New ‘Hellraiser’ Director Claims One Actress Almost Passed Out From Film’s Intensity

As the name implies, the Hellraiser franchise has earned a reputation for going well beyond standard horror movie fare to unleash nightmarish visions upon its audiences. Whereas other horror movies might feature violent or gory deaths, Hellraiser attempts to depict an even darker and more disturbing vision of horror, thanks to series creator Clive Barker.

In the new film Hellraiser: Judgment, 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. Could the Judgment awaiting the killer’s victims also be waiting for Sean?

The film’s director, Gary J. Tunnicliffe, recently revealed on the Movie Crypt podcast that his film kept the tradition of nightmarish effects so strongly that multiple people walked off the set during specific sequences due to their disturbing nature and one actress almost passed out.

“This is utterly screwed up.”

“We did two sequences where… one, the actress almost passed out… a scene that you especially, Adam… you are going to freak the f*ck out,” the director revealed to the podcast host. “I’ll tell you off air about it, and when I explain it to you, you’re going to be like, ‘Jesus Christ.’ Involving a small dog. No, the dog doesn’t get hurt. But it goes through some… trauma. And then we had three grips leave the set during a sequence when they said, ‘This is utterly screwed up.’”

Throughout the series, various characters have discovered the Lemarchand’s box which, when unlocked, opens up a portal to Hell, connecting the character with the demonic presence often referred to as “Pinhead.”

“I had the most fun on that I’ve ever had, and I’ve never worked so hard on a Hellraiser film, but we had a great time,” Tunnicliffe shared.

Given his background in special effects, he clearly knows how to craft gruesome sequences.

“It’s an unexplored part of Hell…”

Earlier this year, the director teased what fans should expect from the new installment.

“It is a new chapter,” he admitted to OpenTheTrunk. “It’s an unexplored part of Hell, I would say, introducing some new characters and some new mechanisms behind where Pinhead and all of that comes from.”

He added, “It’s also a jumping off point for a sequel following this one that could continue the story that it tells because it’s a true Hellraiser script with a beginning, a middle, and a sort of ambiguous end. And these new characters they introduced could be in future Hellraiser films.”

“All I can say is, the movie is finished…”

In addition to this new realm of Hell being depicted, Pinhead will also be played by a new actor, Paul T. Taylor. Doug Bradley played the role for the first eight films, with his last appearance being in Hellraiser: Hellworld.

Despite Tunnicliffe’s excitement over the project, there’s yet to be a release date, marking an uncertain future for the saga.

“All I can say is, the movie is finished,” he shared with the 60 Minutes With podcast earlier this year. “It’s edited – got sound and music, and it’s all done. There’s a trailer, which I just saw. There’s a poster, which is really f*cking cool. It’s utterly brilliant.”

“I hope to god they use it. It’s not a big Photoshop thing, it’s like a Drew Struzan picture,” he shared. “It’s lovely. But apparently they did see it and think, ‘We may do a limited theatrical on it.’ But I don’t know. They will release it when they see fit. It could be soon, it could be later. It could be theatrical, it could not be. I’m sure I’ll be the last to know.”

Stay tuned for updates about the release of Hellraiser: Judgment.

[H/T Bloody Disgusting]