Posts tagged Hellraiser at Cinematical

Posts with tag hellraiser

'Feast' Writers Team Up With 'Inside' Directors for 'Hellraiser' Remake

Posted Feb 17th 2008 6:02PM by Scott Weinberg
Filed under: Horror, The Weinstein Co.

One of the most ferociously entertaining horror flicks of the past several years is Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury's Inside (aka A l'interieur), which will be hitting DVD a little later this year. We already knew that the Frenchmen had been tapped to direct the Hellraiser remake for Dimension, but the project recently got bumped back to 2009.

Now that the strike is over, the producers can take some steps towards getting the flick moving. To that end, horror-lovin' screenwriters Marcus Dunstan and Patrick Melton have been hired to help get the new (Barker-approved) Hellraiser ... raised. Genre fans will remember Marc and Pat from their debut flick Feast, plus they also joined the Twisted team last year when they provided the screenplay for Saw 4. (And yes, they also worked on Feast 2. And Saw 5. Oh, and Feast 3.)

According to Shock, the duo also have The Midnight Man in production with Dimension, so obviously the studio likes these guys. More word on Hellraiser, Inside, Saw 5, The Midnight Man, and the new Feasts as it becomes available.

Interview: Pinhead Speaks! A Hell of a Chat with Doug Bradley

Posted Oct 25th 2007 6:02PM by Scott Weinberg
Filed under: Horror, Interviews

The name Doug Bradley might not ring any bells right away -- except of course if you're a serious horror fan. Mr. Bradley holds the distinction of playing the immortal Pinhead in all eight of the Hellraiser films. So when I heard that A) the first four flicks in the series would soon be broadcast in Hi-Def, and B) I'd be able to share a few moments chatting with the British actor ... needless to say, I was more than interested. Below, we talk all things Hellraiser, and ask Bradley if he's involved in the new Hellraiser remake. (Regarding the Hellraiser HD marathon, it'll play on the Monsters HD network on October 27 and 28, beginning at 9pm on both evenings. Click here for more info.) And now on with the conversation...

Cinematical: Pinhead was your first role in a feature film. Did it ever occur to you that the character could go on to have this sort of shelf life?

Doug Bradley: Absolutely not..For two reasons: Firstly, in the first film I'd been paid union minimum rates for a character with no name completely in latex on screen for less than 10 minutes -- so I didn't think it was going to amount to much, but I was excited to play the part. The makeup was extraordinary and the film was so different than any horror film I'd known of. Secondly, as an actor you don't think like that and you shouldn't look at it like that. You should be focused on the work as work and not looking at it as a meal ticket or the next big franchise. If you had told me the first day I started on Hellraiser that 20 years later I'd be here (conducting this interview) and have the type of fans I have, I wouldn't have known what planet I was on.

Cinematical: Do you find that being known as a "horror icon" has prevented you from acquiring roles in different genres? Is there a downside to being a "horror guy"?

DB: I don't think being known as a "horror icon" has prevented me and I've never looked at it as a downside. I suppose if they're casting for comedies, they don't automatically think to themselves that guy who plays Pinhead in Hellraiser seems terribly funny. You have genre roles and genre filmmakers looking for you. I was a fan of horror films long before I even knew I wanted to be an actor, so I definitely don't look at this as a downside. I have no problem with being in this genre and I haven't found a downside. The fans are wonderful and everything is tremendous fun.

Continue reading Interview: Pinhead Speaks! A Hell of a Chat with Doug Bradley

Cinematical Seven: Hottest Slashers of Horror

Posted Oct 18th 2007 8:02PM by Kim Voynar
Filed under: Horror, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Cinematical Seven, Lists

Sure, it's easy enough to find the up-side of the handsome hunks of horror film. Hunks are easy. They're (mostly) hot, with their nicely whitened teeth and their hair product-styled to perfection, their six-pack abs, their ... sorry, where was I? Oh, right. Hunks versus Slashers. Jeff and Monika have already brought you the hottest hunks and chicks of horror; guess who drew the short straw and had to pick the slashers? (Actually, I volunteered for this one, so I guess that says something freaky about me ... ) My mission: to determine the hottest horror slashers (at least, according to me). These are the bad boys of horror you just can't stop thinking about, the ones who keep popping up in your dreams ... or nightmares. Whether they slash with blades on their fingers, roque mallets, or your basic kitchen knife, these are the boys you don't want to bring home to introduce to the folks over Sunday dinner ... unless you want your family to be the main course.

