Hellraiser 4K 2022

I awaited the new Hellraiser with both excitement and apprehension. It's no secret that after the first two films, there was a string of successful and not-so-successful experiments, each of which suffered to a greater or lesser extent from a lack of budget and clear direction. I can single out the third film (in which the lack of budget is most evident), the fifth, which was an interesting variation on the theme of personal hell, and the extremely curious and original tenth, which looked even better after the god-awful ninth.

Now about the new film. Before its release, the overwhelming majority poured bile on the choice of actor, or rather actress, for the role of Pinhead. “It's not canon, Pinhead is a man, and anyway, no one but Doug Bradley can play him, blah blah blah.” On the contrary, this news inspired me, as it seemed like something truly new, a bold experiment. And anyway, as a fan of Barker's work, I declare that this version is even CLOSER to the real, literary canon, in which Pinhead did not actually exist, but instead there was a female Cenobite, “adorned” with jewels and other things, which generally corresponds to the new image. Jamie Clayton played the role perfectly, preserving the gloom and mystery of Doug and looking extremely laconic overall.

Initially, the film's premise, the acting, and the staging confused me greatly—it all started out very chaotic and absurd. But towards the end, the film really starts to try to get into the plot, throwing in a whole plot twist. Nevertheless, the story is objectively weak, but it still comes across as not bad after a series of failures in the franchise. I was delighted with the new look of the Cenobites—the idea of removing the sadomasochistic clothing and using only skin for mutilation is fucking genius! It's very reminiscent of the monsters from Barker's game Jericho. The film's visuals are also top-notch—it's clear that they spent more than a pack of crackers and a bottle of Red Price lemonade on the film.

Also worthy of special mention are the numerous references to the second part (music, lines, etc.) and, most importantly, the appearance of the “hellish god” Leviathan, who we had only seen in the second part before. I almost peed myself with joy. So what's the verdict? The film definitely lived up to expectations. There is nothing unique about the genre, the plot is very weak, but the atmosphere, visuals, and sound bring it up to a solid 7. I sincerely hope that the franchise will continue in this direction.