV show?
@@andysalter7192 yea!!!
I can't wait to watch the new Hellraiser movie.
By the way, you have the DVD of Frailty on your background! That movie is an underrated gem.
"2022 is going to be one of those years people talk about when it come to horror."
In 5O years when people are discussing the impact of the horror genera, literally no one will say anything about 2022 lol.
No one?
Really?
The original film is one of my favorite movies ever. I've seen this reboot twice now. While I still like the OG more...god damn, this is a great movie!
My boy Clive Barker needs to return to glory. I hope he gets back to publishing new novels soon. Big fan of his work.
He has released a book every year for the last 20 years, since 2014 they have been the Imaginer series.
@@mojonojo3 I was referring to all of his unfinished novel series like Abarat and Book of the Art not the comics.
I wonder if the lower budgets of The Ritual and The Night House forced him to be more creative and skillful in his directing, and he got a bit too comfortable in the bigger budget with this. Kind of how M. Night seems to out out better work with smaller budgets.
I saw others describing the protagonist as "unlikable", but in certain ways they are in both Ritual and Night House too. We're given enough context to explain their behavior, so we know it's because of things they're going through, not necessarily representative of their underlying personalities. People going through really tough times won't be cheerful and easy going, just the way it is.
Yeah Bruckner has a habit of making each of his protagonists really flawed and complex; they're people you wouldn't hang out with in a day to day environment because they refuse to work through their issues in a healthy way *until* the horror starts.
He seems to use the horror as a form of character catharsis after a traumatic event - Literally in the case of The Ritual, where Rafe Spall's character has to literally *work his way through* a dark place to reach the light on the other side.
Plus Kirsty isn't the innocent daughter in the novella.
Loved the Night House so its great to hear that this one is solid entry.
I can't wait to see what sights they show us.
i'm so excited for a passionate team making a Hellraiser movie. The last like 6 movies were all regular scripts with Hellraiser added in
Bro before I watch movies I always watch your reviews. They are on point.
The lament configuration puzzle box has an endless appetite.
I was surprised I liked it more than I thought it was going to. Solid flick with some good tense scenes. Van scene and the last 20 minutes were the best
The ending was amazing. However when I think back on the scene with Roland's "gift" I can't stop picturing it in an add for an IBD medication. Imagine him stumbling around in pain and the voice over goes "does your moderate to sever Ulcerative Colitis feel like a cynobyte torture? Then ask your doctor about colon flab today!" Then it cuts to the scene where the gift is removed and he starts laughing.
2022 has been the best year of horror in my lifetime. So many decade-defining movies came out in just this year alone
People say this every year about horror. Look at when Hereditary came out. Tell me what has been "decade defining"? Almost everything was a sequel, remake, reboot or retread of something already done before.
Don't get me wrong, this year has definitely had some quality horror, but don't act like it hasn't been quality the past 2 decades. Again, tell me what horror movie came out that did something new and will change the genre for the next decade?
@@GrayWolf5000 Decade defining movies as In movies that will stand out this decade and are signs of good things to come. You know a decade is ten years, and it’s only 2022 right? Movies like Barbarian, Black Phone, X and Pearl, Fresh, Hellbender, Scream, Hellraiser, Smile, Halloween Ends coming out… this year alone has definitely been one of the more memorable years for horror in recent memory. You’re going to compare the year that Hereditary came out (overrated imo) to a year with a slew of high rated horror films? There’s a reason Chris said himself in this video that this year in particular will be remembered by horror fans.
@@Daddydaft Except all those movies from that list that have come out have been terrible. Would be nice to have a well thought out, scripted and acted horror flic, but unfortunately all we get is forgettable fast food junk.
@@GrayWolf5000 X, The Black Phone and Barbarian were fantastic
2022. The year horror went woke. Get woke, go broke. No wonder they're putting these films straight to streaming services
I loved hellraiser. I met Clive barker in the mid 80s and I still have his autograph on the Books of Blood anthology. Also too a pic with him.
My parents where Jehovah witnesses, Clive barker was one of my favorite early authors. 😂 you can imagine the many lovely quotes at the dinner table. Keep up the good work. appreciate you’re 🍿movie reviews. Hope this does it some manner of justice.
