The “Hellraiser” Movie Remake Features LGBTQIA+ Cast Members And Carnal Pleasures
The original 1987 horror classic Hellraiser is getting a rejig for Hulu’s streaming platform. This new 2022 version features an ensemble cast of openly LGBTQIA+ actors including Brandon Flynn and Adam Faison and will explore the same dark themes of pleasure and pain, reports Advocate.
BEWARE CARNAL PLEASURES (SPOILERS AHEAD)
The original film featured supernatural, other-worldly beings called Cenobites which hunted those who sought to gain pleasure by solving a mysterious puzzle box. The 2022 version sees the puzzle box revisited with a new cast of characters.
Brandon Flynn and Adam Faison play a gay couple in the film; Flynn’s character Matt is taken early on in the plot while boyfriend Colin (Faison) struggles to avoid torture by the Cenobites. The narrative acts as a horrific warning against seeking hedonistic pleasures with the other-dimensional Cenobites lacking any differentiation between pain and pleasure.
Speaking with Advocate, Flynn says, “It’s really neat to be a part of this movie that has such a cultural hold on people. It’s really exciting to know that old fans are going to be met with something modern and refreshing and like you said, a reimagining.”
Hellraiser is inspired by Clive Barker’s novel The Hellbound Heart which has spurned a massive eleven films centering around the haunting Cenobites. These beings of pure pain and sadism were designed by Barker with S&M kink culture in mind and reformed the idea of modern horror villains. The 2022 adaption breathes new life back into this iconic imagery and places them firmly within a contemporary context with better representation than the original film had.
