Hellraiser: Original Pinhead Actor Weighs in on Female Casting for Hulu Reboot

By Patrick Cavanaugh

Actor Doug Bradley helped bring the iconic villain "Pinhead" to life in eight Hellraiser films, but with a new take on the material coming to Hulu, it means a new performer is stepping into the shows of the demonic figure. During a recent appearance at Silver Scream Con, per Bloody Disgusting, Bradley offered his thoughts on the new casting, praising Clayton's work on the Netflix series Sense8 and also seeming supportive of the concept overall, given that the Hellraiser franchise has a history of pushing the horror genre in exciting new directions. The new Hellraiser will debut on Hulu on October 7th.

"It seemed like [a female Pinhead] was coming. It's an interesting piece of casting," Bradley shared during the convention appearance. "I don't know Jamie. Of course, they've taken even a little bit of a wrinkle in that, because Jamie is transgender. I'm not familiar with her recent work, but there was a science fiction series on Netflix several years ago called Sense8, which I was quite a fan of. Jamie was in that, and I really, really liked her performance in that. I really can't say more than that. I do like to point out that I did wear a skirt as Pinhead ... It's an interesting casting decision. Well, that only goes so far. We say 'female Pinhead' like we know what that means, but there are a million shades of femininity. Where exactly are they going to go with that?"

He added, "Everything about Hellraiser has always been transgressive. Everything, always, from start to finish. It's not a new idea in that sense, but I'm intrigued. I'm in the same position as all the rest of you, I guess, to see where that goes."

The original film was adapted from the Clive Barker short story "The Hellbound Heart," with Barker himself making the decision to cast a male actor to play the lead Cenobite. However, the character's description in that original story detailed slightly more feminine features, with Clayton's casting for the new film being more faithful to the source material. 

Bradley also revealed that another beloved creature from the original films, nicknamed "Chatterer," also appears in the upcoming adaptation.

"I was at Monsterpalooza, a convention in Pasadena, a couple months ago, and I met the guy who's playing the new Chatterer," the actor detailed. "He's like 6'9″ and a beanpole, so they're going in lots of different directions. It's another interesting casting idea. Cenobites of all shapes and sizes!"

Bradley last appeared as the figure in 2005's Hellraiser: Hellworld, with the performer going on to note that, more important than casting, the upcoming reboot will succeed based on the actual story it aims to tell.

"The thing that will make the movie work or not is none of that. It's the story. If the story is strong, the movie will work," Bradley expressed. "That's why Hellraiser has succeeded; not because the Cenobites are gloriously f-cked up and so is Julia, which they all are. All of those elements are magnificent in the film, and Chris Young's score is one of the best ever written. All of that is true, but the story is what makes Hellraiser work, so we'll see what happens."

The new Hellraiser hits Hulu on October 7th.

Are you looking forward to the new film? Let us know in the comments or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!

Trending Now: