Many of the most iconic 1980s horror movies were defined by practical effects and sci-fi crossovers, while the slasher genre that dominated movie rankings had a slightly more campy feel. Hellraiser combined the best features of this golden age of horror, but still remains in a league of its own. With the fetish-inspired outfits, religious symbolism, and extreme gore, it is amazing that the movie was made in the first place, and yet its legacy continues today, even outshining some of the biggest horror movie franchises of all time.

The 2022 Hellraiser reboot attracted mediocre reviews, but this has not harmed the franchise as a whole, with the universe set to welcome a brand-new era in September. Hellraiser has confirmed five new releases in the form of a series of one-shot comics known as Hellraiser: Resurrections. These will explore the universe’s lore further, setting the stage for the upcoming series relaunch from BOOM! Studios, which will debut later this year and continue into 2027.

This Is The Hellraiser Franchise’s Biggest Expansion Yet

The new era begins with the ominously-titled New Wounds, by writer Mike Costa and artist Paco Camallonga, which will follow a new investigation into the central puzzle box, setting up the franchise’s biggest expansion yet. With Hellraiser getting a new ongoing series, additional miniseries, and the five one-shots, these mark a substantial return for the franchise, which promises to add new terrifying faces to Hellraiser‘s existing cast of Cenobites.

Fans of the franchise’s most iconic horror villain, the Hell Priest, better known as Pinhead, will have already noticed the promise in the final title: The Return of the Priest. He features prominently on the cover of the issue, which will “uncover the hellbound history of Pinhead.” While every Pinhead in the Hellraiser movies has brought something new to the lore, this looks to be the most exciting exploration of his mysterious legacy yet.

Why The Expansion Is A Good Sign For Hellraiser

Fans of the franchise may have hoped that the 2022 Hellraiser reboot would begin a new era for the movies, which could have benefited from a combination of practical effects and CGI. Unfortunately, while this did not happen, the massive upcoming expansion from the comic books and Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival video game shows that there is still ongoing faith in the franchise. This is not surprising, with the stories and original movie having such a distinctive aesthetic and tone that has not yet been matched or beaten, even by other Hellraiser movies.

The 11 Hellraiser movies have varied drastically in quality, proving that recreating the same movie in which a person summons the Cenobites, suffers horribly, and then meets a fitting fate can get stale quickly. On the other hand, new Hellraiser movies could change course, exploring more of the Cenobite lore as the comics are setting out. These new expansions offer some exciting new source material and new creative opportunities for a series that is much more intelligent than the graphic gore suggests.

The 2022 Hellraiser Reboot Deserves More than Its 57% Rotten Tomatoes Score

2022’s Hellraiser made some changes from the original movie, but many of these were simply a way of making the two movies distinctly different, rather than being drastic changes to the source material, which is a move that is rarely popular with longtime fans. Still, despite including Cenobites whose character designs were pure nightmare fuel, the reboot got a surprisingly low 57% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Reviewers pointed out that the movie bypassed the moral themes that made the original stories so compelling, turning it into a visually stunning but shallow horror film.

That said, other reviewers have praised the fact that the reboot made the Cenobites into main characters, as the original movie gave them surprisingly little screentime. The haunting end scene perfectly set up a sequel, and expanded the universe rather than retconning original characters. It is always a daunting task to step into a role associated with one particular actor, but Jamie Clayton’s take on Pinhead made the reboot almost as good as the original movie.

The critics’ reviews and Rotten Tomatoes scores tell a different story, with the 2022 movie being just three points below the original. Considering the fact that the reboot had an incredible legacy to live up to, yet created a new story that allowed for several different sequel possibilities, this was a more impressive feat than Hellraiser‘s Rotten Tomatoes audience score suggests. Still, with the Hellraiser universe about to expand even further, now is the perfect time to consider improving on the 2022 movie.

Created by

Clive Barker

First Film

Hellraiser

Latest Film

Hellraiser

Cast

Doug Bradley, Jamie Clayton, Ashley Laurence, Clare Higgins, Sean Chapman, Andrew Robinson, Kenneth Cranham, Imogen Boorman, Terry Farrell, Craig Sheffer

Movie(s)

Hellraiser, Hellbound: Hellraiser II, Hellraiser 3: Hell on Earth, Hellraiser: Bloodline, Hellraiser V: Inferno, Hellraiser: Hellseeker, Hellraiser: Deader, Hellraiser: Hellworld, Hellraiser: Revelations, Hellraiser: Judgment, Hellraiser

Character(s)

Pinhead, Kirsty Cotton, Frank Cotton, Julia Cotton, Dr. Philip Channard, Joey Summerskill, Joseph Thorne, Amy Klein, Trevor Gooden, Tiffany (Hellraiser)

The Hellraiser franchise is a British-American horror series, based on Clive Barker’s novella The Hellbound Heart. It centers around the Cenobites, beings from a Hell-like dimension summoned by the Lament Configuration puzzle box, with the iconic Pinhead as the primary antagonist. The franchise includes eleven films, comics, prose works, and more, exploring dark, sadistic themes of pleasure and pain. The latest film was released in 2022, with a TV series in development at HBO.