Save your breath for screaming.

2022 has been the year for remakes, reboots and revisits of spooky properties.  We started this year's festival with a revisit/prequel and are ending with a reboot.  Looking back, most of the films were decent and there were a couple that could have been way better.  In this case, Hellraiser falls into the decent category making for an enjoyable watching experience.

I know that I have seen the original Hellraiser before but at the same time, I do not remember it very clearly.  I remember it being slow and boring with some cute cenobites thrown in.  I don't even remember the puzzle box which plays a big role in this film.   In other words, when it comes to comparing this to the original, there is not much there in my brain to recall.  Maybe that is a good thing because I saw this film with semi fresh eyes.  I knew the Pinhead character as well as the cool looking cenobites and that they liked to inflict pain. That is the only baggage I brought into this movie so other than that, the story was a nice add-on.

This film is a redemption story for the heroine protagonist who is an addict in the beginning of the film but in the end becomes a strong final girl. Almost everybody else does not make it or if they do, they are changed forever.  One of the main differences between this movie and the original is that Pinhead is played by a woman.  She is great and it is not even something I thought about when recalling this movie.  Were it not for the picture up above, I would not have mentioned it other than to say she is great and on par with Doug Williams.  The plot is simple enough and it works for what the movie is, the special effects are great and we get new cenobites.  I would consider this more of an action-adventure thriller more than a horror film. There are some kills that are kind of gruesome but the main focus is the story and who will get the 'reward" the puzzle box has to offer.  

This season was a very busy one for me here and I am glad I got to experience as many movies as I did.  This is the 15th movie and I am pretty surprised we got to that many given all that has been and keeps going on.  Let's just say that moving and adjusting has been quite the process.  Anyway, I'm glad 2022 brought us so much spooky joy and I am excited for what next year has to offer, as long as it's not another move.