"Hellraiser" explores new dimensions of pain, and one character's death will hook you with
its visceral violence.
Warning, Spoilers ahead!
The "Hellraiser" franchise is home to some of the most striking imagery in horror history.
Few can forget the awful sight of Frank Cotton in the skin of his brother Larry uttering
the famous phrase "Jesus wept" as Cenobite-controlled chains tear his body apart.
The second film, "Hellbound: Hellraiser II," showcases a skinless Julia, terrorizing her
victims with bloody, exposed muscle, as well as the return of the skinless figure of Frank,
who has written the plea "I Am In Hell Help Me" in his own blood.
The "Hellraiser" films are as grotesque as they are gorgeous.
"We have such sights to show you."
Known for "The Ritual" and "The Night House," director David Bruckner is the latest to continue
the series first established by author and filmmaker Clive Barker.
Bruckner has gone on record that he knows continuing the story of the Cenobites is dabbling
with something "sacred," but fortunately, his take on "Hellraiser" is a wonderful addition
to the series that pays homage to the original while still standing on its own.
One scene in particular truly encapsulates the horror of "Hellraiser" unlike any other.
The new film is centered primarily on Riley, a young woman crashing at her brother Matt's
apartment while she desperately tries to stay sober.
Riley's addiction issues have caused an unfortunate rift between the siblings.
After joining her sort-of boyfriend Trevor on a trip to recover an artifact that turns
out to be the puzzle box in its Lament Configuration, things go from bad to worse.
Matt finally loses his patience when Riley returns, apparently high, and he kicks her
out.
Despondent, Riley falls back into her addictive ways, and that's when things go from bad to
worse.
Not only does she nearly overdose, but she solves the first configuration, causing a
deadly blade to jut out from the puzzle box.
She avoids being stabbed, but her brother isn't so lucky.
When the first configuration is complete, the Cenobites arrive in Riley's dreams and
tell her she must join them in their world, or select someone to go in her place.
Not long after, Matt finds his sister.
As he tries to wake her from her drug-induced unconsciousness, he's accidentally stabbed
by the box and is taken by the Cenobites.
Riley, desperate to bring him back, becomes determined to figure out the truth about the
strange interdimensional demons.
She researches the origins of the puzzle box and discovers its last owner: Robert Voight.
She also learns the location of his secluded mansion.
After her discovery, Riley ventures to the mansion looking for answers.
Not long after, Matt's boyfriend Colin, their roommate Nora, and Trevor show up to bring
her home.
As the group explores the mansion, Nora stumbles on a hidden passage in the walls.
With no clear exit, she wanders, lost, calling for help.
That's when Voight sneaks up from behind her and stabs Nora with the blade from the box.
With her blood absorbed by it, she inadvertently becomes the next target of the Cenobites.
The group attempts to leave the mansion grounds, but Nora, laying in the back of Trevor's van,
suddenly finds reality stripped away.
That's when we get our first good look at the Hell Priest and the depths of their torment.
Many of the deaths in "Hellraiser" are graphic, but Nora's death is truly vicious.
The Hell Priest uses chains to pull Nora's body into a cracked, inverted position as
she screams in terror and pain.
The Hell Priest pulls a long pin from their flesh, and slowly inserts the needle horizontally
through Nora's throat.
She continues to scream as the sharp metal enters and exits her body, her vocal cords
shaking in agony as she feels every single moment.
There is an absolutely brutal shot shown from inside Nora's throat, and the audience sees
her muscles and tissues pierced and manipulated by the Hell Priest.
"There is so much more the body can be made to feel."
Nora's death is slow, painful, and provides glorious pleasure for the Cenobites.
Riley, Colin, and Trevor can't do anything as Nora is obliterated from inside a dimension
they cannot save her from.
Once her blood was absorbed by the puzzle box, Nora's horrible fate became inevitable.