Granted, the Cenobites’ redesigns make them look appropriately unnerving and they are thoughtfully presented here as inter-dimensional sharks who establish their reflexive cruelty by lazily circling about Riley and her friends. That general lack of personality wouldn’t be so bad if there wasn’t so much dead air throughout-seriously, one hundred and twenty-one-which mainly gives viewers time to wonder who exactly these new Cenobites are and why their opaque personalities now have all of the charm of well-restored hand-me-downs. The remaining characters in this new “Hellraiser,” including Matt’s boyfriend Colin ( Adam Faison) and Riley’s roommate Nora ( Aoife Hinds), only have personalities enough to react to whatever circumstantial peril arises from Riley’s quest for answers. Voight ( Goran Visnjic)-in the vain hope that mastering the box will bring Matt back to her. Riley also only further entrenches herself into the Cenobites’ story-which connects the box with its previous owner, the elusive rich guy bohemian Mr. But Riley only steals the box, which horror fans will instantly recognize as a way of summoning the Cenobites, because Trevor encourages her. They chase after Riley because she steals and accidentally unlocks a gilded puzzle box. Neither Trevor nor Matt’s relationship with Riley develops much over time (it’s 121 minutes long, people), since so much of the plot concerns the arrival and eventual disappearance of the Cenobites. They argue about Riley’s erratic behavior, which really means her relationship with cavalier Trevor, who drinks around Riley despite her being participation in a 12-step program. She’s right, of course, and so is Matt, who disappears soon after he and Riley have a bad falling out. Riley (Odessa A’zion), a grieving former addict, runs into the Cenobites while chasing after her missing brother Matt ( Brandon Flynn), who previously scolded Riley for sticking with her sketchy boyfriend Trevor ( Drew Starkey).ĭirector David Bruckner (“ The Night House,” “ The Ritual”) and co-writers Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski’s devoted retread does not, however, meaningfully connect the Cenobites with Riley or her character-defining certainty that she’s the target of forces that are well beyond her control. The cleverest additions to the “Hellraiser” canon will only be apparent to established fans since the makers of the latest movie awkwardly graft a sometimes-inspired monster movie onto the back of a trauma-focused character study. This “Hellraiser,” made 35 years and nine sequels after the original, feels dutiful and staid where Barker’s version reflected his unique sensibility and preoccupations. Nobody really needs “Hellraiser,” but it can sometimes be fun anyway, especially if you haven’t seen “Hellraiser” in a while. The new “Hellraiser” evokes Barker’s original adaptation in the same way a good cover song recalls its source material: with love, intelligence, and an inevitably crushing sort of redundancy. In that movie, Barker introduces readers to the Cenobites, a race of God-like sadists who threaten their human victims with sensual experiences far beyond their (or our) tired understanding of pleasure and pain. Watching the original “Hellraiser” still feels like happening upon a profane, if by now familiar, event. The halting pace, scattered focus, and potent ghastliness of Barker’s movie reflects its nature as Barker’s feature directorial debut, a decent adaptation of his 1986 novella The Hellbound Heart. Pictures | Licensed to Alpha Media Group 2012įlipper Offer: Alabama (Patricia Arquette) shows a pre- Sopranos James Gandolfini that she’s not scared of him, even if it means her almost certain death.The 2022 “ Hellraiser,” the horror franchise reboot, often resembles an artful and over-produced tribute to “Hellraiser,” Clive Barker’s kinky and sometimes genuinely nightmarish 1987 shocker. Photo: Paramount Pictures | Licensed to Alpha Media Group 2012įlipper Offer: When serious teacher Kirstie Alley walks into deadbeat Mark Harmon’s rowdy class of misfits, she suggests they use quieter means to express themselves.įinger creativity level: 9 out of 10 (Points added because it’s educational.) Flipper Offer: A chimp chauffeur to an old lady…who responds with a gesture of her own!įinger creativity level: 9 out of 10 (Points added for being an ape.)įlipper Offer: Ash’s (Bruce Campbell) disembodied hand, after getting caught in a mousetrap.įinger creativity level: 9 out of 10 (Points added because he flips off himself! It’s the Charlie Kaufman of middle fingers.)
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