Anthony Perkins as Norman Bates (Psycho) My mother always told me: Never date a mama's boy. Little Normie's devotion to his mother was sweet, sure, but his methods of showing it left a little to be desired. But you have to admit, there's something about a guy who might stab you through the shower curtain if the mood strikes that guarantees that you'll never be bored while getting ready for your big date night. Anthony Perkins' striking performance as Norman Bates set the bar for horror slashers for decades -- even after all these years, watching Psycho still sends shivers up your spine. (View the trailer for Psycho or go straight to the gallery!)

Doug Bradley as Pinhead (Hellraiser) Sure, all those nails stuck into his skull give new meaning to the word "hammered" -- not to mention making it a little tricksy to coordinate outfits for those hot dates to movie premieres -- but at least, in his own bizarrely twisted way, Pinhead had a sense of fair play. Of course, if you make the wrong choice, your evening is gonna go downhill in a hurry. There's nothing like giant fishhooks pulling your flesh 14 different ways to put a damper on date night. On the plus side, though, you're probably pretty safe being walked home after dinner by a guy who looks like he had a close encounter with a nail gun, on purpose. (View the trailer for Hellraiser ... or go straight to the gallery!)

Gallery: Hottest Slashers of Horror

Continue reading Cinematical Seven: Hottest Slashers of Horror

Cinematical Seven: Cool Horror Films of the 80s

Posted Oct 2nd 2007 9:02PM by Matt Bradshaw
Filed under: Horror, Cinematical Seven

Since the 1980s was a time of truly horrifying fashions and some downright scary hairdos (pass the Aquanet, please) it's no surprise that it was also a boom period for horror films. Some of the biggest horror franchises in history came into their own then, and the decade was marked by the emergence of home video, the greatest thing ever to happen to horror. I'm presenting these in no particular order, but these are all flicks I found time to enjoy between solving my Rubik's Cube and admiring girls in leg-warmers (I keep hoping those will come back).

The Return of the Living Dead (1985)
Despite what ultimately ended up on screen, this project began its undead life as a more or less official sequel to the movie that gave birth to the modern zombie genre. After completion of Night of the Living Dead, director George Romero and co-screenwriter John Russo both held sequel rights. While Romero continued the series with 1978's Dawn of the Dead, Russo's sequel came in the form of a potboiler of a novel called Return of the Living Dead. The book is a real chore to plod through, but apparently writer/director Dan O'Bannon liked it enough to turn it into a film which fortunately bears no resemblance to Russo's novel. In the film, the events of Night of the Living Dead are more or less based on a true occurrence, but names and details were changed to avoid law suits. Several drums of the chemical manufactured by the military to reanimate the dead were mistakenly shipped to Uneeda Medical Supply. A dopey pair of guys release the chemical which makes its way into some cadavers in the warehouse and eventually the cemetery across the street, where a gang of punk rockers are killing time. These zombies are more selective than most, feasting only on brains. Not everything works perfectly, but the zombie known as Tarman is pretty cool, Linnea Quigley is naked most of the time and there's an awesome punk soundtrack.

Continue reading Cinematical Seven: Cool Horror Films of the 80s

Clive Barker Has Turned In Treatment for 'Hellraiser,' Source Says

Posted May 7th 2007 3:02PM by Jessica Barnes
Filed under: Horror, RumorMonger, Scripts, Remakes and Sequels

I don't really remember much about the original Hellraiser other than a slightly confusing plot (but to be fair I was only 12 at the time, so some of the sadomasochistic subtext might have been a bit over my head), a puzzle box, and some highly disturbing scenes involving fish hooks. Last November Variety had reported that Barker had signed to write and produce the remake, but this is the first news we have heard out of the project since the original announcement. Now, Shock Till You Drop has reported that Seraphim Film's Joe Daley confirmed that novelist Clive Barker just turned in a forty-page treatment for the film.

Based on Barker's novella The Hellbound Heart, the original film was released in 1987 and was written and directed by Barker himself. The story followed a man trapped in a dimension of infinite pleasure and torture who persuades his girlfriend to bring him a steady supply of victims to help him escape. Barker had promised that his update will not deviate too much from the original film but, Barker also said that "There are some areas of the first movie where I think we can be a lot more intense and a lot more scary,". Barker has been busy working on his Books of Blood adaptation Meat Train, with the possibility of more from the series in the near future. So, hopes for a completed Hellraiser script might be a little premature. Especially since at this point, we don't know for sure if there even is a treatment.

Clive Barker + Edgar Allen Poe = Kid's Film?

