Hellraiser (2022) Review
On one hand these movies were and are always a treat to watch whenever they’re made. Unlike most horror movie franchises these have been moderately exploitable for anyone with these niche tastes once they’re fairly tailored. Which is why they’ve also, at their worst, not only predicted torture porn but, in arguably some cases, taken the fun out of fantasy (if not science-fantasy) horror unless this movie is your introduction. And even then when the movies are renowned for quotes like “Your suffering will be legendary, even in hell!” Or “No tears, it’s a waste of good suffering” you come to terms with the fact Mr. Krueger’s inability to catch up by more than a decade’s worth of a margin might serve as a benefit. But unlike the original film (which I only saw little more than the first half of before bailing out) and two installments from the 2000s, one better made than the other, what drew me into this version was the chance to see Pinhead take on a different gender and, by fair default, a different take on what I was accustomed to. Although I don’t really see the purpose of starting off in Central Europe (unless it’s either picking up from a prior installment or extra faithful to The Hell-bound Heart) the exotic atmosphere is welcoming. But it’s definitely when we’re in the antagonist’s mansion when, despite my archaic knowledge in painting, I couldn’t help but recall William Hogarth’s “Breakfast Scene from Marriage à la Mode” in terms of the interior design. That’s when the title really earns its opening sequence before we cut to a different story, six years later, in Massachusetts. I suppose what made this movie work best is how it essentially starts off (and continues) as a good 2010s romantic drama that just so happens to occur in the Hellraiser universe. The characters already start off as surprisingly well written and the protagonist herself, Riley, is far from perfect yet you can’t help but feel for her. And although the classic aesthetic was already introduced once the 2010s begin to shift with it, it’s only when the puzzle box is activated that everything starts to give out an atmosphere. Again, although the horror was offered at taste before the title sequence appears, it’s only when the movie makes it this far that the movie starts to take a mix of the Dr. Sleep and Summer of 84’s (if not Pearl’s given the present yet still tame amount of melodrama by comparison) approach in reviving the horror: stepping back by a year at least every three minutes. Meaning that for a few seconds we’re not brought back to Saw’s 2000s style of horror (at least by much) so much as its grungy style, before reaching the late 90s if they had better CG. But, once again, the fact these characters are everyday people as they react to the situation is what helps in the immersion as it goes along. So once we get past an academic/hospital-like setting that would’ve been at home in movies such as Scream, The Craft, Clive Barker’s similar Nightbreed or even The Dark Half we begin to ease into the early 90s. That’s when we see more of the Cenobites in all their creepy (if not borderline disgusting) yet nevertheless sophisticated, avant-garde glory. I certainly can’t deny that the thought and overall presentation of these creatures is something you seldom see in horror movies anymore (not that I’m surprised once I get to when the movie really enters the same decade as the original Hellraiser’s release date). Another thing that it borrows from Dr. Sleep fairly well is the way it makes setting the real star once Riley returns to the mansion where it all started by the end of the second act. Once a few quiet surprises here and there come (along with a bit of the lore elaborated thanks to the details in the materials) we finally leave the early 90s as the unexpected (yet mild) body horror eases us into the late 80s. Although most of the horror seems to lie in uncovering the mystery, I couldn’t help but get a late 80s vibe with the tunnel scene (like something straight out of Aliens). This is where I wanted to touch upon in terms of the reason why the thought and presentation of these characters is rarely used anymore: in a way it becomes a reverse Dr. Sleep in terms of the timing of its chosen scene involving the character, Laura, where the horror really goes to certain extremes for the sake of entering the 80s. To put it plainly while Dr. Sleep did it by the end of the first act the new Hellraiser goes to admittedly creative yet nevertheless brutal/sadistic (if not questionable) lengths to essentially become a fantasy-like variant of Saw. That’s not to say that the box’s versatile usage doesn't become a kind of horror as we approach the rising action, but this is definitely the worst kind of set piece found in horror movies (see my Treevenge Review). Once the falling action happened, as surprising as it seems, I couldn’t help but find Jamie Clayton’s take the most mature iteration of Pinhead yet. She at least doesn’t scream at all nor sacrifice that much subtlety in her performance. Yes, she certainly has her moment (or two) where she tops the original Pinhead in terms of unhinged terror, but that might be because she does the job so well she essentially made the character earn that horror once again rather than expect it by the sheer image of her face. Strangely enough though, and at the risk of spoiling, I couldn’t help but find my favorite scene towards the end when Riley has that final talk with Pinhead. Not only did it feel oddly serene, but for some reason which I can’t explain why, I actually expected this kind of scene when Riley saw Pinhead for the first time. If nothing else this was a better than most, if not all, the previous Hellraiser installments had the right to be. The fact it felt like a Hellraiser movie yet simultaneously didn’t is what helped give it an identity of its own without taking too much away from its well-known essence if not source material’s, ahem, heart.