This movie was very good though I did not really like the 6 different puzzles but I can live with it. They say this is basically a re-adaptation but personally it fits nicely as a Sequel to Hellraiser II Hellbound. I mean Pinhead and the other cenobites were killed which would explain a new Pinhead and new cenobites and even gives us a reason why the puzzle box has changed. The new Pinhead could have done it. Plus in the stories, sequels, comic books, we always get a Chatterer in some form or another. Chatterer even has another Chatterer with him in some other formats. So despite it being a re-adaptation it still fits nicely has a sequel to Part 2. Hell you could even make it a sequel to part III if you wanted to. Either way it is a great movie and I loved it. The Female Pinhead was awesome but I also LOVED The Gasp which was the other Female Cenobite. She was beautiful and had some sweet lines in the movie.
The trick is despite what 2 would have you believe, Chatterer is a class of cenobite, not one.
Im SO READY for more Hellraiser. My hellbound heart has been itching for it for far too long! I won't be happy until I'm able to play a cenobite myself- as an aspiring actress, please let this team give us more 🥺 I'm sure all of us would love to be involved 🥺
I suggest the manga Berserk if you want a hellraiser inspired work.
@@np4231 really? I'll have to check it out! Might be a nice edition since I have the Hellraiser comics already 🥺
She was scary as hell 100% loved her
the effects make up on those actors that played the cenobites was fantastic work
Have not seen it yet but I'm hoping to learn more about the cynobite world. After multiple movies I want to see the other side. Learn how they began. Hopefully this reboot will open that door eventually.
This movie was way better than what I hoped it to be. Well written characters and some characters are already in pain in life, like riley being broke and has issues with her brother. The breathing problem serena has. Very hellraiser ish.
And the climax was very interesting. Like how gifts can only be exchanged. And we see it from two perspectives. The difference between the choices of a girl in pain because she hurt others but wants only to help them. She saves Colin in the end, stabs Trevor only because he forced it on himself by trying to grab the box from her.
And the choices of an eccentric rich guy who wants the pain to go away but still chooses power cause he is blinded by it his whole life. He completely forgets about the pain he is in when given the option of power. INCREDIBLY CONTRASTING and very well written.
And Trevor wasn't your average villain too. He does it because his life is pathetic and wants money. Not because he is a bad guy or hates ppl or wants power. And he does get connected to some characters and tries to save them too in some instances.
A nice moral story of dont seek after sensations. Be contend with what you have.
Edit: Another interesting thing I found was when she stabs the chatterer cenobite and he is killed with chains and ripped apart, that cenobite never displayed any pain or hurt when the chains were on him. Shows how much pain these cenobites have endured that chains on their flesh is not a pain at all to them.
This movie, despite how well made it was, gave me the same depressing feeling Drag me to Hell did over how horribly unfair it all was.
Except this time I was also mad. Because all Riley did for most of the movie was fucking over people who cared for her and wanted to help. Not only did she fuck them over, she doomed them to a fate worse than death. Hell, I was unable to properly enjoy the film because I hated Riley so much.
At least in the original (and by that I mean first two movies) people taken by cenobites were peaces of shit that had it coming (Frank, Julia and Channard). But here we have three innocent people who've died in unimaginable agony because one stupid girl was intent on ruining her life and they tried to help. Trevor kinda deserved it, but honestly, it was hard for me to hate him more than that little cunt Riley.
So, after all that the ending felt really empty to me. "She learned her lesson and will live the rest of her life in pain and regret" is bullshit. Her life was already fucked up, given enough time she would've ended up in that spot anyway. She's pretty much gotten away scott free when people far better than her paid the ultimate price for her mistakes. I'm mad about Matt death the most. All he did was selflessly help his ungrateful bitch of a sister, and all he gets is living hell and equally ungrateful death, when he had all his life ahead of him with a man who loved him (and would've shared his fate if Riley didn't have an asshole boyfriend at hand). Only for his sister to just ditch an effort to save him in some overdue moment of moral clarity. Even an ending where Matt comes back as a ghoul that needs human blood to survive (similar to Frank) so Riley would be forced to care for him and bear all his deserved hatred would've have been a much more just, if not happier, ending. And a nice twisted allegory of what Matt had to endure, trying to lift her up.
Oh, and don't get me started on Vaught. They guy fucks over twice as many innocent people as Riley and in the end gets the ultimate price (look at him at the end: the bastard is as happy as he gets).
I suppose that's the point of the movie. But holy hell is it frustrating.
@@borealsullivan5486 well said. The lament pain of Riley is nothing compared to what matt put up with. Even if Riley had just listened to Matt in the beginning and not have a relationship with Trevor a recovering alcoholic, all this would have been avoided.
