In 1987, the world was introduced to a horror franchise filled with Cenobites, puzzle boxes and insane body horror. This, of course, is the “Hellraiser” franchise started by Clive Barker. A year prior, Barker wrote the book “The Hellbound Heart,” which was adapted into the first movie. Barker directed and wrote the first movie and served as the executive producer and writer for the second movie. He would be a part of the next two films but have smaller roles. After that, he stepped away from it, but the franchise continued to grow. As of today, there are 11 movies, with one being a reboot of the original film. In this article, we will focus on the first four movies.

“Hellraiser” (1987)

The movie starts with a man named Frank Cotton, played by Sean Chapman, buying the iconic puzzle box from a mysterious dealer. Frank takes it to his attic to try to solve it, but when he does, the box opens, and chains attach to his skin and rip him apart.

Months later, Frank’s brother Larry, played by Andrew Robinson, moves into the house with his wife Julia, played by Clare Higgins. Larry’s hand gets caught on a nail. When he enters the room where Frank was last seen, a drop of blood falls on the floor. This resurrects Frank, and Julia finds out.

It is revealed that Julia and Frank had an affair before he passed away. Frank is not fully human, though, and Julia agrees to lure people into the house, allowing Frank to use them and become stronger. Larry’s daughter, Kirsty, played by Ashley Laurence, finds out about Frank and takes the puzzle box. She solves the box and releases the series’ iconic characters, the Cenobites.

Kirsty tells the leader, Pinhead, played by Doug Bradley through the first four films, that Frank has escaped and she will lead them to him. She goes back to the house, and the Cenobites are able to capture Frank. Kirsty uses the puzzle box to send the Cenobites back to Hell.

Felix:

This is clearly the best one of the franchise. It includes great human characters along with the original Cenobites, consisting of Pinhead, Butterball, Chatter and the unnamed female Cenobite. The effects on Frank were amazing and insane for its time. It is still very impressive today and genuinely still scary.

The story itself was good, but I feel like it had a lot of missing pieces. The puzzle box didn’t have a big backstory, Cenobites don’t have much to them, and the villains are defeated very easily. There of course are a lot more details in the book, but I am just focusing on the film. In later movies, we learn more about the Cenobites and the puzzle box, and they do get stronger. This wasn’t a turn off for me for the film, as it still holds up well, but I’m glad we learned the history eventually.

The film was still fun to follow and very different. It wasn’t like the many slasher films during those times, where a psychotic killer goes around killing teenagers with a sharp blade. It built on the story of the human characters and showcased villains like we have never seen before.

I rate this movie an 8/10

Ava:

“Hellraiser” really changed my views on the genre of horror as a whole. It introduced me to body horror and practical effects, which I had never seen or experienced before. Although to some, this film may look cheesy because of how bad the practical effects are, they are what I love so much about it.

I think that this film does a really good job of setting up the antagonists. Frank seems to be the biggest threat to Kirsty, but once the Cenobites are introduced, he seems less intimidating. To me, the Cenobites are almost the perfect anti-heroes. They antagonise Kirsty, but their blatant coolness (and amazing makeup/costumes) makes it almost impossible to dislike them.

This reigns as one of my favorite 80s horror movies for so many reasons, and I can definitely say it has led me to liking more obscure films of the same nature. For anyone who enjoys this movie and wants to see more that are similar, I definitely recommend “Possession,” as well as any movie directed by David Cronenberg.

I rate this movie 10/10

“Hellbound: Hellraiser II” (1988)

In the second installment of the “Hellraiser” movies, we get to see more information about the puzzle box, as well as explore the world of the Cenobites and their backstories.

The film shows Kirsty, who is now in a psychiatric hospital following the events of the first movie. A doctor at this hospital, Dr. Channard, played by Kenneth Cranham, is revealed to have a secret obsession with the puzzle box. Similar to the first film, Channard frees Julia Cotton from the Cenobite world and learns that she needs to feed on men to become more powerful.

Following suspicion of Channard, Kirsty goes to his house, where she discovers a room full of paraphernalia related to the puzzle box (actually named the Lament Configuration) and Cenobites. Channard brings in Tiffany, his patient who has a talent for solving puzzles, and has her solve the Lament Configuration. This opens up the door between worlds.

