Review of Hellraiser (2022) by Augure — 07 Oct 2022

The lack of continuity for the sake of a complete reboot is a shame (except maybe the end which has the levianthan maze and theme but it doesn't tie it in any way), but overall I hated the tone of the movie (and can understand why Doug Bradley, after reading the script probably thought it was a bad idea), which while it doesn't fall into the increasingly unbearable neo-feminist hypocrite pandering, has yet another 50 shades **** undertone (which really disappoints me coming from David Goyer).

Despite the great choice of a female pinhead with Jamie Clayton, the writing of the character is vapid, and the protagonist is even more unbearable (when you make a character really annoyingly irresponsible, dumb and gauche in a hellraiser movie, you're supposed to do away with her which they didn't), the whole is further ruined by a particularly mediocre design made of vapid, forgettable deviantart-like ripped flesh that removes all the power and particularity of the cenobites.

The way they conceived and brought the box puzzle and transformation into action is smart, but the absence of any fun gore or actually scary scene makes it moot. All the gnostic mystic and underlaying transgressive moral is gone for a simplistic "ritual" narrative with no coherent rules to make it feel grand.

In fact, the ending from the moment she forcefully gets stabbed which makes no point, and the cenobite appearing in front of those who didn't touch the box then attacking them, doesn't make any sense and actual ruins the whole in-universe coherency.