It can’t be easy for any filmmaker to successfully breathe new life into a horror movie franchise after ten installments, but director David Bruckner and Co. have done just that with Hulu’s new Hellraiser movie. Not quite a remake, the film reboots the franchise by introducing Jamie Clayton as a new incarnation of Pinhead in an all-new, original story. Original creator Clive Barker was involved as a producer with the story for this new film coming from David S. Goyer, Ben Collins, and Luke Piotrowski.
The critical reception to Hellraiser has been very strong. Over at Rotten Tomatoes, the film has garnered a Certified Fresh score of 71% on the Tomatometer. Its audience score was also excellent, garnering a 90% score as of this writing. This debut makes Hellraiser currently stand as the highest-rated film on Rotten Tomatoes, barely surpassing the original Hellraiser’s 70% score. That film also has an audience score of 73%, making the new Hellraiser the highest in that regard as well. There will still certainly be some longtime Hellraiser fans that insist the original is still the best, but when it comes to the collective reviews, the new film is the current champion.
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“While nothing will ever replace the brilliance and horror of the original 1987 film, Hellraiser (2022) is a terrifying and worthy return for our beloved Pinhead,” writes Melissa Hannon of Horror Geek Life.
“I found it much more entertaining than the original, definitely easier to follow, with decent jump scares, and disturbing sequences of pain and suffering, which should please fans new and old,” noted QiiBO‘s Jorge Rivera Rubio.
Matthew Jackson of Looper wrote, “It’s the first Hellraiser movie in years to really feel like it captures something of the ornate majesty of the first two movies while also working as an expansion of the mythology..
“David Bruckner has crafted a new chapter that plays by the rules of the canon and pairs them with an exciting, well-structured story that allows the movie to provide fans with what they are looking and hoping for from it,” says Eric Eisenberg of CinemaBlend.
Echoing many others who’ve been praising Jamie Clayton’s Pinhead, IGN’s Matt Donato wrote, “Hellraiser is a reinvigorated reboot that gets the blood pumping, starting with Jamie Clayton’s worthy Pinhead performance that sets a fresh tone with immense reverence paid to Clive Barker’s works.”
Related: Huluween 2022 Kicks Off Halloween with Hellraiser, Solar Opposites, and More
Only Two Hellraiser Movies Are Fresh at Rotten Tomatoes
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With Hulu’s Hellraiser sitting at 71% and the original at 70%, these mark the only two films in the series to sit with a fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes. Needless to say, critics have not always been kind on the movies in this series, especially with some sequels landing with abysmal 0% scores. If you’re curious, you can see the list of films in the series with their respective Tomatometer scores below.
As noted above, the scores for the new Hellraiser movie could change in the coming weeks as more reviews start pouring in, but for now, Pinhead can celebrate its current standing as the franchise’s highest-rated film on Rotten Tomatoes. You can stream the movie now on Hulu.
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