Despite its endurance, Hellraiser has not been a winning franchise. Of ten films, one is good (Hellbound), maybe two are decent (Hellraiser, Inferno), and the rest span the gamut between painfully average (Hell On Earth) and actively atrocious (Judgement). However the iconography has infused itself into public consciousness, with few unaware of Pinhead and evil puzzle boxes.The reboot has been long in gestation and discussion, swapping hands, creative teams, and studio dissolution to finally arrive on Hulu… Pretty damned successfully.
Structurally, this film amalgamates elements from first two films and original novella into its own idea. It's the rare reverent reboot willing to homage to the source, while reinventing and expanding the mythology into something new. Purists may quail, gone is obsession and desire as keys to opening the gates, now victims are marked by blood and targeted. The cenobites preach a slightly different gospel and operate under different rules, but the basic principles remain. Direction and art designs are praiseworthy, from opening scenes of debauched high society, a mansion seemingly designed and patterned to be one of boxes, to the cenobites themselves. Their redesign is one of the best aspects to this reboot, terrifying and ethereal, luminescent and bone-pallid, presentation repurposed from flesh itself. The new Hell Priest is excellent, alien and unfathomable with undeniable presence and subtle tweaks to make a superior design and worthy successor to Bradley’s Pinhead.
There is much to praise. Phenomenal are the moments heralding cenobite arrival. Each is infused with exponentially building dread, the framing of each shot maximizing tension and darkness before the landscape shifts and repatterns itself into ominous doorways and labyrinthine corridors. One scene is a particular standout, as the cenobites pursue a moving target, relentless and creative. The sound direction being the subtle MVP for many scenes, as low bass and ominous creaking of the shifting landscape enhance the tension and maximizes each approach, echoing footsteps down long corridors to the sounds of clanking chains. Some cenobites growl, some chatter, some ooze, others rend or pierce flesh, the rare ones speak, but each is distinctive and identifiable. Even background mixing perfectly balances soundtrack dialogue and effects, and subtly contributes to an excellent cinematic experience.
The horror is great, delivering tension filled suspense, cringe-worthy gore, and terrifying antagonists. What is not so good are the human characters, who exist as bland and blank templates for delivering character backstory and cursory motivation. Some are barely defined sketches with ‘the roommate’ being especially egregious. The main character is unlikable and unsympathetic, and while her character arc and progression serves as an allegory for overcoming addiction, the audience never really finds a reason or rationale to empathize with her. The last act of reveals and twists gets a little zany, and diminishes the active threat of the cenobites, but on the whole, this is a refreshing and welcome reboot of a long suffering property leaving one eager to visit more tales and torments set in this framework.