New 'Hellraiser' Movie Will Be A "Small Reimagining," Whatever That Means
There's a new Hellraiser movie on the way, with The Night House director David Bruckner at the helm(raiser). And whenever someone attempts to revive a classic horror series like this, people wonder how much of the material is going to be changed. The answer from David Bruckner: not much! When the project was first announced, it was described as being "loyal, yet evolved," which is pretty vague. Now, Bruckner has added a vague comment of his own, claiming the movie will be a "small reimagining."
If there's one classic horror franchise that could use a fresh coat of paint, it's Hellraiser. A lot of the Hellraiser movies have their gooey charms, but let's get real: most of the movies in this series are bad, bad, bad. There's nowhere to go but up at this point. So whatever the hell(raiser) David Bruckner wants to do with his Hellraiser movie is fine with me – especially after seeing his very good chiller The Night House.
A Small Reimagining
So just what does Mr. Bruckner have in store for Pinhead and the gang? While speaking with SFX Magazine, Bruckner was understandably vague, starting off with: "We can't say anything about it yet...But it is something that we are actively working towards, and it is a joy and a dream for a filmmaker like myself to dive into that world."
However, Bruckner then went on to say: "All I'll say is that we are aiming to be as true as we can to the original material. The Hellbound Heart is also a primary source of inspiration, as well as the original film. But then it is something of a small reimagining." Hmm...so, uh, what does "small reimagining" mean? No idea! Best guess: Bruckner isn't going to stray too far from the source material.
He cites The Hellbound Heart, Clive Barker's novella that inspired the film, as a "primary source of inspiration," and that might be a clue. While the original Hellraiser sticks to the book – since Clive Barker adapted himself, after all – there are a few differences. In Hellraiser, one of the main characters is Kristy, niece of creepy, skinless antagonist Frank Cotton. However, in the novella, Kristy is actually a friend of the family, not related. In truth, changing Kristy to be related to Frank is the better move since it makes her more connected to the main story. But perhaps this is what Bruckner is hinting at. Or perhaps I'm very wrong! Perhaps Bruckner is simply saying that like Hellraiser, The Hellbound Heart is the primary source of inspiration.
Wait, Isn't There a New Hellraiser TV Series, Too?
There sure is! While Bruckner's Hellraiser is a movie headed to Hulu, HBO is developing their own separate Hellraiser project – a TV series that will feature a pilot directed by Halloween filmmaker David Gordon Green. Michael Dougherty (Trick 'r Treat) and Mark Verheiden are on board as writers. And, perhaps most important of all, Clive Barker is also going to be serving as an executive producer. It's unclear what, if any, involvement Barker will have with Bruckner's movie. When Barker's involvement in the TV show was announced, he said he was "delighted the Hellraiser mythology is seeing a new life. It's time the stories went back to their roots. I'm eager to bring to a new audience the most powerful and ancient elements of horror: the darkest evil invading our human lives and how we must find in ourselves the power to resist it."