All 11 Hellraiser Movies Ranked: Which Movies Are Worth Watching?

Abby Brenker

49 minutes ago

5 min read

As with all things on the internet, this is purely my perspective, coming from someone who just watched all eleven Hellraiser movies and researched the productions and inspiration behind each for our series on the History of Hellraiser.

Keep in mind that I don't have a particularly strong stomach, this is all 11 Hellraiser movies ranked.

Young woman in a dim, worn room holds up a small square object, staring tensely at the camera.

Hellraiser (1987)

The original Hellraiser is fantastic in a lot of ways. Written and directed by Clive Barker, the film is based on his 1986 novella The Hellbound Heart. And while I love Hellraiser, I love The Hellbound Heart even more. The plots are quite similar, but the novella creates a really special atmosphere that I think is difficult to replicate on screen. The story of Frank Cotton, his brother's wife Julia, and the mysterious puzzle box introduces us to the Cenobites, a group of extradimensional beings whose understanding of pleasure and pain is considerably different from our own.

Pinhead is played by Doug Bradley in the first eight movies in the franchise, and his performance is a huge part of what makes the original so memorable.

Eerie pale humanoid with pins embedded in a stitched face and head, lit blue against a dark background, staring forward.

Hellraiser (2022)

I acknowledge that this is a controversial pick, and die-hard Hellraiser fans will probably advocate for Hellraiser II to have this honor. For me, I really loved how tangible the rules of the universe are in this movie. The film follows Riley, a recovering addict who gets caught up in the deadly progression of the puzzle box after her brother disappears. Each configuration of the box has its own consequences, and I appreciated how clearly the movie established those rules. I cared about the characters, and I think they did a great job bringing the Cenobites and the mythology into a new, modern era. Jamie Clayton also gives us a new take on Pinhead, with a look and performance that feel appropriately unsettling without simply trying to recreate Doug Bradley.

Two eerie figures in blue surgical gowns stand in a stark room, one with pins in his face and blood stains on the robes.

Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988)

Gory Ghostbusters! The sequel picks up almost immediately after the original, with Kirsty back in a psychiatric hospital and Dr. Channard attempting to unlock the secrets of the Cenobites. We get a much deeper look at the Labyrinth, the hierarchy of Hell, and the beings who inhabit it. The movie takes the mythology of the first film and expands it considerably, with some truly memorable practical effects. It also has some of the most ambitious and stomach-turning body horror in the franchise.

Dark-haired woman in dim room, with a stern masked figure looming behind her, creating a tense, eerie mood.

Hellraiser: Bloodline (1996)

Pinhead goes to space! Bloodline is the perfect horror franchise movie. The film takes us from the French Revolution to a space station in 2127 in under 90 minutes, tracing the origins of the puzzle box and the family responsible for creating it. We also get a very young Adam Scott! Personally, I want my horror franchises to go off the rails. Otherwise, what are we doing? This is also the last of the original four theatrical releases, and it certainly goes out with a bang.

Masked figure with arms outstretched between two flaming candles in a dim arched room, creating a sinister ritual mood

Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth (1992)

I liked this movie a lot more than I thought I would. Though it is a bit silly to have Pinhead stuck in a pillar for so long, I really enjoyed the grittiness of the movie. Moving the action to New York City and introducing a nightclub full of new Cenobites gives the franchise a very different energy. We also get the beginnings of a more pronounced separation between Pinhead and his human identity, Elliott Spencer. And we started to get a sprinkle of camp. The movie leans much more heavily into traditional slasher territory, and I had a lot more fun with it than I expected.

Tense man in a blue foggy scene, standing beside a hanging chain and staring ahead with a worried expression.

Hellraiser: Inferno (2000)

Pinhead vs. the Gumshoe. This movie follows Joseph Thorne, a corrupt Denver detective investigating a series of gruesome murders after discovering the puzzle box. As his investigation progresses, his own life begins to unravel, and the line between reality and his increasingly disturbing experiences becomes difficult to distinguish. This was the first Hellraiser movie released directly to video, and it has a noticeably different feel from the earlier theatrical entries. It isn't horrible, and it gives us some fresh Cenobites. I also appreciate the attempt to bring a detective-noir psychological horror story into the franchise.

Young man in a leather jacket looks aside in a dim bedroom, with a blurred blonde woman behind him, creating a tense mood.

Hellraiser: Hellworld (2005)

Though the Nokia hallucination plot escaped me a bit, I liked the overall premise. This was the meta film in the franchise (every horror franchise needs at least one). The story follows a group of young people who are obsessed with an online game based on the Hellraiser mythology. After the death of one of their friends, they receive invitations to a mysterious Hellworld party, where things become considerably less virtual. The film features Henry Cavill and Lance Henriksen, and it plays with the idea of horror fandom, gaming, and the blurred line between fiction and reality. It's a fun change of pace, even if some of the plot mechanics left me scratching my head.

Three masked figures in black leather stand between stone pillars in a dim, ruined room.

Hellraiser: Deader (2005)

Though it's low on the list, Deader isn't a horrible movie. The story follows a journalist investigating a strange cult in Bucharest whose members appear to have the ability to bring the dead back to life. Naturally, this leads her toward the puzzle box and the Cenobites. I just ended up liking the Hellraiser movies more than I thought I would, so the competition was tougher than expected. There are some interesting ideas here, particularly around death, resurrection, and the cult's unusual practices, but the movie never quite brings them together as effectively as I would have liked.

Close-up of a somber woman in blue light, framed by hanging chains in a dark, eerie setting.

Hellraiser: Hellseeker (2002)

Dean Winters stars as a man who, for some reason, beautiful women won't stop actively trying to have sex with. The film follows Trevor, who survives a car accident that appears to have killed his wife, Kirsty Cotton. As he tries to piece together what happened, he experiences increasingly disturbing visions and begins questioning his own memories. Ashley Laurence also returns as Kirsty, which is a nice connection to the original films. Again, not a terrible movie, but one that seems particularly obvious in how it was fitted into the Hellraiser franchise. It was originally developed as a separate horror project, and that shows. We barely see the Cenobites, and the movie doesn't do much with the mythology that makes this franchise interesting in the first place.

Bald man with stitched scars and round sunglasses in a dim sepia room, staring ahead with an eerie, ominous mood.

Hellraiser: Judgment (2018)

This film reads almost like a steampunk Rob Zombie movie. The story follows three detectives investigating a serial killer known as the Preceptor, whose murders are inspired by the Ten Commandments. Their investigation eventually leads them into the Stygian Inquisition, a rather elaborate bureaucratic operation in Hell. The movie introduces some new characters and gives us additional lore about how the bureaucracy works down there, including the Auditor and the process of judging human souls. It's certainly ambitious in its world-building, but otherwise, it was fairly forgettable.

Two eerie pin-studded figures stand in blue fog behind hanging chains, lit by blinds and a bare bulb.

Hellraiser: Revelations (2011)

I am really not a fan of Revelations, and I struggle to find anything nice to say at all about it. The story follows two friends who discover the puzzle box while traveling in Mexico, setting off a series of events that brings the Cenobites into their families' lives. The film was made on a very limited budget and was produced in part to ensure the studio retained the rights to the franchise. Doug Bradley also declined to return as Pinhead, making this the first film in the series without him in the role. Unfortunately, the production circumstances are pretty evident on screen. I appreciate that someone was willing to keep the franchise going, but this is one I don't feel particularly compelled to revisit.