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Movie Review: I Can't Believe I Liked 'Hellraiser' 2022

I really didn't expect anything of Hellraiser and it was kind of awesome.

By Sean PatrickPublished about a year ago 4 min read
Top Story - October 2022
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Hellraiser (2022)

Directed by David Bruckner

Written by Ben Collins, Luke Piotrowski

Starring Odessa A'zion, Jamie Clayton, Brandon Flynn, Goran Visnjic

Release Date October 7th, 2022

Streaming on Hulu

Following the twin successes of Prey and Hellraiser I want Hulu to take over all of the 80s horror genre. Prey, a prequel to the Predator franchise was a badass action-sci-fi movie with incredible fight scenes and tremendous effects underlined by perfect casting and excellent performances. Now comes Hellraiser, an equally well accomplished reimagining of a franchise that has inconceivably become a pop culture touchstone. I am no fan of the previous Hellraiser movies but I am a fan of this Hellraiser movie.

Hellraiser 2022 stars Odessa A'zion as Riley, a recovering addict. Riley lives with her brother Matt (Brandon Flynn), but their relationship is strained. It's clear in just a minimum of dialogue that Matt is concerned about his sister relapsing after being sober for 6 months. His concerns stems from Riley's new relationship with a fellow former addict, Trevor (Drew Starkey). Matt's concerns turn out to be valid as Trevor leads Riley back into her addiction and draws her into a criminal effort to get money to feed that addiction.

This criminal act involves robbing a seemingly unguarded safe hidden in a shipping container. Inside the safe is something Trevor claims they can sell for a lot of money. The item in the safe is an ancient and ornate puzzle box. When Riley examines it, a sharp knife pops out and cuts her. Her blood is taken inside the box and soon Riley is visited by ancient beings known as Cenobites and here is were Hellraiser really gets good. The costumes and practical effects used to bring to life the horrors of the Cenobites is absolutely spectacular as is the mayhem that ensues from their appearance.

How the puzzle box came to Trevor and by extension to Riley, is part of a conspiracy involving a billionaire named Roland Voight (Goran Visjnic), but to say more would be too much of a spoiler. It's pretty easy to predict part of that plot but there is plenty of fun, unexpected thrills that I don't want to ruin for you. Surprisingly, I am here to recommend Hellraiser (2022) and not to bury it. I went into Hellraiser (2022) expecting to be annoyed and disappointed. That's how I have felt about every other piece of Hellraiser media I have experienced. What a fun surprise this was.

Much credit must go to director David Bruckner. Known for his brilliantly moody horror mystery, The Night House, Bruckner brings his talent for atmosphere and creeping dread to a franchise that had relied only on shock and gore for what little thrills it had elicited. Bruckner establishes a discomfort in the air from the opening moments of Hellraiser and deepens that discomfort into dread and horror as the movie spins toward an exciting conclusion.

The stand out element of Hellraiser are the Cenobites, led by the legendary form of Pinhead. Well, Pinhead has always been what fans have called the character. The actual name of the character in this Hellraiser movie is The Hell Priest, a great name, way better than Pinhead. The Hell Priest has the look of David Bradley's Hellraiser character, the original Pinheadm if you will, but here is played with eerie cold cool by Jamie Clayton.

Clayton is a standout choice as her performance is an immediate upgrade over the past Hellraiser movies. Nothing against David Bradley, he did the best he could with an underwritten, under-developed role, that was more about his iconic image than performance, but Clayton, with just a few lines of dialogue, and improved functionality in her costume, mimicking the original and improving upon it, improves the whole idea. Clayton has a striking presence and a well stated purpose behind her villainy.

The complicated, weedy allusions to and metaphors surrounding addiction and how addiction affects whole families or support systems is relatively simple in presentation. That said, I like that the movie uses that as a jumping off point for a horror story. There is no pretension to great art, the makers of Hellraiser appear to know they are making a horror film first. Rather, the screenplay uses addiction metaphors as a way of giving a recognizable life, motivation, and backstory to the characters and it is effective in helping us to care about the victims of the horrific violence in Hellraiser.

I am very, very surprised to be sitting here and recommending Hellraiser but that's where we are. Hulu is on a roll taking 80s franchises and upcycling them into something fresh and exciting. A lot of that comes down to trusting good directors to make really good movies. David Bruckner was the absolute right choice to give Hellraiser a life that extends past the vinyl and chains aesthetic of the original. Bruckner takes the iconic look of Hellraiser and improves on it while also giving the characters just enough inner life to be more than just fodder for special effects. I dig it. And I am NOT a Hellraiser fan.

Find my archive of more than 20 years and nearly 2000 movie reviews at SeanattheMovies.blogspot.com. Follow me on Twitter at PodcastSean and follow the archive blog at SeanattheMovies. Hear my interviews with directors on my YouTube Channel, SeanattheMovies. Hear me talk about movies on the Everyone's a Critic Movie Review Podcast. If you've enjoyed reading this, consider subscribing to my writing here on Vocal. If you would like to support my work, consider making a monthly pledge or a one time tip. Thanks!

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About the Creator

Sean Patrick

Hello, my name is Sean Patrick He/Him, and I am a film critic and podcast host for the I Hate Critics Movie Review Podcast I am a voting member of the Critics Choice Association, the group behind the annual Critics Choice Awards.

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Outstanding

Excellent work. Looking forward to reading more!

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Comments (5)

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  • Kris Lelielabout a year ago

    I'm glad my friend and I were not alone in feeling this way even though we're fans of the Hellraiser series. It was surprisingly really good! My friend is the more hardcore fan about Cenobites lore, but we're both fans of body horror and we were not disappointed. The special effects were immaculate.

  • Mabout a year ago

    Good article

  • Fatma M Robinsonabout a year ago

    Keep writing reviews. I write reviews too, and this is really good.

  • Brenton Fabout a year ago

    As always you write a brilliant review! But....how would this movie sit with a hardcore Clive Barker fan?

  • Muhammad Talhaabout a year ago

    nice

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