Thanks to the release of Hellraiser (2022), it seems like the franchise has gotten a new lease on life. New fans shouldn’t just stop here, though, as they should check out older movies in the franchise. Though most of them are straight-to-video and didn’t have much of a budget for their productions, a good number of them are entertaining to watch.

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The franchise and its iconic villain, Pinhead, have been around for a long time. Doug Bradley has done an amazing job bringing Pinhead to life in most of the movies, even if they weren’t the best in overall quality. Here are the best movies in the franchise that are worth watching.

10 Hellraiser: Hellworld (2005)

A movie that takes the franchise to the online world. The movie revolves around a popular MMORPG known as Hellworld. Two years after their friend takes his own life after becoming obsessed with the game, five friends are invited to a Hellworld party at a place called the Leviathan House. Little do the friends know, the host is the father of their friend who blames them for his death.

This is the final film for Doug Bradley as Pinhead, but this movie could’ve been a lot better to end his run. The movie is pretty predictable, and the story is above average, but it’s still an entertaining watch. Plus, it also has a young Henry Cavill in one of his earliest film roles, which might pique some fans’ interest.

9 Hellraiser: Judgment (2018)

A Hellraiser movie that has mixed reviews but is a lot better than Hellraiser: Revelations came out in 2011 (often considered the worst one in the franchise). This movie sees Pinhead and a new character known as the Auditor discussing how to harvest souls as advanced technology continues to rise on Earth. Meanwhile, detectives on Earth are looking for a serial killer known as the Preceptor. The killer not only has the attention of Pinhead and the Auditor, but also Heaven itself.

Though not the best movie in the franchise, Hellraiser: Judgment makes a good effort to give fans something new when it comes to the story. Instead of trying to imitate Doug Bradley’s performance, new Pinhead actor Paul T. Taylor does a pretty good job making his Pinhead a little different.

8 Hellraiser: Deader (2005)

One of the better straight-to-video Hellraiser movies in the franchise. This film follows a female reporter named Amy who travels Bucharest (the capital of Romania) to investigate a tape that shows a member of a cult known as the Deaders being ritualistically murdered by other members. However, the tape also shows the person coming back, and Amy has to find out the truth behind it.

This is one movie that had the potential to be great if it’d been given a larger budget and more time. The story itself is okay, but it definitely could’ve been better. Despite this, Kari Wuhrer does a pretty good job with what she’s given and makes her character Amy one of the best protagonists in the franchise.

7 Hellraiser: Hellseeker (2002)

A film marking the return of fan favorite heroine Kirsty Cotton. Going missing after a car accident, Kirsty’s husband Trevor tries to find out what happened to her. Being the prime suspect in her apparent death, he sets out to prove his innocence and the truth of what happened to her. However, strange events happen around him, and Trevor has trouble making out what’s real and what’s fantasy.

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It was nice to see Ashley Laurence and Doug Bradley appear together again as their characters, but the movie is a little above average in overall quality. Though Kirsty doesn’t appear much in the film, the movie does add a little more to her character and shows that she does have a dark side to her when it comes to bargaining with Pinhead.

6 Hellraiser: Bloodline (1996)

A movie that serves as both a prequel and sequel, as well as being the last theatrical released Hellraiser film. The movie shows how the Lament Configuration came to be and the curse that haunts the family of the man who made it. It takes place throughout three different time periods, with the last one taking place in the future and in space where the descendent of the puzzle’s creator tries to destroy the Cenobites once and for all.

Hearing that a Hellraiser movie is taking place in space might make some people a little skeptical, but the film isn’t boring. It adds some interesting stories to the overall lore and introduces fan-favorite demon Angelique. The only thing that holds this film back from being great is that the story is a little incoherent.

