Hellraiser Director Weighs in on Franchise’s Future After Hulu Reboot

The Hellraiser franchise is set to make a major return next month when director David Bruckner’s adaptation of the original The Hellbound Heart novella from Clive Barker lands on Hulu, and while that new film has yet to be unveiled, the filmmaker says he would be “honored” to get to tell more stories in this universe. As compared to other iconic horror franchises in which there are often long-running narratives, the nature of Hellraiser allows for each installment to be a reinvention, with each chapter not only being viewed as a sequel but also as a standalone story, so while Bruckner has more ideas for future adventures, he would also be excited to see what other filmmakers do with the concept. The new Hellraiser lands on Hulu on October 7th.

“I didn’t ever imagine I would get to play in the Hellraiser world, so I was very fortunate to land there. I also didn’t know that The Night House was based loosely on a pitch [writers] Ben [Collins] and Luke [Piotrowski] had for a Hellraiser movie,” Bruckner recalled to ComicBook.com. “They didn’t tell me that. The movie was done. And since seeing the pitch, it’s true, but we were just following our inspirations with that. So no, stepping into this world, it’s all things.” 

He continued, “On one hand, of course, the original film is a masterpiece. And diving deeper into the world, I found myself truly in awe of what had been created, and so you want to do that justice, and you want to pay homage where it’s due. At the same time, you have to respect your process. A movie is something that takes you away. It carries you off into a place all its own, and so you have to trust your inspirations at the same time. And so, of course, in making this, there’s so many things to be excited about Hellraiser. This is what we could get in this film. It’s easy to dream beyond these two hours in run time, and if people take to it, I would be honored to go back into this world.”

In the all-new Hellraiser, a young woman struggling with addiction comes into possession of an ancient puzzle box, unaware that its purpose is to summon the Cenobites, a group of sadistic supernatural beings from another dimension.

The new Hellraiser lands on Hulu on October 7th.

Are you hoping this is just the beginning of Bruckner’s time with the franchise? Let us know in the comments or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!