Hellraiser (2022), a review.
I have watched the original Hellraiser several times over the years. I loved The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker. I hoped this film would capture some of what made the original film so thrilling to watch. And it does, somewhat. The film keeps much of what makes the Cenobites disturbing, though there are changes, and some are better than others. The film does expand on the lore surrounding the Lament configuration and what the box is capable of, but it changes who the Cenobites seek out. Thankfully, much of the lore remains unchanged, keeping what previous fans were familiar with. Unfortunately, this reboot/sequel lacks some of the horrors that the original films had, and in many ways, it seems tame by comparison. That doesn't make it bad, though I would have preferred a more startling element to the horror. The acting is serviceable to good, though never great, and an air of inevitability surrounds the unfolding events.
The film follows Riley, a troubled young woman struggling with addiction. However, the film opens up with events 6 years before following Riley. A woman buys something from a man on behalf of someone else, the conversation hinting that this figure is rarely seen. We move to a party at a mansion, figures engaging in orgies, as a young man nervously wanders through the building. He meets the woman from earlier, Menaker, as she sits nursing her drink. They talk, and she invites him to meet her in another room. This is a setup, and he falls for it. Drawn to a strange puzzle box in the centre of the room, Joey begins to examine it. As he moves the pieces, another man approaches, and they begin to talk. The man reveals himself to be Roland Voight, the host, and he watches with interest as Joey begins to move the pieces into place. With a click, he completes it before a blade pierces his hand. In pain and shock, Joey pulls his hand away and drops the box. Voight is pleased by this, the blood seeping into the box as it changes formation. Joey is trapped there as Voight places the box on a pedestal, calling out, beseeching something unseen. In the background, Joey is caught by hooks and then torn apart, undoubtedly a victim of The Priest.
Six years later, Riley is a recovering addict living with her brother and his boyfriend. She is seeing Trevor, a man she met in her twelve-step programme. Her brother Matt does not approve of or like him but knows there is little he can do. It is a point of contention between the siblings, and Matt feels the strain of supporting her. Riley is not a likeable character, to begin with. She is selfish, abrasive, and unable to see the damage she inflicts on others. These are traits that are common with addicts in films. The events of this film play out as an analogy to addiction, and the subtext is there, though it attempts to be subtle. Riley doesn't seem to care what Matt wants, only that she feels that he is judging her, he wants to save her, and that she doesn't need or want to be saved. Feeling pressured by Matt, she complains to Trevor, and he suggests stealing something from a lockup, hoping to make some money from whatever is in there. And all they find is the strange puzzle box from the film's opening minutes. Drunk and high, Riley returns home. Riley and Matt get into a fight, and he tells her to get out, that he is done looking after her. Angry, Riley does that, going to her car, where she ends up taking some pills. Under the influence, she moves the box through the first configuration, falling unconscious before the blade can pierce her flesh. Safe from the Cenobites, they speak to her, saying that she must give them another. Matt wakes from a dream and goes looking for his sister. He finds her but cuts his hand on the box. With his blood taken in, he is marked as the sacrifice to the Cenobites, and they come to claim him.
Riley realises that Matt has been taken, though she doesn't know by what, and she attempts to find out more about the device she has found. She is sure it has something to do with Matt's disappearance and is determined to find him. With Trevor's aid, Riley learns more about Roland Voight, including his sudden disappearance six years ago. Dragging Trevor with her, the pair go to his mansion to find answers. Throughout this, Riley sees the Cenobites in flashes, even dreaming about her brother asking her to bring him back. They learn of Voight's lawyer and go to see her with the box in hand. She tells them little beyond that Voight was a terrible person, and she loses it at the sight of the box. Amid a struggle with Riley, she gets cut by the box, dooming her to a visit from the Cenobites. She is taken by them shortly after, taken to pain by those that revel in it. And the encounter is as expected, the world shifting to reveal the places behind and alongside our world. This element is familiar, appearing in both the books and earlier films.
The film moves forward, with Riley and the others seeking answers at Voight's mansion. And they find them, but they find worse things than that. In time they discover that they have been set up, drawn here by another. Separated from the rest, their friend Nora is stabbed with the box by an unseen assailant. They rush to get her help, racing from the mansion in the van, but the roads change and shift as the Cenobites give chase. Nora is taken even as they try to flee, taken from the back of the van, with only a pool of blood left behind. The Cenobites aren't done, trying to force Riley to serve up one of the others. Chased back to the house, they manage to find safety for a time. But the Cenobites are patient, and there is danger in the mansion as Voight reveals himself. They race to a conclusion, with Trevor being taken and Voight begging to exchange one gift for another. Riley and Colin escape after Riley refuses to accept the Cenobite's gift. Voight is taken by Leviathan, exchanging sensation for dominion, becoming a Cenobite.
I have to give the film credit, as Riley has a good character arc. She goes from annoying and selfish to moving on to consider the damage her actions cause, refusing to sacrifice Colin no matter the temptation. It is subtle at first, but it becomes more evident as time goes on. This character growth is one of the better elements of the film. The Cenobites themselves are a mixed bag. The new designs are interesting but don't seem as terrifying as earlier versions. This is most noticeable in the form of the Priest, or Pinhead, as they are better known. This version isn't as menacing. Doug Bradley had better delivery, in my opinion, but that isn't to say that I didn't enjoy this version. This one is more patient, a silent menace that stalks them from a distance. This isn't as gory as I expected it to be, though it does have its moments. I give this film a 6 out of 10. It is a better-than-average movie that never quite reaches greater heights.