5 Hellraiser III: Hell On Earth (1992)

A movie that’s more of an origin story for horror icon Pinhead. After the events of Hellbound: Hellraiser II, Pinhead’s psyche is now split in two. One being his former human self, Eliot Spencer, and the other being Pinhead. Spencer is now trapped in limbo, and Pinhead is trapped in a pillar with the box. Nightclub owner J.P. purchases the pillar and helps resurrect Pinhead. Meanwhile, reporter Joey learns about this, and she looks for a way to reunite Spencer and Pinhead back together.

This movie did have a little campiness and silly deaths, as well as introducing some rather unique Cenobites like CD and Camerahead. Despite this, the movie does a pretty good job of showing the human part of Pinhead, and Doug Bradley shows off his acting chops by playing two very different characters, even if they’re part of the same entity.

4 Hellraiser: Inferno (2000)

The first Hellraiser movie in the new millennium and the first one to go direct-to-video release. Hellraiser: Inferno follows corrupt cop Joseph who discovers a mysterious puzzle box at a crime scene. He begins to experience hallucinations after solving while trying a murder by someone known as the Engineer. However, what he discovers is far worse than he can imagine and much to Pinhead’s delight.

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Though the movie itself has mixed reviews, the movie does deserve some love and changes the grim horror tone to being more horror noir. Scott Derrickson, the director of Sinister, Deliver Us from Evil, and Doctor Strange, directed this movie and did a good job bringing the franchise into the 2000s. While not as great as most of its predecessors, Hellraiser: Inferno is worth watching and is one of the best direct-to-video movies in the franchise.

3 Hellraiser (2022)

A reboot that should be given a chance by longtime fans. Billionaire Roland Voight has a young man solve the Lament Configuration puzzle so he can get an audience with the god Leviathan, but he goes missing shortly after the puzzle is solved. Six years later, recovering addict Riley goes with her boyfriend Trevor to break into a storage warehouse, where they find the box. After unwittingly solving the puzzle, Riley’s brother Matt is taken by the Cenobites, and Riley, Matt’s boyfriend Colin, and their friend Nora try to find him.

Reboots are often met with skepticism, but this movie will surprise even the most hardcore Hellraiser fans. Expectations were high, and while there are some areas that could use some improvement, Hellraiser (2022) has done a great job of getting the franchise back on its feet. Jamie Clayton’s performance as the new Pinhead/Hell Priest is pretty chilling and makes her a great successor to Doug Bradley, paying homage to him and his legacy as Pinhead but making the character her own.

2 Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988)

The sequel to the 1987 movie Hellraiser. Hellbound: Hellraiser II follows Kirsty Cotton after the events of the first movie. Kirsty is now at a psychiatric hospital and traumatized from what’s happened. The doctor treating her does believe her, but he has some dark plans as a familiar and villainous face reappears to help him.

The movie does a great job continuing the story and giving a little more background to the Cenobites. It’s just as gruesome and disturbing as the first movie but gives a little more dimension to the characters. Plus, it also tells a little more information about the realm where the Cenobites come from and the god that they serve.

1 Hellraiser (1987)

The first movie to start the franchise and still the best one. It starts off with Frank Cotton solving a mysterious puzzle box and is torn apart by the Cenobites and then taken to their realm. He manages to escape them after his brother Larry accidentally cuts his hand and spills blood where Frank was taken. Larry’s wife Julia helps Frank regenerate, and Larry’s daughter Kirsty discovers this. After she takes the puzzle box and solves it, she makes a deal with the Cenobites to bring Frank to them.

With a great and chilling story amplified by practical makeup effects and amazing performances by the cast, the very first Hellraiser movie is arguably the best. Clive Barker shows that he’s not only an amazing writer but also shows that he’s a great director when bringing his visions to life. Doug Bradley cemented himself as a horror icon playing Pinhead for the short time he appears on screen in the film. Ashley Laurence’s performance as Kirsty makes her one of the best yet underrated final girls in horror films, while Clare Higgins is just perfect as the villainous femme fatale Julia.

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