It all started in 1986 with the novella THE HELLBOUND HEART (part of a horror anthology NIGHT VISIONS VOLUME 3) written by English author Clive Barker. The story soon became a movie in 1987 leading to multiple films in the franchise, introducing horror fans to the cenobite demons, the puzzle box talisman known as the Lemarchand Configuration, and the main cenobite nicknamed Pinhead. Now a new movie has arrived in the franchise. Some say it is a reboot. Either way HELLRAISER (2022) was released on Hulu for Halloween 2022 on October 7th.
Recovering addicts Riley (Odessa A’zion) and her boyfriend Trevor (Drew Starkey) decide to rob a warehouse in a remote section of their city. When they find a strange puzzle box, Riley’s brother Matt (Brandon Flynn) suddenly disappears leading Riley to believe that the box is actually some sort of talisman. Riley and Trevor research the owner of the warehouse that they stole the item from. Hoping to find her brother, Riley, joined by Trevor and their friends, head to an abandoned mansion owned by the missing billionaire Roland Voight (Goran Visnjic).
The movie was directed by David Bruckner, well known for the incredibly reviewed Netflix original THE RITUAL (2017). The screenplay for HELLRAISER was written by Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski, best known for their horror films SIREN (2016) and Bruckner’s other film THE NIGHT HOUSE (2020). HELLRAISER (2022) has received fairly good reviews and some say it may be the best in the franchise. Your co-hosts take a look at the movie and are joined by fabulous Hollywood actor Dan Lench in the discussion.