Clive Barker has never been shy about how he feels toward the later Hellraiser sequels, and he did not hold back in a new interview with Dread Central last week. While the conversation began with his praise for Hellraiser: Revival, Barker also took aim at the Weinstein era of the franchise and opened up about where he would like to take Pinhead and the Cenobites next.
Made To Hold Onto The Rights
Barker created Hellraiser with his 1986 novella The Hellbound Heart, and he wrote and directed the 1987 film that introduced Doug Bradley's Pinhead. After the first couple of films, the franchise ended up at Dimension Films, the genre label run by Bob and Harvey Weinstein, where it spent years in direct-to-video purgatory.
"There are many of the Hellraiser movies that were made by the Weinstein brothers that were created simply to hold onto the rights," Barker said. "Over time they spent less and less on them. A lot of amazing creative people got worked over as a consequence."
He was careful not to blame the filmmakers who worked on those sequels. "It's not the fault of the writers and directors, but just the way the system works in some cases. It's a sad thing."
Barker's comments line up with what horror fans have long suspected. Several of the later Dimension entries were shot quickly and cheaply, and at least one began life as an unrelated script that was reworked to include Pinhead. Hellraiser: Revelations, which arrived in 2011 without Bradley, is widely believed to have been rushed out to keep the rights from lapsing.
Getting The Rights Back
Barker regained his U.S. copyright interests in The Hellbound Heart and his original Hellraiser screenplay effective December 2021, and he explained that the win meant a lot more to him than just ownership. "It meant that I never had to go into Bob Weinstein's office and hear him admit that he owed me money but wouldn't give it to me unless I gave him another Hellraiser script," he alleged.
He also made it clear that he is done with that kind of fight. "The compromises you have to make and the battles you have to have are totally exhausting, unnecessary, and not something I will entertain ever again," Barker said.
Barker Wants To Go Further
The good news for fans is that Barker is not finished with the Hellraiser universe. He described the series as a mythology that still has plenty of room to grow. "I think Hellraiser is a mythology that could be given some real space to develop and expand upon myth," he said. "We're doing some of that in the new comic books, but I'd love to go further in the movies."
He added, "But yes, I have a lot of ideas that I've kept waiting in the wings to get going as Hellraiser films and in other media."
Barker pointed to a trip to Rome and the Vatican as a major source of inspiration, from the art and sculpture to the darker history of the Inquisition, and suggested that imagery could shape his vision of Hell going forward. He also named the Italian horror classics Black Sunday and Suspiria as influences, and shared that Lucio Fulci once told him how much he loved Hellraiser.
Where The Franchise Stands
The most recent Hellraiser film is David Bruckner's 2022 reimagining for Hulu, which cast Jamie Clayton as the Hell Priest and was produced with Barker's involvement. No new film has been announced since, so for now, Revival is the main way fans can step back into the Labyrinth.
The game, developed by Boss Team Games and published by Saber Interactive, brought Bradley back as Pinhead and has been a hit with players. Barker called its success a wake-up call for the franchise, and given how passionately he talked about his ideas, it would not be surprising to see him push for a new film that finally gives the mythology the room he believes it deserves.
Would you like to see Clive Barker take on a new Hellraiser movie himself, and which of the sequels do you think deserves a second chance?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.