Remaking a horror movie, especially one like Hellraiser, can’t be that easy a task. The original gave horror fans another classic killer of the 80s, Pinhead. Now, my general rule of thumb for any remake is 1) it needs to be something that isn’t considered an all-time classic, and 2) it should have its own reason to be. As far as Hellraiser goes, while it could be considered an all-time classic, I also don’t think the overall plot is that well-known to people who haven’t seen the original movie, so it might work out there.
As for the second, well, I have some thoughts on that.
Millionaire hedonist Roland Voight (Goran Visnjic) managed to get his hands on the infamous puzzlebox, and he’s using it on people who attend his fancy parties. But six years after one such party, the puzzlebox falls into the hands of a very different person: recovering addict Riley (Odessa A’zion). Fiddling with it the wrong way can cause a sharp edge to pop out of a seem, and if it cuts someone, well, the Cenobites come looking for that person. Led by the Priest, AKA Pinhead (Jamie Clayton), they show up, rip people to shreds, and take them back to wherever they came from. The first victim is, oddly enough, not Riley but her brother Matt (Brandon Flynn).
From there, Riley has two options: let the Cenobites get her, or inadvertently find some more victims as she figures out the different configurations. If she figures out all the different configurations, she may be able to get her brother back. Or can she? That will require the death of other people in gruesome and violent ways. And the Cenobites, they don’t really care who they take in the grand scheme of things.
So, did this movie set itself up with its own purpose? Actually, yes. When the original movie came out, S&M style sex was a lot more taboo than it is today. As such, making the movie about the taboo of certain forms of sex and the addiction that its users can’t get enough of made sense for 1987. The original was basically about the horrors of sex in a sense, but times have changed. I mean, we’re living in a post-50 Shades of Grey world. That sort of stuff isn’t shocking anymore. So, this time around, the puzzlebox is tied to other forms of addiction. Riley is a recovering addict, and her involvement with the puzzlebox is at the least an indirect result of that addiction.
As for the Cenobites themselves, their new look really works. The leather outfits of old look this time to be more of their actual skin, and they all seem to have a more androgynous look. The new Pinhead/Priest just doesn’t seem to care for much of anyone, and the most emotion she shows is more of a disgust when her master’s gifts are rejected. Pain is her thing, and she wants to share. It’s not about who deserves it. The best anyone can hope for is to just avoid Cenobite notice. But once there’s some blood in the air, well, there really isn’t anywhere anyone can run. And as a remake, this one really works.
Grade: B+
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