Introduction
For fans of the Hellraiser franchise, it’s essential to know how many movies are a part of the series and their chronology. However, with several additions spread over three decades, it can be challenging for newcomers to get an accurate picture of what the franchise entails. This article provides a comprehensive guide to the Hellraiser film series, including a ranking of the movies, in-depth retrospective, and essential elements to become a fan of Clive Barker’s dark world.
A Comprehensive List
Clive Barker’s imaginative mind brought to life the Hellraiser franchise. Since the release of the first installment in 1987, several movies belonging to the series have continued to spread the franchise’s mythology. Here’s a list of all the movies that every Hellraiser fan needs to know.
The Hellraiser Series in Chronological Order
Before digging into each movie’s synopsis, it’s helpful to know the order based on the timeline of events in the series.
1. Hellraiser: Bloodline (1996)
2. Hellraiser: Inferno (2000)
3. Hellraiser: Hellseeker (2002)
4. Hellraiser: Deader (2005)
5. Hellraiser: Hellworld (2005)
6. Hellraiser: Revelations (2011)
7. Hellraiser: Judgment (2018)
Synopses of Each Hellraiser installment
1. Hellraiser: Bloodline (1996): The fourth installment of the series is still a prequel. It sheds light on the Lament Configuration chessboard and a bloodline family’s origin story with the power to bring the Cenobites to our world.
2. Hellraiser: Inferno (2000): In the fifth installment of the Hellraiser franchise, Detective Joseph Thorne discovers the Lament Configuration cube while investigating a string of murders. The investigation leads to events that blur his perception of reality.
3. Hellraiser: Hellseeker (2002): Trevor Gooden encounters a fatal accident and gets accused of murdering his wife. He starts hallucinating and remembering a distorted version of events following the accident.
4. Hellraiser: Deader (2005): Amy Klein, an American journalist in London, investigates the story of a notorious cult known as the Deaders. The cultists worship the Lament Configuration and resurrect their dead members.
5. Hellraiser: Hellworld (2005): Hellworld is the sixth installment of the Hellraiser series and follows a group of teenagers attending a Hellraiser-themed party. They experience hallucinations of Pinhead and a creepy entity after playing the Charon game on a mysterious website.
6. Hellraiser: Revelations (2011): Two friends head to Mexico to experience their culture and get caught in an alluring and dangerous game of the Lament Configuration that backfires.
7. Hellraiser: Judgment (2018): Two detectives find themselves investigating a series of sadistic murders that resemble the configuration of the Lament Cube.
In-Depth Retrospective
Clive Barker, the creator of Pinhead and the Cenobites, adapted his novella ‘The Hellbound Heart’ for the movie theatres in 1987. The movie’s success resulted in a cult following and a franchise that now spans several films and animations. Here’s a retrospective on the evolution of the franchise from the original to its current installments.
Despite the critics’ polarized response, the first Hellraiser introduced an ensemble cast (including the iconic Doug Bradley who portrayed Pinhead) and Barker’s unforgettable design elements blended with graphic and visceral gore. The series got a sequel with Hellbound: Hellraiser II only the next year, featuring expanded mythology, new villainous Cenobites, and intense emotional tensions between the character casts. After Barker’s departure, the franchise fell into the hands of different directors, with Inferno shifting away from the continuous narrative of the series and introducing psychological themes instead of gore.
In fact, the franchise took many turns in different directions, including the futuristic space opera Hellraiser: Bloodline and retconned movie Hellraiser: Deader, which turned the Cenobites into cursed, zombie-like creatures. Hellraiser: Hellworld and Hellraiser: Revelations were produced with minuscule budgets, compromising the franchise’s production quality.
The latest installment, Hellraiser: Judgment, tried to go back to its roots with a gory and violent thriller featuring torture porn themes. However, the critical reception was mixed, and it doesn’t seem likely that the franchise will make a rebound anytime soon.
A Ranking of the Hellraiser Films
Even though the series loses steam after the second installment, each movie of the series has its merit, and its unique exploration of Pinhead’s realm. Here’s a ranking of each Hellraiser movie, from the best to the worst, including commentary on its themes, plot, and characters.
- Hellraiser (1987): The first movie set the standard for what a Hellraiser movie should be — a cult classic that blends in well-executed gore, intricate world-building, and suspense. This movie’s plot revolves around a puzzle box, sought after by a depraved individual who unleashes the demon-like Cenobites. Its themes of obsession, pain, and pleasure paved the way for the rest of the franchise.
- Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988): The sequel to the first movie is just as memorable with elaborated practical effects and the unforgettable imagery of the Cenobites. Hellbound further explores the mythology of the previous movie, delving deep into the horrors of hell. The film explores the relationship between Kirsty Cotton, the protagonist, and the sadomasochistic Cenobites. Its violent, bloody portrait of an imagination hell remains fresh, and its influences can still be felt in today’s horror movies.