We need a sequel to either see Riley grow up, become mature and taken on the cenobites or stay immature and get a bad fate happen to her. Until then this story is not complete
@@Sriram-ig6pr Also, unrelated, but the loophole of cenobites themselves being eligible "offerings" for the puzzle box felt like a plot hole, even though I can't find any fallacies in it. It just seems kind of... "gamebraking". I like to think of it more as a "commitment to the bit" on cenobites' part than a legitimate law of conduct. It almost seemed like Chatterer and Pinhead had telepathic conversation on what to do next after Rikey stabbed him. Something like this:
"Did that bitch really stabbed me with the blade just now?"
"That she did."
"Wow. That's a first one. Magnificently idiotic, but admirably creative nonetheless."
"She really is an instrument of disaster, isn't she. Ohh, what a delightful specimen..."
"That's great, but what do we do now?"
"Well, there's no rule that says she *can't* do something like that as far as I know. If Leviathan won't interfere, we'll roll with it..."
"But wouldn't that make us look a little... Stupid?"
"On the contrary. I think it will make us look even more ruthless and unforgiving."
"If you say so. See you in the next manifestation then."
"Adeau."
*rips apart woth hooks"
P.S.
I headcanon that cenobites can't die and in case if they get too overzealous with self-mutilation (or something like this happens) Leviathan can just reassemble them from scratch. Relatively tame "modifications" on Vaught after his ascension compared to other cenobites seem to suggest that he's welcome to add as many more as he likes.
@@borealsullivan5486 also, have u seen the rick and morty episode where he destroys cenobites haha
@@Sriram-ig6pr No, I didn't
As far as I have seen, in almost every good horror movie or novel, you really do not see the antagonists that much. That is what makes the most effective horror stories, in my opinion. This film had that in spades.
would this be a good introduction to the series? idk how much I'd like it and seeing as this is seemingly a bit toned down maybe it'd be good to watch it before going to the originals?
I have to say Prey was absolutely fantastic (watched it three times now) and would LOVED to have seen it on the big screen
....Really? 3 times...? But it was cgi trash...
@Sir Christofer Braxton you do know hellraiser like prey is a Hulu original and Chris mentions that in the video that would be why his comment is about liking prey
I thought prey was dumb. The rope ax thing and man vs woman was just stupid
@@MrBrown-jj9bf some things aren’t for everyone but a big majority loved the movie everyone is entitled to an opinion
@Sir Christofer Braxton how is personally liking something or pointing out why I made said comment 'edgy.' You've got too much time on your hands
They need to release it on DVD.
Ten years? Well done our Chris. Time has flown.
Gratz on 2M!
Disney would love for theaters to go under. Control the supply chain from end to end and you control the industry, from content to price.
That assertion isn't true.
The Walt Disney Studios has always been the legacy player that is most supportive of theatrical releases and of keeping their windows long and exclusive.
Disney's management has traditionally believed that theatres are necessary to establishing and fostering franchises.
Disney also enjoys the most market power of any studio in negotiations with exhibitors, so the company can drive the hardest bargains.
@@lyndakorner2383 I don't think u read my whole comment. Own the supply chain....
This ALMOST felt more like a fantasy to me. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it but it did not scare me. It was fascinating. I wish they made more out of the fact that she was an addict- aka, someone willing to tow the line between life and death in order to chase sensation (albeit pleasurable). Also, there is a masochistic theme related to addiction they could have dove further into. Either way, I found the movie fascinating. Also, I’m not a Hellraiser aficionado but there was something about the motives of the cenobites that reminded me of Martyrs, albeit not quite as fleshed out (pun intended).
Well, Hellraiser has always had strong fantasy elements.
@@sidnew2739 I’m not that well versed.
Pleasantly surprised by the positive review. I enjoyed the Night House thoroughly, and did not know the same team worked on this.
So I'm looking at Chris's background in this video and I see my favorite rental store 'Family Video'. Sadly the one where i live shut down during covid. I will always have fond memories of that place.
1:36 Not just is at a remake it's originally British and being made by Americans, which often happens as well and often doesn't go well, good to see this one isn't a disappointment though. I imagine this is where the difference in gore levels come from as well.
It was Clive Barker’s book, then he wrote and directed the first movie, that’s it. He had no part in the production on any of the other movies after it.
@@CorbCorbin yea he was too busy and never directed the sequels after
I haven't watched horror movies in a while. I watched this and I was pretty terrified during the hell scenes. Even pinhead was pretty good. You can't top the og with his voice thought.