Kristy enters to rescue her father’s soul. In the process, she learns about the Cenobites’ history. They were once humans before transforming into their current state. Channard becomes a Cenobite himself and tries to stop Kristy. However, Kristy and Tiffany are able to defeat the Cenobites and return home. In the last scene, we see an object called the Pillar of Souls rise, and see Pinhead in it.

Felix:

I like how they continued the story of Kirsty and have a lot of returning characters, especially the Cenobites. After this one, we don’t really get to see all four Cenobites together again. It was also really interesting to see a little about the backstories of the Cenobites and especially Pinhead.

Julia, in this one, played a very similar role to Frank in the last one. The main goal is to become more human over time. I would have liked to see more from this part, but glad the rest of the movie wasn’t an exact copy. Also, similarly, the Cenobites were easily defeated. They didn’t put up a big fight and let themselves get stomped on.

The effects again were outstanding in this one. It is still very unreal what they could do back in 1988. It was also nice to see new Cenobites with the original ones. Overall, I thought it was alright, but nothing too exciting.

I give this movie 6.5/10

Ava:

As a huge fan of the first film, I think that “Hellbound” is a really good sequel. It does a good job continuing the storyline of the first one. I think there are some parts that kind of copy the first film, especially the storyline with Julia basically being a copy of Frank’s story.

I do like the aspect of Dr. Channard being really interested in the puzzle box/lament configuration, and seeing some backstory behind the cenobites. Also, seeing where the cenobites come from and exploring “hell” was a really interesting addition to the film.

Another thing I like about this film is that its effects are as amazing as the first film. Everything from Julia’s makeup to the Cenobites’ clothes looks amazing. We see the cenobites turn back to their original human forms, which I think is cool. However, in my opinion, this film could have been a good end to the story.

I rate this film 8/10

“Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth” (1992)

After Pinhead is defeated in the last movie, he and the puzzle box are now trapped inside of a pillar called the Pillar of Souls. The pillar was bought by J. P. Monroe, played by Kevin Bernhardt, a rich and young nightclub owner in New York. Later, a news reporter named Joey Summerskill, played by Terry Farrell, follows a female club-goer who is being taken to the hospital, and she sees her being ripped apart from the box’s chains. A woman named Terri, played by Paula Marshall, went to the club with the dead clubgoer, and she explains to Summerkill that this puzzle box they stole did this.

Summerkill finds old videotapes of Kirsty Cotton that explain who the Cenobites are and what the puzzle box is. They realise they have to send Pinhead back to Hell. Monroe talks with Pinhead, who is still trapped in the pillar, and he agrees to bring club goers for him to grow stronger. Summerkill has a dream about a British Army officer, who reveals himself to be Pinhead before turning into a Cenobite. He tells her that she must fuse his soul into Pinhead and send him back to hell with the puzzle box.

Later, Pinhead is finally free from the Pillar. He forms new Cenobites from club goers and some of Summerkills’ friends. They chase her throughout New York City, destroying it in the process. Eventually, they all surround her at a construction site, and she solves the puzzle box. This sends all the Cenobites back to hell and stops the mayhem.

Felix:

This is when I truly believe the franchises started to fall. The last one was watchable, but this was tough. The acting wasn’t the best and had many cringy lines. I also disliked this one because it was the first time the original Cenobites were not in the film. Chatter, Butterball and the Female Cenobite did not return. However, Pinhead received more screentime and more lines, which I did like.

I also learned about other script ideas while doing this article. One would have taken place in ancient Egypt, and we learn more about the puzzle box while Pinhead is trying to resurrect himself. This idea seemed much better than what they picked, but I assume it was a money concern.

This was the first time they filmed outside of the United Kingdom and the first time Barker did not write the script. There are many cool shots with Pinhead running around New York, and for once, he appears powerful. One of my favorites is when he is in the church with his arms stretched out. There are also a lot of close-up shots of Pinhead that are just flat-out funny. I don’t know what they were thinking when making this.

The best part of the movie was the end credits. The song “Hellraiser” by Motörhead started playing, and it is an amazing song. Ozzy Osbourne also had his own version of the song, but the one by Motörhead would be in the movie.

