Hellraiser (franchise)

In October 2006, Barker announced through his official website that he would be writing the script to a forthcoming remake of the original Hellraiser film, to be produced by Dimension Films.[4][5][6] French director Pascal Laugier was set to direct the film[7][8] but was later taken off the project due to creative differences with the producers;[9][10] Laugier wanted his film to be a very serious take whereas the producers wanted the film to be more commercial and appeal to a teen audience.[11]

On January 28, 2010, Camelot Entertainment Group, Inc. announced that the distributor was working on Unearthed: The Hellraiser Saga, a documentary on the franchise.[12] It will be directed by Stefan Hutchinson and written by Ryan Rotten.[13]

On 20 October 2010, it was officially announced that Patrick Lussier and Todd Farmer were to direct and write, respectively, a reboot of the Hellraiser franchise. The film's story would differ from the original film, as Lussier and Farmer did not want to retell the original story out of respect for Clive Barker's work. The film was to instead focus on the world and function of the puzzle box. However, in 2011, Farmer confirmed that both he and Lussier were dropped from the project.[14][15]

In October 2013, Clive Barker announced that he would be directing and writing the film; Doug Bradley was to return in his role as Pinhead.[16] In October 2014, Barker stated that a second draft of the script was completed and described the film as a "very loose" remake of the original film, but stated that he may not direct the film.[17] On 18 March 2017, Clive Barker said that the film's "script was written and delivered to Dimension years ago. That was the last anyone heard until news of a sequel surfaced".[18]

After the successful release of the 2018 horror sequel Halloween, Miramax Films confirmed that it was considering beginning production on new installments to the Hellraiser franchise.[19] On May 9, 2019, Gary Barber announced that the Spyglass Media Group would be developing a new remake of Hellraiser to be written and co-produced by David S. Goyer.[20][21] In April 2020, The Hollywood Reporter has reported that David Bruckner will direct the remake and Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski will write the script.[22] Later that same month, HBO was announced to be developing a Hellraiser television series that would serve as "an elevated continuation and expansion" of its mythology with Mark Verheiden and Michael Dougherty writing the series and David Gordon Green directing several episodes, the three will also be executive producing the series with Danny McBride, Jody Hill, Brandon James and Roy Lee of Vertigo Entertainment.[23]

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Katie Rife of The A.V. Club wrote that the Hellraiser films intentionally alienate casual viewers and instead appeal to the type of fan she compares to a "humorless art student" who prefers dark poetry to the more fraternity-oriented slasher films. Continuing the metaphor, Rife wrote, "Even when its ambition exceeds its budget—which is often—it's trying to say something with its occult art projects."[40]

An anthology book consisting of 21 stories and entitled Hellbound Hearts was released on 29 September 2009.[41] The Scarlet Gospels – a sequel to The Hellbound Heart and crossover with Clive Barker's Harry D'Amour stories – was written by Barker and released in 2015. Hellraiser: The Toll, set before The Scarlet Gospels and after The Hellbound Heart, was written by Mark Alan Miller and published by Subterranean Press in February 2018.[42][43][44] In 2016, Paul Kane authored Sherlock Holmes and the Servants of Hell which brings together the world of Hellraiser with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes.[45]

Immediately following the success of the 1987 movie Hellraiser several comics series began to be released.

Epic Comics, an imprint of Marvel Comics, began publishing series of comic book spin-offs for the Hellraiser franchise. The comics contained a set of short stories, with Clive Barker acting as a consultant on all of the comics. Between 1989 and 1992, Epic published twenty regular series comics. They also published three special issues from 1992 to 1994, one being a holiday special, in addition to an adaptation of Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth and a collection of the first two issues.[46] Other releases included the limited series Clive Barker's Book of the Damned and Pinhead, as well as the crossovers Hellraiser vs. Nightbreed: Jihad and Pinhead vs. Marshal Law: Law in Hell. The following series were released by Epic Comics:[47][48][49]

In December, 2010, Boom! Studios announced they would be publishing a new Hellraiser series, written by Clive Barker and Christopher Monfette, beginning March 2011, and would also be reprinting select Epic Comics under the title Hellraiser: Masterworks.[50][51] The following series were released by Boom! Studios:[52]

Seraphim Incorporated, a graphic novel imprint headed by Clive Barker, began publishing a series of original graphic novels titled Hellraiser: Anthology in 2017. They are collections of stories taking place within the Hellraiser universe hailing from various creators, including Barker himself.

Super 3D Noah's Ark began as a Hellraiser license for the Nintendo Entertainment System. The team eventually abandoned the Hellraiser license and converted it into a simplistic Bible-based game.[55] Prior to the release of Bloodline, Magnet Interactive Studios developed an unrelated video game called Hellraiser: Virtual Hell. Bradley acted in the game during filming of Bloodline.[56] Miriam Van Scott, writing in the Encyclopedia of Hell, called it "a slick adventure" that "truly involves the player".[57] In 2011, The Weinstein Company announced video games based on several of their franchises, including Hellraiser.[58]

There have been two non-fiction books released that chronicle the Hellraiser films. The first, released on 21 May 2004, was published by Titan Books and titled The Hellraiser Chronicles. Written by Peter Atkins and Stephen Jones, with a foreword by Clive Barker, The Hellraiser Chronicles is a collection of production photographs, design sketches, excerpts from the scripts, and interviews with the cast and crew.[59] The next book, The Hellraiser Films And Their Legacy, was released by McFarland & Company on 27 November 2006; it was written by Paul Kane, and features foreword by Pinhead actor Doug Bradley.[1] Hellraiser Films collects the production history of all eight films, their spin-offs, as well as how the series relates to popular culture. The book provides an in-depth look at the film characters, and interpretations of the choices those characters make in the film. Hellraiser Films also provides a brief look at the fan short film No More Souls.[2]

A feature-length documentary, Leviathan: The Story of Hellraiser and Hellbound: Hellraiser II, was originally due for release in 2015, and comprises interviews with the cast and crew. It is being directed by K. John McDonagh and produced by Cult Film Screenings, based in Birmingham, who used Kickstarter to raise the funds necessary to conduct further interviews in the United States, although Clive Barker pulled out at the last minute due to ill health.[60]

In an interview, Doug Bradley stated that in 2002 Dimension Films received two scripts for a crossover featuring both Pinhead and Michael Myers, the antagonist of the Halloween series. Although Dimension Films initially turned the project down because it believed the upcoming film Freddy vs. Jason would fail, the studio reconsidered after it grossed $114 million on a $30 million budget. According to Bradley, Clive Barker intended to return to write a screenplay while John Carpenter was being considered to direct. The project ultimately ended when Halloween's producer Moustapha Akkad rejected the idea and due to a negative response from the fans of both franchises.[61][62][63]