Hellraiser is a 1987 British supernatural horror film written and directed by Clive Barker, and produced by Christopher Figg, based on Barker's 1986 novella The Hellbound Heart. The film marked Barker's directorial debut. Its plot involves a mystical puzzle box which summons the Cenobites, a group of extra-dimensional, sadomasochistic beings who cannot differentiate between pain and pleasure. The leader of the Cenobites is portrayed by Doug Bradley, and identified in the sequels as "Pinhead".
The Hellbound Heart is a horror novella by Clive Barker, first published in November 1986 by Dark Harvest in the third volume in its Night Visions anthology series. The story features a hedonist criminal acquiring a mystical puzzle box, the Lemarchand Configuration, which can be used to summon the Cenobites, demonic beings who do not distinguish between pain and pleasure. He escapes the Cenobites and, with help, resorts to murder to restore himself to full life. Later on, the puzzle box is found by another.
The Cenobites are fictional extra-dimensional, seemingly demonic beings who appear in the works of Clive Barker. Introduced in Barker's 1986 novella The Hellbound Heart, they also appear in its semi-sequel novel The Scarlet Gospels, the Hellraiser films, and in Hellraiser comic books published (intermittently) between 1987 and 2017. In the novel Weaveworld, they are mentioned in passing as "The Surgeons". The Cenobites appear in prose stories authorized but not written by Clive Barker, such as the anthology Hellbound Hearts edited by Paul Kane and Marie O'Regan, the novella Hellraiser: The Toll, and the novel Sherlock Holmes and the Servants of Hell written by Paul Kane. Paradoxically, the definition of the word "cenobite" is a member of a religious group living together in a monastic community such as a nun or a monk. Most likely this is a dark perversion of the term.
Pinhead, Lead Cenobite, or the Hell Priest, is the main antagonist of the Hellraiser franchise, first appearing as an unnamed figure in the 1986 Clive Barker novella The Hellbound Heart. When Clive Barker adapted the novella into the 1987 film Hellraiser, he referred to the character in early drafts as "the Priest" but the final film gave no name. The production and make-up crew nicknamed the character "Pinhead" and fans accepted the sobriquet, which was then used in press materials, tie-in media, and on-screen in some of the sequel films. Clive Barker himself did not care for the nickname. In the 2011 comic book series Hellraiser published by Boom! Studios, Barker refers to the character as "the Priest." In that comic book series and the subsequent series Hellraiser: The Dark Watch, Cenobites refer to him as holding the title of "the Hell Priest" or "the Pontifex", making him "Hell's Pope." Nearly thirty years after The Hellbound Heart was published, Barker's 2015 novel The Scarlet Gospels cements the character's official title and rank is "the Hell Priest" and that he hates the nickname "Pinhead." In a later novella, Hellraiser: The Toll, it is said the character is also known to some as the Cold Man.
Hellbound: Hellraiser II is a 1988 horror film directed by Tony Randel and starring Clare Higgins, Ashley Laurence, Kenneth Cranham and Doug Bradley. The second film in the Hellraiser franchise, Hellraiser II draws heavily upon its precursor, Hellraiser, which was released a year prior. Laurence reprises her role as Kirsty Cotton, who is admitted into a psychiatric hospital after the events of the first film. There, the head doctor (Cranham) unleashes the Cenobites, a group of sadomasochistic beings from another dimension.
Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth is a 1992 American horror film and third installment in the Hellraiser series. It was directed by Anthony Hickox and stars Doug Bradley, Terry Farrell, Paula Marshall, and Kevin Bernhardt. Ashley Laurence, who starred in the previous two films, has a cameo. Following the events of Hellbound: Hellraiser II, in which the demon Pinhead (Bradley) is imprisoned in a statue, he resurrects himself by absorbing the life force of unlucky humans. After converting several power-hungry youths into new Cenobites, Pinhead goes on a rampage, opposed by a reporter (Farrell) and the spiritual manifestation of his good half.
Hellraiser: Bloodline is a 1996 American science fiction horror film and the fourth installment in the Hellraiser series, which serves as both a prequel and a sequel. Directed by Kevin Yagher and Joe Chappelle, the film stars Doug Bradley as Pinhead, reprising his role and now the only remaining original character and cast member. It also features Bruce Ramsay, Valentina Vargas, Kim Myers and Adam Scott in his first major film role. It was the last Hellraiser film to be released theatrically, the last to have any major official involvement with series creator Clive Barker and also the final installment in chronology.
