Hellraiser: Revelations

“
The Return of Pinhead!

”— Tagline
***Hellraiser: Revelations*** is an American horror film written by Gary Tunnicliffe and directed by Víctor García. It is the ninth film in the *Hellraiser* film series, and the first entry in the series since *Hellraiser: Bloodline* to be based on an original script, instead of incorporating series antagonist Pinhead into an unrelated horror story. It follows the fates of two friends who discover a puzzle box that opens a gateway to a realm inhabited by sadomasochistic monsters known as the Cenobites.

The film was produced in a matter of weeks due to an obligation on Dimension Films' part to release another *Hellraiser* film or risk losing the rights to the franchise. Due to the quick turnaround time, series star Doug Bradley declined to participate, making this the first entry in the series in which he does not play Pinhead. It was released in a single theater for a crew screening that was ostensibly open to the public, then released to DVD in October 2011.

## Plot

Best friends Steven Craven and Nico Bradley run away from home and travel to Mexico. They film themselves engaging in several days' worth of drunken partying. The boys later disappear. The Mexican authorities return their belongings to their parents, including a videotape made by Steven that apparently documents their final moments.

A year later, the families of the two missing boys gather for dinner. Tensions rise when Emma, Steven's sister and Nico's girlfriend, expresses frustration with their lack of closure. She demands that her mother reveal the contents of Steven's videotape, which she has been obsessively watching in private. Later, Emma sneaks a look at the tape, which documents Steven and Nico picking up a girl in a bar. A flashback reveals that Nico casually murdered the girl while having sex in the bar's restroom, and later threatened to implicate Steven in the killing to force him to continue their "vacation" together.

Sifting through Steven's effects, Emma finds a gold and black puzzle box that she recognizes from the video. She manipulates the box, and Steven materializes out of thin air, covered in blood that does not appear to be his own. Responding to Emma's cries, the families prepare to rush Steven to the hospital, but all of their vehicles have disappeared from the driveway. Attempting to call for emergency assistance reveals that no outgoing calls can be made. Because their location is very remote and it is late at night, they decide to wait until morning to seek help. Steven incoherently says he has escaped "The Cenobites," a word that Emma defines as members of a monastic community.

In another flashback, Steven and Nico are sitting in a bar when they are approached by a vagrant. The vagrant speaks suggestively and seems to know about the murder. He offers them the puzzle box, which he explains will expand their horizons of sensual pleasure, allowing them to experience physical and psychological states of euphoria inaccessible to most people. Nico attempts to buy it from him, but the vagrant gives it to him and explains that the box has "always" been Nico's.

In the present, Emma plays with the puzzle box again, causing intense sexual arousal. After attempting to seduce Nico's father, she brings soup to Steven in bed. They have an intensely intimate conversation about Emma's sexual maturation that leads to passionate kissing and fondling. As Steven caresses her breast, Emma has a vision of a place with chains and mutilated bodies. Steven goes downstairs, retrieves a shotgun, and shoots his father. He then holds the rest of the household at gunpoint.

A final flashback reveals that Nico solved the puzzle box, opening a portal to the realm of the Cenobites: extra-dimensional sadomasochists led by Pinhead who offer the ultimate sensual experience. Steven flees, but Nico is intrigued and agrees to go with the Cenobites. He is taken to the Cenobites' realm to be subjected to extreme torture and mutilation. Steven later has rough sex with a prostitute. The box is nearby, allowing Nico to communicate with Steven. Nico begs Steven to kill the prostitute. Steven complies, and beats her to death with the box. As her blood seeps into the box, Nico absorbs enough energy to escape, but he has been reduced to an emaciated, skinless monster. Pursued by the Cenobites, Nico needs more blood to regenerate himself. Over time, Steven murders a series of prostitutes and feeds their blood to Nico; Nico's body slowly fills out but he cannot regenerate his skin. Steven refuses to cooperate with him. Nico kills Steven and skins him, then pulls the skin over himself like a costume and leaves. Dying, Steven summons the Cenobites and agrees to become one of them.

The "Steven" holding the families hostage is really Nico, who taunts his victims with the shotgun. He demands that Emma solve the puzzle box for him, intending that the Cenobites will take her in his place thus assuring his freedom.

Emma opens the portal and the Cenobites—including Steven—appear. Pinhead recognizes in Emma a dark sexual desire and taunts her with innuendo. Nico's mother, ignoring Pinhead's command to remain silent, exclaims that Nico forced Emma to solve the box. Pinhead manifests chains that rip open her throat. When Nico offers Emma in trade for his freedom, Pinhead refuses. More chains emerge from the walls and ensnare Nico. As the Cenobites prepare to leave, Steven's dying father vengefully shoots Nico to death. Pinhead becomes angry and explains that the tortures of the Cenobites would have been revenge enough, and that they are now deprived of a victim. Chains emerge from the walls and ensnare Emma's mother, and Pinhead tells her father that his desire for vengeance will cost his wife an eternity of torment. He tells Emma that when this existence no longer satisfies her they will be waiting for her.

