The Hellraiser franchise manages to endure its direct-to-video legacy as Dimension prepares for the release of the latest sequel, Hellraiser: Judgment. As such, we’re finally getting to see footage flood from every potential outlet. Bloody-Disgusting revealed several new clips, one of which was described by the film’s director Gary J. Tunnicliffe:
“The clip goes a little way to explain some of the new mythology and mechanisms, and you finally get to see and hear our new Pinhead in action. We would love to be able to show more images and clips, but finding something that isn’t too blood-drenched, violent, creepy, or contains nudity is proving tricky!”
It certainly gives audiences an idea of what to expect, and the new Pinhead star Paul T. Taylor even teased his upcoming role. While he’s no Doug Bradley, he does have a strong sense of confidence when regarding his portrayal.
“I think it kind of came from the script. It came from Gary’s direction. In this script, it seems that Pinhead is in more of a sort of bored place, but the arrogance is all there. He has all the power. As he says unknowingly, he doesn’t know what’s going to happen, he says, ‘I have nothing to fear.’ He’s just at a place in his life where he’s jaded. I think he’s possibly older than he’s been before in other films, if you can age, a demon can age. In Clive Barker’s world, a demon certainly can age. If you’ve read the Scarlet Gospels.”
He also explained how it can be to play Pinhead and what types of expressions the character goes through. After all, he’s a more calculating source of evil than his slasher movie peers.
“There has to be a stillness with menace. It’s more about the threat. What’s going to happen? You look at the nails, you look at the skin that’s exposed, you look at the agony and ecstasy in the face, and you know that this guy can cause some severe damage. The threat is in the way you say the lines. The threat is in the way you move and when you do move, it means something. Otherwise, you’re just like, ‘I have all the power in the world. I don’t have to do anything.’ There’s great power in just listening to the other person and then deciding what you’re going to do or say about it. That had to be there. [Original Pinhead actor] Doug Bradley always had that. He always has that stillness. You just see it. He’s just sizing you up, ‘Let’s see. What am I going to do?’ It’s great. It’s great. Loved it.”
It certainly sounds like everyone is building up this new interpretation, but hopefully Clive Barker’s reboot comes along next. I’ll take that instead of this any day.
In the new film…
Three detectives trying to stop a diabolical serial killer are sucked into a maze of otherworldly horror, where hellish denizens including the Auditor, the Assessor, and the Jury await to pass judgment.
Hellraiser: Judgment hits home video formats on Tuesday, February 13.
Are you looking forward to the new Hellraiser movie? Be sure to tell us all of your thoughts in the comments!