Based on the novella The Hellbound Heart by famed horror writer Clive Barker, the first Hellraiser movie told the story of a demonic puzzle box that, once unlocked, opened up the gateway to Hell, unleashing Pinhead and the other demon-like creatures known as the Cenobites.
Hellraiser was (quite fittingly) as scary as hell, but as is the case for most horror movie franchises, the sequels, many of which bypassed theatres and went straight to DVD, failed to match the traumatic terrors of the original.
Thankfully, the 2022 reboot (the eleventh movie in the series) was a partial return to form for the franchise, bringing back some of the blood-pumping terrors from the original Hellraiser movie. We expect another sequel will be released eventually but there is no news of another franchise entry at the time of writing. If and when it does arrive, here’s hoping it’s not as hellishly bad as the worst movies from this hellbound series that have made Pinhead fans suffer!
Below, we list all of the Hellraiser movies that have been released so far. Do you have a particular favourite? Let us know in the comments below.
Hellraiser
US Release Date: September 10, 1987
Worldwide Box Office: $14.6 million
Director: Clive Barker
Metascore: 56
Main Cast:
Doug Bradley (Pinhead), Ashley Laurence (Kirsty), Andrew Robinson (Larry), Clare Higgins (Julia), Oliver Smith (Frank the Monster)
Synopsis (from IMDB):
A woman discovers the newly resurrected, partially formed, body of her brother-in-law. She starts killing for him to revitalize his body so he can escape the demonic beings that are pursuing him after he escaped their sadistic underworld.
Pinhead Quote:
We have such sights to show you!
Hellbound: Hellraiser 2
US Release Date: December 23, 1988
Worldwide Box Office: $12.1 million
Director: Tony Randel
Metascore: 41
Main Cast:
Doug Bradley (Pinhead), Ashley Laurence (Kirsty), Clare Higgins (Julia), Kenneth Cranham (Channard)
Synopsis (from IMDB):
Kirsty is brought to an institution after the horrible events of Hellraiser (1987), where the occult-obsessive head doctor resurrects Julia and unleashes the Cenobites and their demonic underworld.
Pinhead Quote:
Your suffering will be legendary, even in hell!
Hellraiser 3: Hell On Earth
US Release Date: September 11, 1992
Worldwide Box Office: $12.5 million
Director: Anthony Hickox
Metascore: 50
Main Cast:
Doug Bradley (Pinhead), Terry Farrell (Joey Summerskill), Kevin Bernhardt (J.P. Monroe), Ken Carpenter (Doc)
Synopsis (from IMDB):
An investigative reporter must send the newly unbound Pinhead and his legions back to Hell.
Pinhead Quote:
This is my body, This is my blood, Happy are they who come to my supper.
Hellraiser: Bloodline
US Release Date: March 8, 1996
Worldwide Box Office: $9.3 million
Director: Kevin Yagher
Metascore: 21
Main Cast:
Doug Bradley (Pinhead), Bruce Ramsay (Phillip), Valentina Vargas (Angelique), Adam Scott (Jacques)
Synopsis (from IMDB):
In the 22nd century, a scientist attempts to right the wrong his ancestor created: the puzzle box that opens the gates of Hell and unleashes Pinhead and his Cenobite legions.
Pinhead Quote:
What you think of as pain is a shadow. Pain has a face. Allow me to show it to you. Gentlemen, I… Am… Pain!
Hellraiser: Inferno
US Release Date: October 3, 2000
Worldwide Box Office: N/A
Director: Scott Derrickson
Metascore: N/A
Main Cast:
Doug Bradley (Pinhead), Craig Sheffer (Joseph), Nicholas Turturro (Tony), James Remar (Dr. Gregory)
Synopsis (from IMDB):
A shady police detective becomes embroiled in a strange world of murder, sadism and madness after being assigned a murder investigation against a madman known only as “The Engineer”.
Pinhead Quote:
Welcome… to Hell.
