A new video dives into Clive Barker’s unmade script treatment for a Hellraiser remake. The original Hellraiser was a low-budget production that at one point was earmarked as a straight to video release, but once executives saw dailies from the movie, they knew they had something special. The movie proved shocking to audiences in 1987 for its gruesome horror and hellish visuals, and the movie’s central demon – who is unnamed in the movie but soon earned the apt nickname Pinhead – soon became a horror icon.
The movie’s sequel Hellbound: Hellraiser II was another success, and the third movie attempted to turn Pinhead into a quippy horror icon like Freddy Krueger. After the lukewarm box office of prequel/sequel Hellraiser: Bloodlines in 1996, the series was relegated to straight to video purgatory. Doctor Strange helmer Scott Derrickson actually made his directorial debut on 2000’s Hellraiser: Inferno, but the quality – and budgets – for each new entry gradually dipped. Dimension Films spent over a decade developing scripts for a Hellraiser remake, with various writers and directors being attached throughout.
In fact, the last two Hellraiser movies – Revelations and Judgment – were shot on shoestring budgets with the sole intent of holding onto the copyright until a remake could be made. Series creator Clive Barker has been attached at different points to a potential reboot, and a new video from Mr H Reviews explores the first half of Barker’s 2007 script treatment for the project.
The video explores the first half of the story, and from the sound of it Clive Barker’s treatment doesn’t stray too far from the original Hellraiser. The story once again follows Frank Cotton, who after opening the Lament Configuration puzzle box is dragged to hell by demons known as Cenobites, who torture him relentlessly. Frank manages to drag himself out of hell and enlists his brother’s wife Julia to bring him victims so he can drink their blood and rebuild himself. The treatment withholds the appearance of Pinhead in the opening, and the violence sounds even more graphic, with Frank subjecting one victim to a particularly nasty death.
Another script penned by Barker in 2014 recently came to light, which provided a whole new origin for Pinhead, but again retold the story of Frank and Julia. There are currently no plans for a new Hellraiser movie, but given the huge success of the most recent Halloween and the announcement of a new sequel to Candyman, it feels like a matter of time before Pinhead makes a comeback. It’s been over 20 years since Hellraiser received a theatrical entry, so hopefully, the next movie can restore the reputation of the series.
More: Unmade Hellraiser Remake Retconned Pinhead’s Origin Story
Source: Mr H Reviews
