Doug Bradley is known to a generation of horror fans for his performance as the one and only Pinhead in the 'Hellraiser' films, and the actor has weighed in on the new 'Hellraiser' film as well as the casting of a female actress in the lead role.
Bradley, who first donned the iconic Pinhead get-up in Clive Barker's 1987 classic, said the casting of 'Sense8' star Jamie Clayton as the new Pinhead was "an interesting piece of casting."
"It seemed like a female Pinhead was coming," Bradley said of the casting.
"I’m not familiar with her recent work, but there was a science fiction series on Netflix several years ago called 'Sense8', which I was quite a fan of. Jamie was in that, and I really, really liked her performance in that.”
"I really can’t say more than that, but I do like to point out that I did wear a skirt as Pinhead!" he added.
Speaking at the Silver Scream Con in Massachusetts last week, Bradley admits he's intrigued by the decision, and is looking forward to seeing the film, which is due for release in October.
"It’s an interesting casting decision. Well, that only goes so far. We say ‘female Pinhead’ like we know what that means, but there are a million shades of femininity. - where exactly are they going to go with that?”
"Everything about 'Hellraiser' has always been transgressive. Everything, always, from start to finish. It’s not a new idea in that sense, but I’m intrigued."
"I’m in the same position as all the rest of you, I guess, to see where that goes."
Bradley says the key to a good 'Hellraiser' movie is the story, and he would know - he starred in 8 films in the franchise.
"The thing that will make the movie work or not is none of that. It’s the story - if the story is strong, the movie will work."
The script for the new 'Hellraiser' film is in good hands, with screenwriters Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski on script duties.
Collins and Piotrowski have form in the horror genre, penning the 2020 film 'The Night House' starring Rebecca Hall, with the films director David Bruckner tasked with bringing Pinhead into the streaming era.
He added, "the story is why 'Hellraiser' has succeeded; not because the Cenobites are as gloriously fucked up as Julia, which they all are, all of those elements are magnificent in the film."
"Christopher Young’s score is one of the best ever written - all of that is true, but the story is what makes 'Hellraiser' work, so we’ll see what happens.”
Considering the 'Predator' franchise saw a fresh injection with the critically acclaimed 'Prey' earlier this summer, fans are hopeful another classic of 80s cinema will make the jump to the modern day.