Posted Nov 30th 2006 3:02PM by chris ullrich
Filed under: Drama, Horror, Deals, Mystery & Suspense, Newsstand

At the risk of sounding -- I don't know -- cynical, I have to say I'm a little surprised to read this article in The Hollywood Reporter. Apparently, horror master Clive Barker is partnering with Walden Media, who are primarily known for kid-friendly fare like The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and the upcoming Charlotte's Web, to develop an original thriller for kids centered around Edgar Allen Poe. Although, I guess I shouldn't really be surprised considering Barker has actually done some other projects for kids before, such as the books The Thief of Always and his recent fantasy series The Books of Abarat -- both of which are also currently being developed as films.

Still, most of my experiences with Barker come from watching his films, not from reading his books. Perhaps I'm in the minority but I don't exactly consider Candyman, Nightbreed or Hellraiser suitable for kids -- although I'm sure Pinhead would make an excellent babysitter. Well, I guess everyone deserves a chance to change and try different things, so I can't really fault Barker for wanting to stretch with this new project. That said, what's his reason for wanting to tell this kind of story? "I think we might have a chance with this project to bring the character of Poe alive for a new audience and weave his shadowy existence into the dark enchantments of his stories so that for our protagonist, and for our audience, it will be difficult to be sure where one finishes and the other takes flight," Barker said.

And what about my concerns regarding the blood, violence and other explicit scenes that are usually a large part of the Clive Barker "experience"? "This project is an opportunity for us to reimagine a genre that is generally associated with an older audience," Alex Schwartz, exec vp of production at Walden media said. "By focusing on mood and atmosphere rather than blood and guts, Clive Barker brings a smart, literate take on the horror genre that will expose young audiences to its great literary underpinnings." Ok, I'll buy that.

The as-yet untitled film will revolve around a group of teenagers who attempt to uncover what happened during the last weeks of Edgar Allen Poe's life. Unfortunately, their investigation inadvertently triggers a curse that unlocks Poe's nightmares from which the teenagers must escape. Barker will also produce the film through his Seraphim Films' with Anthony DiBlasi and Joseph Daley exec producing. No word yet on casting or a potential start date. What do you guys think? Can Barker make the transition from horror to kid's films, or should he stick to what he does best?

Clive Barker Signs to Pen Hellraiser Remake

Posted Oct 22nd 2006 1:37PM by Scott Weinberg
Filed under: Horror, Scripts, The Weinstein Co., Remakes and Sequels

For a good long while there it looked like horror master Clive Barker was going to escape unscathed from the Remake Renaissance that's been plaguing the planet for the past several years ... but nope. Looks like the celebrated author / artist / filmmaker has been bitten by the re-do bug; he'll be penning the screenplay for a Hellraiser remake for good ol' Bob Weinstein.

Over at his official website, Mr. Barker seems quite pleased with the fact that he'll be writing and producing (but not directing) this new-fangled vision of Pinhead's wrath -- but someone should have reminded Clive that the Weinsteins don't always treat their genre flicks with the greatest respect. (Just ask the guys who (finally) got their Feast released ... on the one-weekend midnight-only circuit.)

Ah well, I suppose it could have been worse. Somene might have gone ahead and remade Hellraiser completely without Barker's involvement ... and that would have been a fiasco. (Rent a few of the sequels and you'll see what I mean.) Meanwhile, that movie version of Midnight Meat Train is still stuck in limbo somewhere, which sucks because it's one of CB's most wonderfully splattery stories.

But really, wouldn't Rawhead Rex be better suited for the remake treatment? Hellraiser is already good movie!

Cinematical Seven: Horror Films That Really Scare Me

Posted Oct 11th 2006 11:33AM by Kim Voynar
Filed under: Drama, Horror, Independent, Cinematical Seven, Cinematical Indie

Halloween is a great time of year if you love horror movies. I'm not what you'd call a horror buff -- I'm way too much of a weenie. I'm the person you see at horror flicks hunched way down in my seat with my jacket ready to hide my face in if it gets overwhelming. Plus, I have a very active imagination, and when I see a really scary movie it stays in my head, and then late at night when I'm taking a relaxing bubble bath after the kids have gone down for the night, I'll hear the voice of Pennywise the Clown giggling in the drain, telling me how "we all float down here." God, I hate clowns.

Nonetheless, there is something shiveringly delicious about being scared just the right amount, isn't there? That rush of adrenaline, that thrill of being in danger, tempered by the knowledge that we are perfectly safe in a theater seat with a bag of popcorn and a box of Whoppers to help see us through. Here are some horror flicks that really scared me, that stayed in my head somewhere to haunt me late at night, to come creeping out of dark shadows. They're scary, but oh so good ...

