Hulu's Hellraiser Director Introduces The Newest Cenobite
Rejoice, horror fans — Clive Barker's twisted creations are back in Hulu's upcoming "Hellraiser" reboot, which plans to introduce a brand new Cenobite to the Barker-loving masses. And judging from all the social media reactions in recent weeks and freaking out that went on in response to the movie's first trailer, it seems people can't wait to meet Pinhead's new sadomasochistic cohort.
"Getting some H R Giger vibes!!!!" wrote Twitter user @KeithLeo9. "I'm interested in its origin story," said @HMoviesBeyond. "It's disturbing, creepy and hauntingly gorgeous. How!?"
Set in Barker's infamous "Hellraiser" universe, which is based on his horror novel "The Hellbound Heart," viewers of the new Hulu reboot can expect much of the same frights and gory scares that the author and filmmaker provided in the book and iconic movie franchise. So far, there have been ten different film installments to have come out since the premiere of Barker's 1987 cult classic, with actor Doug Bradley cementing himself in Hollywood history as the legendary baddie known as Pinhead. In Hulu's "Hellraiser," the character will be played by "Sense8" star Jamie Clayton and will be joined by an updated batch of Cenobites, including "Chatterer" and a never-before-seen one that social media can't seem to stop talking about.
Meet The Masque
Referred to as "The Masque" by the director David Bruckner, Pinhead's newest torture buddy in Hulu's "Hellraiser" is something straight out of a Clive Barker fever dream, complete with ghastly wounds and a terrifying look that would make Doug Bradley's Hell Priest proud. The Cenobite is played by Serbian actor Vukasin Jovanovic. "Hellraiser" was reportedly filmed in Belgrade.
"We call him The Masque," explained Bruckner in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. "The Masque is one of my favorite Cenobites, and it's just a tease of really what's to come as far as the Cenobites are concerned."
While just one or two new Cenobites would be enough to satisfy horror fans, Bruckner admits that there will likely be several more that get introduced along the way. "I think that's safe to say," he told EW. According to the filmmaker, his "Hellraiser" — on which Barker serves as a producer — won't be a remake of the original, but rather "a new story in the Hellraiser universe," Bruckner says. "I just didn't think you could ever remake the original Hellraiser," he told EW. "It's too much its own thing, and it would be, I think, perilous territory for filmmakers, because how do you top that?"
As pointed out by Looper in early September, "Hellraiser" is the perfect example of a franchise that can actually benefit from a reboot. Whether it's another chapter or a reimagining of Barker's twisted world, the movie looks like it can be another proper reawakening — much like Hulu's "Prey" — for a franchise with so many devoted fans.
"Predator and Hellraiser franchises both being brought back from the brink of death on Hulu in 2022 was not something I saw coming," wrote Twitter user @SpookyNameHere. "Well done to getting the Hellraiser series back on track," said @BurketCode. "I'm here for it."