In late May, it was revealed that horror studio extraordinaire Blumhouse would be rebooting Clive Barker’s bondage-demon franchise Hellraiser. Then in June, it was suggested that a woman could be asked to play Pinhead, leader of the film’s unholy Cenobites and one of horror’s most infamous icons. Now, Hulu has posted details about the upcoming reboot — complete with who will be portraying Pinhead.
As reported by Bloody Disgusting, Pinhead will be indeed be played by a woman. The role goes to actress and model Jamie Clayton, best known for her work on Netflix’s Sense8 and Showtime’s The L Word: Generation Q. The film is being described as a “loyal, yet evolved re-imagining of Clive Barker’s 1987 horror classic.”
More good news? Clive Barker himself as signed on as a producer: “Original creator Barker, alongside Marc Toberoff, come aboard as producers, joining Phantom Four’s David S. Goyer and Keith Levine. As previously announced, David Bruckner (The Night House, The Ritual,) is directing from a screenplay by Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski (The Night House, Super Dark Times) with story by Goyer.”
More as this unfolds, but suffice it to say, we’re stoked!
Directed by Clive Barker, on whose novella The Hellbound Heart it was based, Hellraiser follows the flight of Frank Cotton, a hedonist who escapes after being transported to Hell by an esoteric puzzle box known as the Lament Configuration. With the help of his brother’s wife Julia, he drains innocent men of their blood in order to regain his corporeal form. But when Frank’s niece Ashley gets ahold of the puzzle box, she summons the Cenobites, a quartet of unholy monks who act as “demons to some, angels to others,” led by the gravel-voiced Pinhead (portrayed in the original by Doug Bradley, whose vocal talents are a big part of Cradle of Filth’s 2000 album Midian). Now, Frank has to run and hide from his savior-captors, lest they drag his soul — and the souls of everyone around him — back to the stygian labyrinth we call Hell.
Check out a trailer for the original 1987 film:
More on the Hellraiser reboot as we know it, but suffice it to say, we’re pretty excited to see what they do with it!
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Words by Chris Krovatin
