‘Hellraiser’: Clive Barker’s Horror Classic Returning to Theaters in 4K!!

Fathom Events has such sights to show you. Hellraiser, the original 1987 horror classic from Clive Barker, is coming back to theaters nationwide for the first time in 37 years thanks to the entertainment company behind recent anniversary screenings of The Matrix, Blazing Saddles, Back to the Future: Part II, and more. For two nights only, on February 5 and 6, fans will be able to see the film that introduced the world to Pinhead, the Cenobites, and the mysterious puzzle box that summons them to dole out pain and pleasure in equal measure. Better yet, each screening will feature the recent 4K restoration for a one-of-a-kind viewing experience.

Hellraiser is based on Barker‘s own novella, The Hellbound Heart, and marked the first of four features he’d direct. The film revolves around the aforementioned puzzle box, the Lament Configuration, which falls into the hands of the hedonistic Frank (Sean Chapman). Upon tinkering with the box, he opens a portal to Hell that allows through the terrifying Cenobites, who can’t differentiate pleasure from pain and quickly tear Frank apart. The evil then follows Frank’s brother, Larry (Andrew Robinson), and his wife Julia (Clare Higgins) once they move into Frank’s old house. When Frank is resurrected with a new monstrous form that requires human sacrifices to sustain, Julia decides to join her former lover in finding all the blood needed to restore him while he evades the eyes of the Cenobites.

In addition to Barker‘s gory yet intelligent horror flick, the two-day event screenings will include the 2004 archival interview Under the Skin: Doug Bradley on Hellraiser for fans’ viewing pleasure. In it, iconic Pinhead actor Doug Bradley talks in depth about his first time donning the spiky visage of the lead Cenobite. He’s part of the reason Hellraiser would go on to become a genre classic, reprising the role throughout the first eight films of the franchise and becoming synonymous with the mascot character. The rest of the cast also featured fellow recurring member Ashley Laurence alongside Oliver Smith, Robert Hines, Simon Bamford, Nicholas Vince, and Grace Kirby.

‘Hellraiser’ Stands Among the All-Time Horror Greats

HELLRAISER returns to theatres nationwide February 5 & 6 for a newly remastered 4K release. pic.twitter.com/VmRAWg1Q5l

— Fathom Entertainment (@FathomEnt) January 10, 2025

Although initial reviews were more mixed, Hellraiser has since become a favorite of classic horror, with Pinhead held in similar regard to villains like Jason Voorhees, Chucky, Michael Myers, Ghostface, and Freddy Krueger. In a retrospective review for Collider, Chase Hutchinson gave it a B+ and assured the original stands the test of time. Other critics have also contributed to the film’s solid 69% score on Rotten Tomatoes, though audiences also helped it make a killing at the box office – $30 million, to be exact, against a budget of only $1 million. Such success paved the way for 11 films and counting, the most recent of which came in 2022 with David Bruckner‘s reboot on Hulu starring Jamie Clayton instead of Bradley as a revamped Pinhead. There are likely still sights left to see in this franchise yet, as producer Keith Levine recently expressed his confidence that the modern revamp would eventually lead to a follow-up that will once again let Clayton tear souls apart in terrifying fashion.