Hulu raises Hell this Halloween

Hulu's Hellraiser is a reimagining of Clive Barker's 1987 horror classic with a very new storyline and more diversity included for audiences in 2022. It is the second adaptation of The Hellhound Heart novella by Clive Barker.

Riley McKendry, a young woman who struggles with addiction is played by Odessa A'zion. McKendry steals a mystical puzzle box from a warehouse which leads to adventures with a group of creatures called Cenobites.

During a recent press conference, many of the cast and crew were present to take questions. Director David Bruckner described his project as a brand new Hellraiser story, “It's not a remake of the original films. It does harken back to them quite a bit, but it is the tale of Riley played by A'zion who discovers the box, opens it and all hell breaks loose.”

Bruckner also gave his take on modernizing the classic and said he felt a responsibility to the original material, “They're interdimensional BDSM demons that throw chains at you from a labyrinth. It's complicated stuff to get right. We just had to lose ourselves in this and allow it to take us in different directions if we're so compelled. It was a balance of trusting that and appreciating what had come before us."

"Calling the movie simply Hellraiser sounded better than Hellraiser 11,” he joked. “My suggestion to fans is to go into it not thinking exactly of where it's fitting in the history of the series and to just experience the film. We'll see what conversations grow from there.”

Jamie Clayton, a trans actress that many people will recognize from Sens8 as Nomi Marks, plays The Priest also known as Pinhead. She described her character, "The Priest is everything that I am and everything that I'm not. She's amazing, and she's gonna tear your souls apart!”

Clayton explained that she wanted to make this part unique to her. “I think they wanted a woman to play the role because it takes the burden off the audience of comparing the character to the past version. It's a whole new thing.”

GoPride asked about the LGBTQ+ representation in the film and Bruckner elaborated on the topic, “That was something that we talked about with the producers, the writers and the studio. From the beginning, we understood that this was very much present and part of the identity of the original franchise. We wanted to make sure that that was something that we got right both in theme and representation. It was exciting for us. We had a lot of good counsel from people that really helped us kind of navigate that a bit."

The Cenobites' costumes were another hot topic during the call. A'zion mentioned that one cast member had to be screwed into their costume and Clayton had to be lubricated to slide into her outfit.

“I remember seeing Jamie for the first time, she walks on set and I started laughing, “A'zion confessed, “Not because it was funny, but because I didn't know what to do. She looked so out of this world!”

When asked what makes Clive Barker's horror different than anyone's else brand of horror Clayton stated, “Clive is gay with a really honest, unique and very sexy approach. He wrote The Hellbound Heart on his experiences going to BDSM clubs in New York in the '70s. That's what makes him different, he's not afraid!”

Viewers can begin streaming Hellraiser on hulu.com on October 7, 2022.