Hellraiser: Hellseeker
US Release Date: October 15, 2002
Worldwide Box Office: N/A
Director: Rick Bota
Metascore: 46
Main Cast:
Doug Bradley (Pinhead), Dean Winters (Trevor), Ashley Laurence (Kirsty), Rachel Hayward (Allison)
Synopsis (from IMDB):
After a car crash a shady stockbroker suffers from amnesia. This leaves him in a hazy limbo of sex and murder. But – as in a predestined journey – Trevor unmistakenly takes the bait and follows the marked-out clues all the way to Pinhead.
Pinhead Quote:
Which do you find more exhilarating, Trevor, the pain or the pleasure? Personally, I prefer pain.
Hellraiser: Deader
US Release Date: June 7, 2005
Worldwide Box Office: N/A
Director: Rick Bota
Metascore: N/A
Main Cast:
Doug Bradley (Pinhead), Kari Wuhrer (Amy Klein), Ionut Chermenski (Group Leader), Linda Marlowe (Betty), Simon Kunz (Charles)
Synopsis (from IMDB):
A journalist uncovers an underground group who can bring back the dead and slowly becomes drawn into their world.
Pinhead Quote:
Dreams are fleeting. Only nightmares last forever!
Hellraiser: Hellworld
US Release Date: September 6, 2005
Worldwide Box Office: N/A
Director: Rick Bota
Metascore: N/A
Main Cast:
Doug Bradley (Pinhead), Stelian Urian (Adam), Katheryn Winnick (Chelsea), Henry Cavill (Mike), Khary Payton (Derrick)
Synopsis (from IMDB):
Gamers playing a MMORPG based on the “Hellraiser” films find their lives endangered after being invited to a rave, the host of which intends to show them the truth behind the Cenobite mythos.
Pinhead Quote:
You still don’t understand, do you? There is no way out for you, Chelsea. Oh, what wonders we have to show you.
Hellraiser: Revelations
US Release Date: March 18, 2011
Worldwide Box Office: N/A
Director: Victor Garcia
Metascore: N/A
Main Cast:
Stephan Smith Collins (Pinhead), Jolene Anderson (Female Cenobite), Steven Brand (Ross Craven), Nick Eversman (Steven Craven), Jay Gillespie (Nico)
Synopsis (from IMDB):
Two college friends unwittingly release Pinhead and his minions.
Pinhead Quote:
When this existence ceases to fulfill… we will be waiting!
Hellraiser: Judgment
US Release Date: February 13, 2018
Worldwide Box Office: N/A
Director: Gary J. Tunnicliffe
Metascore: 20
Main Cast:
Paul T. Taylor (Pinhead), Damon Carney (Sean Carter), Randy Wayne (David Carter), Alexandra Harris (Christine Egerton)
Synopsis (from IMDB):
Detectives Sean and David Carter are on the case to find a gruesome serial killer terrorizing the city. Joining forces with Detective Christine Egerton, they dig deeper into a spiraling maze of horror that may not be of this world.
Pinhead Quote:
Suffer? Me? How dare you use such a word. You know nothing of suffering. I exist only to share its meaning. Sin and suffering are my dominion. Perhaps it’s time you learned a little of the matters you seek to manage.
Hellraiser
US Release Date: October 3, 2022
Worldwide Box Office: £10.3 million
Director: David Bruckner
Metascore: 55
Main Cast:
Jamie Clayton (Pinhead), Odessa A’zion (Riley), Adam Faison (Colin), Drew Starkey (Trevor), Brandon Flynn (Matt)
Synopsis (from IMDB):
A take on Clive Barker’s 1987 horror classic where a young woman struggling with addiction comes into possession of an ancient puzzle box, unaware that its purpose is to summon the Cenobites.
Pinhead Quote:
There is so much more the body can be made to feel. And you’ll feel it all, before we’re through.
Let us know your favourite Hellraiser movie in the comments below.