Long before he became the formidable Man of Steel, Henry Cavill was one of the many victims of the ruthless Cenobite, Pinhead of the Hellraiser franchise. In what was one of his earliest film roles, Cavill played a sex addict named Mike in Hellraiser: Hellworld (2005) the eighth film in the iconic franchise. It’s one of the only two horror films he’s ever been in, the other being 2009’s Blood Creek. Despite the small role, Cavill gave a compelling performance with the signs of superstardom written all over it. Now fans of the action star can revisit his roots as Hellraiser: Hellworld, along with the third, fourth, fifth, and seventh films in the franchise, namely, Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth, Hellraiser: Bloodline, Hellraiser: Inferno, and Hellraiser: Deader will be available to stream on Prime Video in just a few days.
Sadly, Hellraiser: Hellworld was one of the more forgettable entries of the franchise, and currently has a 0% Rotten Tomatoes rating from 6 reviews. Even fans consider it the worst out of the 11 films that currently make up the franchise. However, some consider it to be only a bad Hellraiser movie and not necessarily a bad horror movie, with Pinhead ensuring the terror levels remain high throughout.
In Hellworld, Doug Bradley returns to reprise his role as the main antagonist Pinhead, his final appearance in the franchise. This time, Pinhead and his bald legions are transported to the internet and their target is online gamers who are ensnared when they are invited to a mysterious party at an old mansion. Directed by Rick Bota, the movie starred Lance Henriksen, Katheryn Winnick, and Christopher Jacot. The script was written by Carl Dupré based on a story by Joel Soisson, who didn’t originally craft it as a Hellraiser film, hence the reception.
What’s Next For The ‘Hellraiser’ Franchise?
Shortly after the release of the 10th Hellraiser film, Hellraiser: Judgment, which performed relatively better than its predecessors, a reboot of the franchise was greenlit. The plans came to fruition in 2022 with the release of Hellraiser on Hulu. Directed by David Bruckner, the reboot put a modern spin on the original movie, adapting the 1986 novella The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker that served as the source material for the first film. Reviews were a mixed bag, but the modern twist seemed to impress many and a sequel is being considered, as recently revealed by producer, Keith Levine.
Also, a TV series was announced to have gone into development at HBO in 2020 with David Gordon Green of the Halloween franchise attached at the helm. However, there’s been no update since about the status of the project. As always, stay tuned to Collider for more.
Hellraiser: Hellworld along with four other Hellraiser films will be available to stream on Prime Video starting December 1.
