Movie Review--Hellraiser (2022)

"It's a puzzle.  See?  The pieces move.  If you get 'em to lock into place, then you solve a part of it.  But now, it's like... It's... It's on the next step or something."

--Riley, Hellraiser

"So, according to Voight, the puzzle box, it has six sides and six configurations.  There are three left.  And then it says whoever possesses the final configuration is granted a passage to another realm to an 'audience with God.'"

--Riley, Hellraiser

A wholehearted exploration of the darkness of exalting pleasure above all else as the Cenobites do, experiencing and pursuing endless pleasure and pain intertwined, the Hellraiser reboot does justice to the metaphysics, aesthetic, lore, and atmosphere of its franchise.  Wonderful acting benefits an already atmospheric film, one that does not shy away from the uniqueness and thematic brutality of Hellraiser.  The main and supporting cast does an excellent job of elevating every role in the film, working in flawless tandem with the cosmic and body horror that marks the series.  Yes, there is cosmic horror in Hellraiser, as the nature of reality within this universe (and by universe I do not just mean the physical cosmos) is where the horror dimensions are derived from, even if it is rather different in some ways from Lovecraftian cosmic horror.

Production Values

From the first scene onward, the visual side of the 2022 Hellraiser absolutely captures the high personal stakes of using the lament configuration and the alien appearance of the Cenobites and their realm.  Not once does the opening of the pathway to Hell or the menacing look and stride of the Cenobites reflect anything less than quality production values, down to the multiple settings of the lament configuration that are shown throughout the film, which sometimes rearranges itself without human touch.  The new Pinhead, played by Jamie Clayton, is right at home among other Cenobites with their flayed bodies.  The performance of this gender-swapped Pinhead is without error.  Odessa A'Zion is also fantastic in her role as the central human character that receives the most screentime.  Shuffling between desperation, curiosity, frustration, and fear, Odessa is stellar in her use of facial expressions.  Scenes such as her Riley pouring out pills and then picking them up off of the parking lot so perfectly establish her inner conflict as a half-heartedly recovering addict.  Every other actor or actress does well with their part, however secondary or limited their roles are by comparison.

Story

Some spoilers are below.

Trapped for the time being in poverty, a troubled woman named Riley agrees to steal from a warehouse with her boyfriend, relapse into drinking after recovering from an addiction, finding a mysterious cube in a lone safe within a warehouse shipment.  Riley toys with the box after being kicked out of her apartment by her brother, and when a blade from the lament configuration shoots out and misses her hand, a Cenobite appears and tells her that she needs to bring another person if she is not to be taken.  Her brother finds her out of worry, but he accidentally pierces his hand with the still-protruding blade.  He soon disappears.  His sister uses the box and information from someone associated with the warehouse to give her direction in her quest to save her missing sibling.

Intellectual Content

Sadistic or selfish people are often shown in pursuit of the lament configuration and the pleasure or power they want from it throughput the series.  Human cruelty and Cenobite cruelty are compared and contrasted at times, and the differing perceptions that certain individuals might have of these beings is articulated when Mr. Voight call them angels, but a woman who worked for him says she would expect for a devil (Mr. Voight) to recognize a devil.  I have heard that one of the older Hellraiser movies is supposed to actually identify the Cenobites with Christian demons (what an unbiblical equivalence!), and the religious wording and ideas are also somewhat raised here.  Pinhead states that salvation, which a human victim says she prays for, is lesser than the pursuit of change, later clarifying that she (Pinhead) believes that the only worthy response to finding one threshold of experience is to search for another.  A different Cenobite says their kind only liberates people rather than "take" them, and one of Pinhead's comments does suggest that this torment does indeed have a finite duration, as she tells Nora that she will reach an end.  One Cenobite is even ripped apart by the chains of its realm when it is stabbed by the lament configuration, and it appears to truly die without being reformed elsewhere or continuing to exist on a purely spiritual level.

Whereas the Bible says that at least Satan and two demonic beings will suffer endlessly in the lake of fire (Revelation 20:10), not only does it not say the same about general humanity (Revelation 20:14-15), but it also teaches that they will literally perish in hell (Matthew 10:28, Ezekiel 18:4, Romans 6:23).  This Hellraiser shows a partial inversion of this: the Cenobite that dies is torn apart quickly and seemingly without resurrection or a continued conscious existence, and the humans targeted by Cenobites have at the very least a more prolonged existence of suffering before death.  No matter their intentions and no matter if it is only finite, there is a great deal of savagery in the Cenobite treatment of people, though the Cenobites are implied to have all once been people--at least one man is seen becoming one of them.  When Pinhead offers Riley a choice between being brought to the Cenobite dimension or offering up sacrifices in her place, Riley faces the immense moral issue of giving other people for what might be endless torture at the hands of extradimensional beings in order to save yourself or bring back a loved one.  Through the actions that lead to the Cenobite presence, the perils of seeking hedonism are ironically given great attention as selfishly chasing pleasure and gratification leads to damning ends. 

Conclusion

While some of the supporting characters could have been developed more, this is a mostly excellent remake/reboot of an icon horror film.  Hellraiser reintroduces key elements from franchise lore while evolving some of them.  Its new, female Pinhead is great, its performances have no weak link, and its aesthetic is practically without flaw.  The main character is acted extraordinarily well as she wrestles with very personal and very metaphysical issues of ethics, love, and desire.  It is indeed the case that this new Hellraiser is more about torture and pain in general than it is about sexual gratification in pain, but this is not a problem, just a difference between it and the original movie.  A renewed series could certainly build upon the many successes within this reboot.

Content:

 1.  Violence:  Over and over, the lament configuration is shown with its blade lodged in hands or backs.  A person is shown with their skin flayed off, and the Cenobites themselves appear with skin or other body parts removed or pulled into unnatural positions or pins dotting their bodies.  Human victims are dragged away or suspended by otherworldly hooks that penetrate their flesh.  One Cenobite is even ripped apart in direct view of the camera.

 2.  Profanity:  "Fuck" and "shit" are used in the dialogue.

 3.  Nudity:  A naked man is shown from behind for a few moments as he takes a shower, a nonsexual context.  Another man is shown nude as he is transformed into a Cenobite, his penis vanishing as his body changes.

 4.  Sexuality:  A sex scene is placed near the beginning as the main character and her boyfriend are introduced, and they have another, more quiet, gentle sex scene later on, but in neither case is what is shown all that graphic.