All Hellraiser Movies Ranked by Tomatometer

MARKED AS: Horror, movies

(Photo by New World Release/courtesy Everett Collection)

Clive Barker may not have as many film adaptations as fellow horror writer Stephen King, but at least Barker’s first film, 1987’s Hellraiser, is miles above the directing effort. single from King, Maximum overdrive. Barker also wrote the screenplay for hellraiser (based on his short story the infernal heart), introducing quirky icon Pinhead, his Cenobite minions, and introducing a bit of sadomasochism to the modern horror scene. Besides the instantly recognizable look of the spiny cenobites, the other hallmark of the Hellraiser films is the puzzle box that offers a fast and twisting track into another dimension. Doug Bradley portrayed Pinhead in the first eight Hellraiser movies, which like many franchises saw waning returns from critics and audiences as the series progressed. A reboot and a new adaptation of hellish heart release in 2022. —Alex Vo

Adjusted score: 79571%

Consensus of critics: A gift for long-suffering fans after many mediocre sequels, David Bruckner hellraiser unlock the puzzle box to get this franchise back on track.

Synopsis: A new take on Clive Barker’s 1987 horror classic in which a young woman struggling with addiction comes into possession… [More]

Adjusted score: 73613%

Consensus of critics: Raised by the devilishly unique vision of writer-director Clive Barker, hellraiser offers an ominous – and sadistically clever – alternative to silly gore.

Synopsis: Sexual deviant Frank (Sean Chapman) inadvertently opens a portal to hell when he tinkers with a box he bought while… [More]

Adjusted score: 50377%

Consensus of critics: Hell: Hellraiser II retains the twisted visual thrill of its predecessor, although the plot seams are already starting to show.

Synopsis: Confined to a psychiatric hospital, young Kirsty Cotton (Ashley Laurence) insists her supposedly dead father is stuck in hell, controlled… [More]