The Canceled Hellraiser Prequel That Would Have Cast A Dark Knight Actor As Pinhead

The "Hellraiser" movies, which originate from Clive Barker's "The Hellbound Heart" novella, have inflicted legendary suffering on their victims for almost 40 years. In that time, the franchise has traveled everywhere from New York City to medieval France to even outer space. Regardless of the location, however, one thing remains constant: The Hell Priest, aka Pinhead, and the Cenobites have such great sights to show anyone bold (or merely careless) enough to summon them using the Lament Configuration (a puzzle box with hellish powers).

In the original 1987 "Hellraiser" film, Frank Cotton (Sean Chapman) sets in motion the chain (quite literally, in this case) of events that befall his family at the hands of the Cenobites. However, all we learn about Frank is that he acquired the puzzle box, got punished, escaped from Hell, and rekindled an affair with his brother's wife while she delivered blood sacrifices to restore him. The time between him finding the box and encountering the Cenobites is largely undocumented, but it would be an interesting story to tell.

There is no denying that Frank is a messed-up hedonist with a sinister side, but what made him this way, and why did he track down the demonic box in the first place? These questions would have been answered in an un-produced "Hellraiser" prequel/reboot starring William Fichtner, perhaps best known for his outings in "The Dark Knight" and "Armageddon," as the infamous Hell Priest.

The "Hellraiser" reboot in question would have been handled by director Patick Lussier and writer Todd Farmer, the duo behind cult faves like "Drive Angry" and the "My Bloody Valentine" remake. During a conversation with The Movie Crypt (via "The Clive Barker Podcast") in 2015, Lussier shared some details about their plan to turn "Hellraiser" into an action-packed adventure movie with an evil heart:

"The idea essentially was that we never see the story of Frank getting the box. So, imagine if Frank is actually the darkest version of Jack Bauer [from '24'] and Nicolas Cage from 'National Treasure.' It would have been the evil 'National Treasure' story.'"

The "Dracula 2000" director added that one sequence would have seen Frank go on a killing spree in Shanghai, culminating in him being held down by some foes and getting nails hammered into his head. However, it's during these moments that he acquires the puzzle box that leads to him summoning the Cenobites to tear his soul apart. Fichtner — who played a demon in "Drive Angry" — would have led the Cenobite brigade, but Lussier and Farmer didn't discuss their plans for the character in any great detail.

In the end, "Hellraiser" received an underwhelming 2022 reboot courtesy of David Bruckner. Who knows if Lussier and Farmer's take would have been better, but a "Hellraiser" movie inspired by "National Treasure" and "24" sounds quite interesting, don't you think?