Somebody gets a prize when the puzzle box is solved, but it’s not the person with the box. The teaser for Hulu’s Hellraiser reboot focuses a lot on these twisty little creations, and less on what exactly happens when they are solved—but there’s enough blood and screaming to get the point across.
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This Hellraiser is the latest trip to Clive Barker’s Hellraiser universe, which began with the author’s 1986 novella The Hellbound Heart. Since then, Hellraiser stories have been told in books, films, and graphic novels. As Leah Schnelbach explained when Jamie Clayton was announced as the new Pinhead, “Most of them center on a human who comes in contact with the Cenobites—former humans who, through the exploration of extreme sensory experience, have evolved into creatures who don’t distinguish between pleasure and pain. Some people see them as angels, some as demons. The leader of the Cenobites was eventually named Pinhead (or the more dignified Hell Priest) and was played by the amazing Doug Bradley. One of the ways you can get in touch with them, if you choose to do so, is by solving The Lament Configuration with a puzzle box that grants you access to the Cenobite’s realm.”
The new Hellraiser comes from The Night House director David Bruckner and writers Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski; the story is by writer/producer David S. Goyer (The Dark Knight). Barker is also onboard as a producer. Along with Clayton, the cast includes Odessa A’zion (Grand Army), Adam Faison (Yes Day), Drew Starkey (Outer Banks), Brandon Flynn (Ratched), Aoife Hinds (Normal People), Jason Liles (Rampage), Yinka Olorunnife (The Transporter), Selina Lo (Boss Level), Zachary Hing (Halo), Kit Clarke (Leonardo), and Hiam Abbass (Blade Runner 2049)—and yes, that’s longtime ER resident Goran Visnjic smirking about how he’ll get a prize when the box is solved.
Hellraiser begins haunting Hulu on October 7th.
