Hellraiser Stars Open Up About Unlocking the Secrets of the Lament Configuration

Ever since its inception, the Hellraiser franchise has always stood out from its peers, as its demonic and interdimensional terrors highlight a much more nightmarish realm than films focusing merely on masked killers. In this regard, it might be one thing to read how a scene unfolds on paper, but it’s another to see how it is actually pulled off on set, with stars like Hiam Abass and Goran Visnjic having the opportunity to see unimaginable horrors be brought to life right in front of them. The new Hellraiser will make its exclusive debut on Hulu on Friday, October 7th.

Abass’ involvement in the project started by merely noting she was interested in a horror movie, only for the unrelenting experience to land in her lap.

“I was talking to my agent at one stage, I said, ‘You know what, I really would love to do a horror movie.’ I swear to you, maybe a month later, I just got the script. I said, ‘Okay, this is maybe a sign,’” the actor admitted. “I read it, but I thought I’m going to see only blood and whatever, like the horror movies, the idea that I had in my mind of a horror movie would be just so simple and so cheap. When I read it, I read the script and I read the story and I read really something that was much more interesting from my imagination. Then I met [director] David [Bruckner] and we spoke over Skype the first time, and I was completely fascinated by this person and how much he knew about everything that he wanted to do and every character and everything. I just really wasn’t mistaken once, so I want went to work, and we started working, basically everything that I thought of him, and that whole notion of, ‘Wow, this is really going to be a very interesting director to work with,’ just turned to be true. I really loved the experience and I loved everything.”

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.

Visnjic went on to recall how he was similarly blown away but the imagination of the filmmakers and the experience of seeing these effects up close.

“Reading through all of it and then, in the end, to see what’s actually happening to … Boy, I was like, my face was literally like, ‘Oh, my God, seriously,’” the actor detailed. “That ending was definitely something, I was like, ‘My God, I have to do this. This is going to be awesome.’ Then I’ve seen David’s movies and I was like, David is very pragmatical. He knows what’s he doing. You can see his stable hands in his movies, and he’s realistic. I was wondering, ‘How is he going to do this?’ because it’s going to be really special. It exactly was that, very practical, everything, all these sound bites, there is no CGI, it’s all practical costumes, and nails, and contact lenses, and all of that. It was tough for people who were supposed to get dressed in those costumes and stuff. It was a bit of hard work, but then when you see yourself on the screen, later, you say, ‘My God, this was practical. I actually did this.’”

Hellraiser debuts on 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!