I rate this movie 5/10

Ava:

This film felt forced to me. I thought the end to the second film was fine, and the story did not need to be continued. The plotline of Pinhead being human and a Cenobite at the same time was random to me. I liked the plot being more focused on Pinhead, but the way they did it felt random.

One thing from this film I liked was the army of Cenobites that Pinhead creates, especially the one that shoots projectile CDs out of its stomach. This scene overall is very suspenseful, and that is one thing this series continues to do.

My favorite scene of this film is towards the end, and it has one of my favorite lines in the series. The main character, Joey, tries to hide in a church, asking a priest to help her. The priest responds to her, telling her demons aren’t real. After this line, Pinhead opens the door, to which Joey says, “Then what the f*** is that?”

I rate this film 5/10

“Hellraiser: Bloodline” (1996)

In the year 2127, engineer Dr. Paul Merchant, played by Bruce Ramsay, built a space station to end the puzzle box. A robot would solve it in a locked room, but in the process, a space police agency breaks in and destroys the robot. Merchant talks to the chief and explains the backstory of the box.

The film then goes back to Paris, France, in the year 1796. We learn about Merchant’s ancestor, Phillip LeMarchand (also played by Ramsay), who was the one who made the box. He gifts it to a wealthy man who uses it to open the gates of hell. LeMarchand is killed and informed that his family will forever be cursed.

Now, in 1996, John Merchant started to work on the Elysium Configuration, a box that could reverse the puzzle box and close the gates of Hell. Pinhead returns to stop Merchant and kills him before he can finish the box.

Back in 2127, Pinhead is summoned to the space station. He kills all guards but Dr. Merchant and the chief escape. It is revealed that the station is the completed Elysium Configuration and can end Pinhead. He activates the box and kills Pinhead and his Cenobites for good.

Felix:

This is where the franchise died. The last two were bad, but I would consider watching them. This one, I will probably never watch again. I don’t understand why they started in space in the year 2127. When a horror franchise enters space, it can never come back. We saw this with the “Leprechaun” franchise and “Friday the 13th” franchise. Some of those movies can be so bad it’s good, like the “Friday the 13th” one, but “Hellraiser” didn’t work for me.

Again, the original Cenboites were not in it, so that lowered my interest before it started. It was fun to see the Chatter Beasts, which were basically just chatter in the form of a dog. It was unique and something fans haven’t seen yet.

This came out in 1996, so of course, making a fantastic environment is not going to be great. I am sure we all saw those late 90s, early 2000s movies set in the future with those cringy CGI and effects. This was a good amount of the movie, so now, in 2026, it isn’t going to be the best watch.

As for the plot, it was nice to see the creation of the puzzle box and the family history. I don’t think they executed it correctly, but the overall idea was good.

I rate this movie 4/10

Ava:

Once the credits started to roll on this film, I immediately regretted disliking “Hell on Earth” so much because this film was a lot worse. I think the concept of showing the history of the lament configuration is good, but the execution was definitely not.

One thing I would definitely change is the whole space plotline. It felt like it was trying to fit in with sci-fi films, but drastically failed at it. I also think the skips through the timelines are bad. I’m not against timelines being out of order or intertwining with each other; the ones in this film were just random and unnecessary.

Something else I didn’t like about this film was the use of CGI. Because it was made in 1996, CGI was at its height of cheesiness. I would have liked it better if they continued to use practical effects instead, however, I understand why they may not have been able to fit it in the budget.

Also, it seems like in every film, Pinhead is defeated “forever” just for him to return in the next film.

I rate this film 3.5/10

The Rest

The next six movies would be released directly to video (DVD and VHS). Bradley would continue to play Pinhead in the next four films and stopped before the start of “Hellraiser: Revelations.” In that movie, it was quickly made as the company wanted to retain the rights, so it wasn’t supposed to be good. Barker regained the rights to the original movie and characters in 2021 and helped produce the remake. For the remake, it was released on Hulu and was received well. There is a Hellraiser video game coming out this year written by Barker called, “Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival.” Bradley is also making a return to voice Pinhead.

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