At a glance
| First film | Hellraiser (1987) |
| Creator | Clive Barker |
| Source | The Hellbound Heart (1986 novella) |
| Figure | Pinhead, played for years by Doug Bradley |
Overview
Hellraiser is a puzzle box, a man who should have stayed dead, and priests of sensation called Cenobites. Clive Barker wrote and directed the 1987 film from his novella. Pinhead was not the name in the book or the credits. The crew used it, and it stuck. Doug Bradley, Barker’s friend from theatre, played him through the first eight films. A 2022 reboot recast the role. The sequels after the second film drift toward a slasher series. The original is a story about a bargain.
The films
Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988) follows Kirsty Cotton further in. Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth (1992) puts Pinhead in a nightclub. Bloodline goes to space. The later straight-to-video films keep the box and lose the plot. Hellraiser (2022), directed by David Bruckner, starts over with a new Lead Cenobite, played by Jamie Clayton, and a new configuration of the box. Barker did not direct it. He has preferred the novella to the film, and the film to the sequels.
Films on this site
Trivia
- The credits say Lead Cenobite, not Pinhead.
- Bradley is in the first eight films. He is not in the 2022 reboot.
- Frank is the villain of the first film. Pinhead is the terms of the deal.
- Barker drew the Cenobites. The sketches look like clergy.
- Kirsty Cotton does not have a character page yet.