The Changeling -- This is my favorite horror movie ever. George C. Scott stars as a writer who, after the death of his wife and daughter in a tragic accident, rents a spooky mansion. All by himself. Right away, creepy things start happening -- and I mean creepy. This film is packed with send-a-shiver-up-your-spine moments: The spooky voice of Joseph, a ghost child recorded on tape during a seance, audible only when it's played at the right speed; a ball bouncing down the stairs; visions of a bathtub with a drowned child. Look! I have goosebumps just thinking about it! And yet this is one scary movie I can watch over and over again. Once you've seen this movie, you'll never look at wheelchairs the same way again.

Continue reading Cinematical Seven: Horror Films That Really Scare Me

Pumpkinhead Sequel(s) Update

Posted Aug 30th 2006 7:00PM by Scott Weinberg
Filed under: Horror, Home Entertainment, Remakes and Sequels

Waaaay back in April I shared the news that Pumpkinhead 3 would soon arrive from director Jake West (Evil Aliens) and actors Lance Henriksen (Near Dark) and Doug Bradley (Hellraiser), and it looks like "soon" equals October 28th ... on the Sci-Fi Channel. Ugh. I may just wait for the DVD release...

But wait, there's more! Aside from Pumpkinhead 3: Ashes to Ashes, we also have a fourth chapter to (kinda) look forward to! Pumpkinhead 4: Blood Feud (formerly Pumpkinhead 4: Love Hurts) recently wrapped production under the eye of writer/director Mike Hurst, he of Room 6, House of the Dead 2, and Mansquito. Mr. Henriksen will be returning for Part 4, whereas Mr. Bradley will ... not. (Is that a Part 3 spoiler? Sorry.)

The Sci-Fi Channel co-bankrolled both of these flicks, and if you've seen more than four or five "Sci-Fi Originals" in your time, then you probably know what you're getting yourself into. If I'm not mistaken, these guys tried the same thing last year with Return of the Living Dead 4: Necropolis and Return of the Living Dead 5: Rave to the Grave -- and those didn't really work out too well.

[Thanks to Bloody-Disgusting.com for the reminders.]

All Aboard the Gore Train!

Posted May 18th 2006 5:06PM by Scott Weinberg
Filed under: Horror, Deals, Lionsgate Films, Fandom, Newsstand

Long before he got just a little bit weary of churning out nothing but high-end hardcore horror tales, a young Clive (Hellraiser) Barker wrote a handful of volumes called The Books of Blood. (Here in the U.S. they're known as Books of Blood Vol. 1 - 3, The Inhuman Condition, In the Flesh, and Cabal ... and they're all pretty darn awesome.) Anyway, one of the best stories in the very first book was called The Midnight Meat Train, and it was about a stupidly intrepid NYC photographer who travels deep into the bowels of the hellacious subway system to track down a vicious serial killer ... and discovers a whole lot of horrible gruesomeness for his trouble.

So get ready for Midnight Train, the movie version. I could have sworn I'd read that Barker would be involved as a producer, and I certainly do hope that's true. (Anyone out there remember Rawhead Rex?) If so, he'll be working from an adapted screenplay by first-timer Jeff Buhler, and he's also hired himself a first-time director: Patrick Tatopoulos, a veteran production designer / FX wizard whose work you might have enjoyed in Dark City, Pitch Black, Underworld, and Silent Hill ... all flicks that are dark, dangerous, and pretty damn slick.

Midnight Train goes into production this summer, and you'll never guess who'll be releasing the flick stateside. Yep, those wonderful horror freaks over at Lionsgate. Gotta love 'em.

(OK, I'll admit it: I kinda liked Rawhead Rex ... but most of those Hellraiser sequels are just awful.)

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'Feast' Writers Team Up With 'Inside' Directors for 'Hellraiser' Remake

Interview: Pinhead Speaks! A Hell of a Chat with Doug Bradley

Cinematical Seven: Hottest Slashers of Horror

Cinematical Seven: Cool Horror Films of the 80s

Clive Barker Has Turned In Treatment for 'Hellraiser,' Source Says

Clive Barker + Edgar Allen Poe = Kid's Film?

Clive Barker Signs to Pen Hellraiser Remake

Cinematical Seven: Horror Films That Really Scare Me

Pumpkinhead Sequel(s) Update

All Aboard the Gore Train!

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