The Cenobites vanish with Emma's mother. Her father apologizes, then dies in Emma's arms. Emma reaches for the puzzle box.

## Cast

* Stephan Smith Collins as Pinhead
* Fred Tatasciore as Voice of Pinhead/Faceless Steven
* Steven Brand as Ross Craven
* Nick Eversman as Steven Craven
* Tracey Fairaway as Emma Craven
* Sebastien Roberts as Peter Bradley
* Devon Sorvari as Sarah Craven
* Sanny van Heteren as Kate Bradley
* Daniel Buran as Vagrant
* Jay Gillespie as Nico/Skinless Nico/Pseudo
* Jolene Andersen as Female Chatterer (Female Cenobite)
* Jacob Wellman as Robert Ellen
* Sue Ann Pien as Hooker/Skinned Face Girl #1
* Adel Marie Ruiz as Mexican Girl

## Development

Facing expiration of their rights, The Weinstein Company, while still apparently working on the long announced remake of the original film, decided to rush an eighth sequel into production; essentially a cinematic ashcan copy. The film was announced on August 20, 2010.

It was confirmed that Doug Bradley, who portrayed the character Pinhead in the previous *Hellraiser* films, would not return as Pinhead. Bradley was quoted as saying:

I know that many of you will have caught up with the sudden burst of Internet chatter about a new Hellraiser film going into production, and will be keen to know whether I’ve been approached to play Pinhead again, so here’s the deal...I have been approached just in this last week (w/b 16 August) regarding a proposed new Hellraiser film. This is not the ‘remake’ which has been endlessly discussed for the last three years: with the working title *Hellraiser: Revelations*, it will be the ninth film in the series. I would stress that I have had no contact from, or negotiations with, anyone from Dimension Films: rather these contacts have been by way of private discussion with individuals involved with this project... Following these discussions, and after reading the script and giving it due consideration, I have decided not to participate. The ink is barely dry on the script, and it is scheduled to be in front of the cameras in two weeks time and in the can by the middle of next month (September 2010). The minuscule shooting schedule is more than matched by the budget...Whether or not this means that somebody else will be stepping up to play Pinhead, I have no idea. I guess we can watch this space together...One way or another, this does not seem to me to represent a serious attempt to revive the Hellraiser franchise. However, I wish everyone who will be directly involved in the making of this film, good luck with it.
Instead, Pinhead was played by Stephan Smith Collins. Images of Pinhead from the film were leaked; however, the film's director Victor Garcia said they did not convey how Pinhead would look in the film.

### Production

The film was shot over the course of three weeks in Los Angeles for Puzzlebox Films.

## Release

The film was released to a single theater in California on March 18. Dimension Extreme was set to release the film on DVD on August 30, 2011, but the date was pushed back to October 18, 2011.

### Reception

The film received a negative review from Dread Central stating "Not only does this entry make all the other sequels seem great in comparison, you could easily confuse this for some Hellraiser mockbuster from the folks at The Asylum." A second review criticized the new 'pseudo-pinhead', saying "Pinhead doesn't appear to be doing much with his free time but stroking bloodied chains and making sinister faces... it's a farcical twist on the Austin Powers mini-me."

Scott Weinberg called the film a "contractually-mandated piece of intentional garbage that exists for no other reason than pure, simple greed...This is amateur hour stuff all the way, and it'd be almost endearingly, stupidly enjoyable if this witless cinematic refuse wasn't dancing on the grave of a true classic of the genre."

PopMatters and WorldsGreatestCritic.com's writer J.C. Maçek III wrote that *Hellraiser: Revelations*, "is what happens when Dimension Films is afraid to lose the rights to the Hellraiser franchise and rushes a lame sequel into production."

A two and a half out of five was awarded by Richard Scheib of Moria, who stated that while the effects and new Pinhead left much to be desired, *Revelations* did have an interesting story and effective twist, and "follows the original far closer than any of the other *Hellraiser* sequels ever did".

[[wikipedia:Clive Barker|Clive Barker and Doug Bradley have made no official comment on the film. Barker's only comments have been in response to ad copy that the film comes "from the mind of Clive Barker;" he posted on his Twitter feed, "I want to put on record that the flic [*sic*] out there using the word Hellraiser IS NO FUCKIN' CHILD OF MINE! I have NOTHING to do with the fuckin' thing. If they claim its from the mind of Clive Barker, it's a lie. It's not even from my butt-hole."

**Films:** *Hellraiser* • *Hellbound* • *Hell on Earth* • *Bloodline* • *Inferno* • *Hellseeker* • *Deader* • *Hellworld* • ***Revelations***
**Characters:** Cenobites (Pinhead • Chatterer • Female • Butterball) • Kirsty Cotton
**Other:** Lament Configuration • *The Hellbound Heart* • *The Scarlet Gospels* • "Hellraiser" • *The Unreleased Themes for Hellraiser* • *Tortured Souls*