Hellraiser

I get further in the Halloween mood with Hellraiser, which respawns the franchise Clive Barker began with his novella, The Hellbound Heart. It's ready to haunt you on Hulu now. 

As with the other films, this one revolves around the Cenobites, a band of interdimensional sadists. "Demons to some, Angels to others" as their leader Pinhead (Doug Bradley) proclaimed. They show up whenever someone opens up a cursed puzzle box. This time, Pinhead (going by Barker's preferred name, The Priest) is played by Jamie Clayton and she has such sights to show Riley (Odessa A'zion).

Riley and her boyfriend Trevor (Drew Starkey) find the puzzle box in an abandoned warehouse. She solves it and narrowly avoids getting a customary blade through the hand. The Cenobites want blood and settle on her brother Matt (Brandon Flynn). She and her friends get on the case. It all leads to the seemingly abandoned mansion of Roland Voight (Goran Višnjić), the evil rich man who last had the box.

David Bruckner (The Night House) visualizes a script by Ben Collins & Luke Piotrowski. What can I say about it? The human characters were average for the most part. That made the first act a slow crawl until Riley and Trevor meet Serena (Hiam Abbass), Roland's former lawyer. Incidentally, she's the most sympathetic of the supporting cast. Riley is quite sympathetic with her goal of finding Matt. That makes her friends' repeatedly insisting she dispose of the box grating. It almost felt longer than its 121 minutes.

The Cenobites overshadow their prey with gusto. Their grotesque visages designed by Josh Russell's makeup team are just as memorable as their original counterparts. Clayton as The Priest is the cast's overall MVP. The Priest's soft voice cuts like a knife as she outlines her plans for her victims. She makes the most of her limited screentime. The same goes for her fellow Cenobites, who have such appealing names as The Gasp (Selina Lo) and The Chatterer (Jason Liles). Although I found much of the supporting cast average, the pain the Cenobites subject them too is nothing less than horrific. That is, except for Voight and his mole (a legitimate twist), which was simply karma.

There's some strong production design and visual effects on display. They go together perfectly when reality opens up to reveal the Cenobites' dimension. You'll feel as distorted as the cast when the Cenobites come calling. It's equally unnerving when their Overlord, Leviathan, comes calling. It's a stunning sight as chain-bound victims are dragged up to meet it; Christopher Young's classic theme (as reorchestrated by composer Ben Levett) adds to the grandeur.

Hellraiser is not for the squeamish. Then again, what Clive Barker work is? Its slow plot is perked up by its demonic villains and unnerving tension. I don't know how it holds up to the originals, but it was a decent film on its own right. Hurry up if you're in the Halloween mood. If not, there's plenty of other films (some family-friendlier) now on streaming to choose. I don't have time to review them all. It's almost time to hand out candy.