*This is a spoiler-free review so feel free to read on!*

“It’s a puzzle box…”

Hellraiser (2022) released on Hulu on October 7th 2022. The reinvention of the 1987 original film stars Odessa A’zion, Jamie Clayton, Adam Faison, Drew Starkey, Brandon Flynn, and Goran Visnjic. The film runs for approximately 2 hours.

A young woman struggling with addiction must face off against the Cenobites when her brother is brutally taken by them.

Here is the trailer:

Hellraiser (2022) doesn’t hold back with its extreme gore, reeling fans of the original film back in for some gruesome pleasure. Is it worthy of your next watch? Let’s find out…

The Pros:

Cringe-worthy gore that would make the original proud…

Hellraiser (1987) and the sequel are an acquired taste, but they are noteworthy for their extreme 80’s gore, bringing the audience into a twisted world of pain and pleasure with one of the scariest villains of all time. I thoroughly enjoy the first two films, but the franchise goes off the rails after that.

Hellraiser (2022) does not shy away from the bloody violence, bringing us something even more disturbing. This film is not for the faint of heart…

If you’re looking for lots of gore, you’ll get plenty to enjoy in the new film.

Jamie Clayton steps in nicely.

Pinhead is a terrifying villain and gave me nightmares for years. Jamie Clayton’s version had a different feel, but I thought she did a very good job. There was something so sinister and eerie about her presence. I didn’t find her as terrifying as Doug Bradley’s version, but she really went all in with this role and it worked.

More please!

The Cons:

A little too long and overcomplicates things…

I didn’t think this film needed to be two hours long. There was some unnecessary fluff that could have easily been cut out. I also could have done without the twists and additional story elements thrown our way. 

I get that the film was trying to find its own separate identity while channeling the original film, but it lost a little bit of its magic this way. Sometimes less is more…

I also wasn’t a huge fan of our female lead. She didn’t come close to Kirsty and that’s OK since she isn’t her, but I found the character to be a little whiny and annoying. I couldn’t get behind her as a final girl to root for.

So am I in or out?

I’m in about 75 percent…

Hellraiser (2022) delivers with extreme signature blood and gore, making this a decent reinvention of the original film, but I didn’t need all of the excess story-lines, which got in the way of pure greatness.

Either way, this film ranks very high in the franchise for me and easily beats out all of the films that came after the sequel.

I hope you enjoyed the review and feel free to post your own thoughts and theories on Hellraiser (2022) in the comments section below. Thanks so much for reading and happy viewing!

Best,

Amy Koto, TV Fanatic Girl

THIS COMPETITION IS KILLER…

When former friends, Shay and Adriana team up to participate in a Halloween scavenger hunt with a cash prize, they temporarily put their differences aside to outsmart their opponents. However, they soon start to realize that a dangerous threat is playing their own version of the game, stalking them during each hunt.

Winning is now a necessity as their lives are at stake. As old wounds and memories re-surface, Shay and Adriana attempt to unmask the threat before the night is over, but soon learn that Scream Hunt is not done with them just yet…

My young adult horror thriller is out now! I hope you enjoy!

Scream Hunt is available here!