- Hellraiser: Judgment (2018): After years of poor reception and confusion, this movie brought back the intended grit and violence in Hellraiser movies. Its plot draws inspiration from crime thrillers, with the Cenobites as the jury and executioner. The violence and psychological horror elements make this movie worth watching.
- Hellraiser: Bloodline (1996): The fourth movie is a prequel, shedding light on the Lament Configuration puzzle box and the building’s origin. The concept is fascinating, and the film explores the historical origin, bringing its focus to the sci-fi elements. The final act delivers what die-hard Hellraiser fans were craving for when they witness the time-jumping battles between the Cenobites and the last heir of the bloodline family.
- Hellraiser: Deader (2005): The movie follows the rising cult of the Lament Configuration, cursed and brought back to life as grotesque zombie-like creatures under the rule of the movie’s villain, Winter LeMarchand. The movie has a different angle to the franchise, slipping more into creating a zombie apocalypse genre. The story unravels in an underground bunker, introducing an erotic undercurrent as Amy Klein, the protagonist, becomes more involved in the cult’s ways.
- Hellraiser: Hellseeker (2002): The plot revolves around Trevor, who experiences a near-fatal car accident that results in his wife’s death. The movie explores psychological themes, and Trevor is the only one who remembers the previous timeline, making it hard for him to navigate through the story’s twists and turns. However, the plot seems derivative with similar themes to Inferno and not enough of the disturbing imagery of previous Hellraiser movies.
- Hellraiser: Inferno (2000): The crime-thriller genre inspired this movie, with a detective who finds the Lament Configuration puzzle box and unwittingly unleashes the demon Cenobites, leading to his descent into madness. Inferno not only drifts away from the typical Hellraiser film by focusing on the psychological genre, it also has basic scares and jumps around more than it should.
- Hellraiser: Hellworld (2005): This movie has the Cenobites as the secondary characters, as they mostly appear in the character’s hallucinations and nightmares. The movie’s plot follows teenagers playing the Hellworld game, and its style owes much to early 2000s video games. Even though it has a unique approach, the franchise’s name was not enough to elevate it to a good movie standard.
- Hellraiser: Revelations (2011): This movie was produced to maintain the Hellraiser franchise rights, borrowing numerous elements from the previous installments. The result is more of a soft-reboot with tropes that have become standard conventional treatments for horror movies.
A Beginner’s Guide to Hellraiser
If you have yet to watch any films from the Hellraiser franchise, it’s essential to understand what the production entails before starting. If you are not sure where to start, this is an excellent section to help you decide.
The Hellraiser franchise has a powerful yet unsettling mythology that revolves around the Cenobites; these are powerful and dominantly strong beings that occupy a plane of existence and enact pleasure and torment on those who have opened the Lament Configuration puzzle box, a gateway between their realm and ours. If that is not horror enough, interwoven in their motives are themes of BDSM, sadomasochism, and torture. Each movie adds its flavor of these themes, providing a deeper dive into the series’ lore.
The first two movies from the series are essential watching material if you want to understand the franchise’s story properly. Hellraiser offers simple and effective horror, while Hellbound introduces a more elaborate realm of pain and pleasure. Other installments contribute more to expanding the mythology and the idea behind the Cenobites.
Hellraiser and the Horror Genre
The Horror genre is never shy to experiment with different themes, tones, and aesthetics. Hellraiser, with its gory and creepy undertones, has had a significant impact on horror movies over the decades. Clive Barker’s world is intricate, and its themes have been borrowed and referenced in other movies. The concepts of forbidden pleasures, torture, and pain have always made for incredible horror material. These tropes are used in everything from slasher movies to the supernatural.
The Hellraiser series, though, is a unique brand of horror. It explores the themes of pain and pleasure with graphic and visceral detail, going deep under your skin. Its imagery and themes inspire fear and awe, and it’s not hard to see why some consider it one of the best horror franchises of all time. Hellraiser is unlike most of the classic horror movies of the past and blends in dark and graphic themes telling a unique story.
Looking to the Future
The future of the Hellraiser franchise seems to be hanging in the balance now than ever before. The studio recently released Judgment, which received mixed reactions. There’s talk of plans for a reboot by David Bruckner and even a potential Hellraiser TV series. However, there’s no firm news about these rumors until time reveals what’s next in the franchise’s future.
Conclusion
Fans of the Hellraiser series love the mythology and zealously follow every new entry expecting that it meets the quality they’ve come to expect. This article aimed to share the list of films, a ranking of the movies, an in-depth retrospective of the franchise, the essential elements to become a fanatic, and the franchise’s impact on the horror genre.
The franchise may have taken a detour over the years, but despite the bad installments, the franchise has endured time over centuries. Hellraiser’s macabre theme, the graphic visuals, and the ultimate horror storylines make it a staple for those that need a fear and shock intermixed with sound storytelling. The Hellraiser franchise has something for everyone and should definitely be on your watch list.