I recently did a rewatch of the Hellraiser franchise, or at least the ones that matter most aka the ones that received a theatrical release. and after rewatching films 1 - 4 it only felt appropriate to revisit the 2022 remake since I had only seen it once during its initial release. So what’s the verdict? Weeeell, It’s not a bad film but I do have mixed feelings about it. there are things I really liked, things I didn’t. And then things I flat out loathed. So I will break down some of these pros and cons into three categories: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly Truth.
THE GOOD: first off I’ll start with the good. the cinematography is well done here. This is probably the best a Hellraiser movie has looked in years. Probably the best looking one since the first and second films. And I say this not to knock down the classics by any means. The original is even by today’s standards a masterclass in practical effects done so well that they stand the test of time nearly 40 years later! And almost the same can be said about its sequel “Hellbound: Hellraiser II”. However the third and fourth installments (Hell on Earth, Bloodline) began dabbling into CGI effects that, unfortunately were still very much in their infancy stage in the early to mid 90’s and sadly looked quite dated just a couple of years later when films like The Matrix smashed on to theater screens globally. But I digress, the remake is beautifully shot. There is an eeriness that weigh heavy over the film scene for scene and I can appreciate the unsettling sensation it gives off, it’s very on brand with the franchise. I also liked the new lore introduced for the puzzle box. With the ritual mechanic. It brings a new level of wickedness to the lament configuration that feels fresh and more consequential. There’s a new sense of risk introduced here especially when the puzzle solver must forcibly feed the box sacrifices in order to complete it’s transformation to gain an audience with it’s god Leviathan and receive your “reward” in the form of one of six choices: Lament ("Life"), Lore ("Knowledge"), Laudarant ("Love"), Liminal ("Sensation"), Lazarus ("Resurrection"), and Leviathan ("Power"). Regardless of your desire the choice you make is not so simple. Everything has a price to pay, a consequence to balance the scale whether it be for love, power, or the pursuit of knowledge. What you seek you will get.. and much more than you bargained for.
THE BAD: now on to the bad. First off I want to say I respect and appreciate a different take on the Cenobites overall design. It’s both ambitious and risky at best, and sometimes in remakes it works well, sometimes it doesn’t. Unfortunately it mostly doesn’t here. It feels soulless and lacking personality in my opinion. and just feels very… plastic-like. The original’s design was practical with its BDSM black leather and blood. It manages to pull off a sense of order and cleanliness with a dash of grotesque. It’s effective with less. The new designs are in my opinion, too loud without saying a whole lot. On paper the idea that their outfits are literally made of their skin sounds interesting, but in practice it doesn’t work. It comes off more as an eye sore than anything, and quite frankly it’s distracting. I will, however give credit where credit is due and say I enjoyed Jamie Clayton’s interpretation of Pinhead as it took inspiration and honors both Barker’s original novella, and the 2011 follow up comic series also co-written by Barker himself called “Clive Barker’s Hellraiser” by BOOM! Comics, in which Kristy Cotton inherits the role of the hell priestess and donned an all white attire. I liked that Clayton’s interpretation barrows from these two sources while also being original. I only wish I could say the same for the rest of the gash.
THE UGLY TRUTH: and now the ugly truth… I’m going to be frank here (see what I did there?). What makes the early Hellraiser films work are its lead non-cenobite characters that do the heavy lifting when Doug Bradley’s Pinhead isn’t on screen. From Kristy Cotton (Ashley Laurence), Julia (Clare Higgins), Frank (Sean Chapman), Tiffany (Imogen Boorman), Joey (Terry Farrell), to the Toymaker (Bruce Ramsay). These characters breathe so much personality into the films and are really its heart. Without them these films would be missing a crucial component. Sadly I cannot say the same for the remake’s band of characters. None of them are really likable in my opinion. And this isn’t an attack on the actors themselves. I personally enjoyed Odessa A'zion in the movie Until Dawn (2025), and thought she did a great job here as well. But I really didn’t care for her character Riley, or her brother, or friends. There wasn’t much effort put into their character development. It’s not a skill issue with the cast but rather the writing. And that’s the major issue with the 2022 remake. It suffers from a weak script that has too much runtime on its hands and not enough happening in it. By the time things really do start to kick off it’s too little, too late. I also did not care a whole lot for the film’s main antagonist Roland Voight played by Goran Višnjić. The character felt too generic and forgettable. Especially when you take into consideration Voight’s motivations and goals weren’t much different from Frank’s in the sense that his pursuit for new pleasures knew no bounds. But at least with Frank there was a level of scum just under the surface that leaves a lasting impression. Jamie Clayton’s performance as the iconic Pinhead was great with what she was given. She’s no Doug Bradley, nor does she attempt to try but rather do her own thing which I can respect. But once again the weak script left so much to be desired for what could have been.
All in all. The 2022 remake is by no means a terrible film. But it’s pretty generic and unimaginative. If there is a future for this remake I certainly hope the filmmakers are taking notes and learn from their mistakes because with a better script, and some adjustments to the cenobite design this new chapter of the franchise could have a bright future ahead.
