‘Accept the pain you have wrought…’
I’ve been saying for years that the two major horror franchises most ripe for a reboot are Hellraiser and Candyman. Both based on the works of Clive Barker. Both revolutionary in their own way. And now, thanks to a series of well intentioned missteps, both rebooted in a way that feels unsatisfying…
Riley (Odessa A’zion) is a troubled young woman struggling with addiction. When her loser boyfriend Trevor (Drew Starkey) persuades her to rob an art warehouse, the two find a strange puzzle box that carries a dark secret.
The original Hellraiser, directed by Barker himself, was so good because it was so transgressive, so out there. In a horror landscape dominated by teen slashers, Hellraiser dared to be something different. Something that explored the grotesque dance that is love and lust and sexual desire. A film that did justice to the latent sadomasochistic overtones of the source material. David Bruckner’s remake, and that’s what this is, it bears no resemblance to the original movie in terms of plot, nor does it bother with any fan service, drops the sexuality inherent in Barker’s film and instead focuses on… addiction? Regret? It’s difficult to say. The screenplay, credited to Luke Piotrowski and Ben Collins, seems utterly confused as to what kind of movie this is, the characters are thinly drawn, particularly for a film that is inexplicably over two hours long and while the third act is pleasingly bonkers, it still doesn’t really resolve anything, and it didn’t really leave me pining for a sequel either. Jamie Clayton is fine as Pinhead, not as grandiose or as chilling as Doug Bradley in the original, but still eminently watchable, but neither her, or the other cenobites, are given enough screen time to really take hold.
As with the recent Candyman reboot, this vision of Barker’s original work feels like a pale imitation of the original. Despite all the advances in visual effects, even the monsters aren’t as effective in this movie, and never once does Bruckner capture the feeling of violation and sin that made the source material so compelling. Another disappointing horror reboot to go with Candyman, Halloween Ends and Pet Sematary. Maybe it’s time for something new.