Movie Review: Hellraiser (2022)

 

Hellraiser (2022) streaming on Hulu.

Now I'm a big fan of the original Hellraiser and Hellbound: Hellraiser 2 movies. Loved them both a lot. Great horror entries that were unique and different than anything else at the time. Starting with part three it became a rapid downward spiral. So yes I am watching this one and comparing it to the originals in my head, can't help it. That being said here we go.

Overall I enjoyed the new reimagining of the original material. It's not a remake, it doesn't try to be better than the first one. That's probably the smartest way to tackle this project, and it works. Somewhat. 

This time it starts off with getting a good glimpse at the horror of what the puzzle box can do in the hands of an eccentric occultist named Roland Voight as he uses it as a tool to talk to the god behind the cursed thing. It's a quick intro and we don't find out what really happened until later. Months afterwards it falls into the hands of Riley and her boyfriend Trevor and the terror really starts to happen. Eventually pulling her brother, brothers boyfriend and their roommate into the bloodbath we knew was going to happen. So the fight to find a way out of their predicament entails the rest of the movie.  

We get some new neat twists on the mythos. A little bit of a reimagining of how the box works and what it can do. Also a bit of a change on who they will drag back to hell with them. 

Visually this movie is pretty stunning. The cenobites look good, although more clean and sanitized in appearance despite being peeled open and reconstructed. There were no problems with the role of Pinhead being played by a woman, despite what all the haters wanted to shout about, Jamie Clayton did a great job. Roland Voight's home is amazingly well done with some really neat ideas involved. All the sets helped force the mood and weren't just plain ole extra lots, there was some thought in them. 

Now while all the characters were well done and the actors all did great jobs, this is wear it kind of stumbles. There weren't any characters that you really liked all that much starting out. Even near the end some of them you just don't really care if they live or die. In the original we at least have Kirsty and her father as likable folks to kind of cheer for. I get they were probably going for a cast of characters that were all broken in some way and flawed, but they leaned into that a bit to much in my humble opinion. 

So I still give this one two thumbs up although one is tilted a bit. Also it should go without saying that if you don't like horror then don't go watching this one.