Hellraiser: Hellseeker is a 2002 supernatural horror film directed by Rick Bota and written by Carl V. Dupré and Tim Day. It is the sixth film in the Hellraiser series, directed by Rick Bota. It also features the return of Kirsty Cotton, the heroine from Hellraiser and its sequel. Also, while not officially part of the production team, Clive Barker had cursory input on the film and some uncredited influence on the third act, specifically. Hellseeker was the last Hellraiser film to have any involvement from Barker, uncredited or otherwise.
The Hellraiser franchise consists of science fiction supernatural horror installments including, four theatrical films, six straight-to-home video films, various comic books, and additional merchandise and media. Based on the novella by English author Clive Barker titled The Hellbound Heart, the franchise centers around the Cenobites including the primary antagonist named Pinhead. The overall plot of the franchise focuses on a puzzle box that opens a gateway to the Hell-like realm of the Cenobite lifeforms. The Cenobites are an order of former-humans turned-monsters, who harvest human souls to torture in their sadistic experiments. Barker, who created the franchise and served as writer/director of the original film, stated that he signed away the story and character rights to the production company prior to the release of the first film, not realizing the critical and financial success it would be.
Kirsty is a fictional character from the Hellraiser media franchise. Created by writer Clive Barker, Kirsty first appears in the 1986 novella The Hellbound Heart, whose full name is identified in the sequels as Kirsty Singer, before being adapted in the 1987 film adaptation Hellraiser as Kirsty Cotton. The character served as a major focus in the original film and its sequel Hellbound: Hellraiser II, later playing a supporting role in Hellraiser VI: Hellseeker. In all of her appearances in the film series, she was portrayed by actress Ashley Laurence. The film describes her as being Larry Cotton's daughter while, in the novel, she is simply a friend of his.
Sean Chapman is an English actor. He played Frank Cotton in Clive Barker's Hellraiser, and its sequel, Hellbound: Hellraiser II. He also voiced the character Sgt. Michael Sykes in Crysis in 2007 and in Crysis Warhead in 2008.
George Edwin Eldredge was an American actor who appeared in over 180 movies during a career that stretched from the 1930s to the early 1960s. He also had a prolific television career during the 1950s. He was the older brother of actor John Dornin Eldredge.
Paul John Perri is an American-Canadian film and television actor. Perri is best known for portraying Edwards and Skinless Parker in Hellraiser: Bloodline, Harry Hume from Chaos, and as Dr. Sidney Bloom from Manhunter.
Vincent Tong is a Canadian voice actor and voice director. His voice roles include Gene Khan / The Mandarin in Iron Man: Armored Adventures, Toro in Sushi Pack, Henry in Kid vs. Kat, Garble and Sandbar in My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Daniel in Voltron Force, Kai in Ninjago as well as Jestro in Nexo Knights. He also voiced Euden in Dragalia Lost before being replaced by Victor Hunter.
Hellraiser: Revelations is a 2011 horror film written by Gary J. Tunnicliffe and directed by Víctor García. It is the ninth film in the Hellraiser film series. It follows the fates of two friends who discover a puzzle box that opens a gateway to a realm inhabited by sadomasochistic monsters known as the Cenobites.
Douglas Evans was born in Madison, Virginia, was an actor, known for At War with the Army (1950), King of the Rocket Men (1949), and I Saw What You Did (1965). In 1931, Evans joined the staff of WABC radio in New York as an announcer. Before that, he was an announcer at WMCA, also in New York, and was chief announcer at WGH in Virginia.
Thomas Browne Henry was an American character actor known for many guest appearances on television and in films.
Hellraiser: Judgment is a 2018 American horror film written and directed by Gary J. Tunnicliffe, based on the characters created by Clive Barker. The tenth installment in the Hellraiser film series, the film stars Damon Carney, Randy Wayne, Alexandra Harris, Heather Langenkamp, and Paul T. Taylor, and centers on three police detectives who, investigating a series of murders, are confronted by the denizens of hell. The film expands the fictional universe by introducing a new faction of hell: the Stygian Inquisition. While the Cenobites offer sadomasochistic pleasures to humans that enter their dominion, the Inquisition processes the souls of sinners. Tunnicliffe plays the Inquisition's auditor, a prominent role in the film.
Chatterer is a fictional character appearing in the Hellraiser film series. He is a Cenobite, an order of extradimensional sadomasochists who experiment in extreme forms of hedonism. His name comes from the constant clicking of his teeth, his only means of communication. He serves the Cenobites' leader Pinhead. Chatterer has become a fan favourite character in the Hellraiser franchise.
