‘Hellraiser: Judgment’ Star Claims Pinhead is “Bored” in New Film

After nine films spanning 30 years and various appearances in books and graphic novels, it’s safe to say Hellraiser‘s Pinhead has been through a lot. With the upcoming 10th film, actor Paul T. Taylor felt it was important to address the character’s boredom to convey the seemingly immortal character.

“I think it kind of came from the script. It came from Gary’s direction. In this script, it seems that Pinhead is in more of a sort of bored place, but the arrogance is all there,” Taylor told ComicBook.com of his more subdued portrayal in Hellraiser: Judgment. “He has all the power. As he says unknowingly, he doesn’t know what’s going to happen, he says, ‘I have nothing to fear.’ He’s just at a place in his life where he’s jaded. I think he’s possibly older than he’s been before in other films, if you can age, a demon can age. In Clive Barker’s world, a demon certainly can age. If you’ve read the Scarlet Gospels.”

Throughout the series, Pinhead has acted more as an impartial judge who punishes those who have brought judgment upon themselves. In the original film, the character states of himself and his fellow Cenobites, “Explorers in the further regions of experience. Demons to some. Angels to others.”

There’s an inherent menace in the character’s appearance, immediately intimidating anyone who sees him. This makes the actual performance of the character much more subtle, according to Taylor.

“There has to be a stillness with menace. It’s more about the threat. What’s going to happen?” Taylor pointed out. “You look at the nails, you look at the skin that’s exposed, you look at the agony and ecstasy in the face, and you know that this guy can cause some severe damage. The threat is in the way you say the lines. The threat is in the way you move and when you do move, it means something. Otherwise, you’re just like, ‘I have all the power in the world. I don’t have to do anything.’ There’s great power in just listening to the other person and then deciding what you’re going to do or say about it. That had to be there. [Original Pinhead actor] Doug Bradley always had that. He always has that stillness. You just see it. He’s just sizing you up, ‘Let’s see. What am I going to do?’ It’s great. It’s great. Loved it.”

You can keep up with Taylor by checking out his official site, Facebook, Twitter andInstagram.

Hellraiser: Judgment hits Blu-ray and DVD February 13.