Here's How to Watch the Creepy New Hellraiser Remake

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The ‘80s gave us memorable horror movies like Predator, The Shining and Child’s Play. There’s no question the decade was filled with frightening films that have stood the test of time. You can find proof of their longevity in the modern remakes, reboots and reimagining each film has undergone; Predator found a highly successful prequel in 2022’s Prey, The Shining had a sequel in the 2019 film Doctor Sleep, and Chucky from Child’s Play currentlystars in a popular Syfy television show.

One film you may not have remembered in recent years, though is Hellraiser. The film first premiered in 1987 and subsequently had not one, not two, but nine sequels. Unfortunately, most of the films failed to recapture the magic of the original movie. The 2018 sequel, Hellraiser: Judgement, holds a 36% critical score on Rotten Tomatoes, and most of the installments before that film faired even worse critical panning.

So it’s a little surprising there’s now yet another attempt at reviving the franchise. But to be fair, the source material can’t be beat. Based on acclaimed horror writer Clive Barker’s novella The Hellbound Heart, the film follows a family who moves into a new house, only to discover a strange puzzle box. Once unlocked, the box calls a group of aliens called Cenobites, who seek to bestow upon people painful and pleasurable experiences–although they deliver far more pain than anything else.

Thankfully, reviews are positive for 2022’s Hellraiser. It currently holds an audience score of 85% on Rotten Tomatoes. That's all to say it's definitely worth watching to kick off the scariest month of the year. We’ve got everything you need to know if you want to watch the new film.

Is Hellraiser a remake?

The new Hellraiser is not an exact remake of the original 1987 film. Although has the same premise (a couple moves into a new home and discovers the puzzle box), it changes the relationships and backgrounds of the central characters and overall offers a fresh perspective on Barker’s novella. You won’t be spoiled by watching the original 1987 version and you won’t need to watch any of the other sequels to understand the story.