Hellraiser: Doug Bradley Responds To Female Pinhead

Original Pinhead actor Doug Bradley responds to the new Hellraiser movie coming to the Hulu streaming service, which follows the recent teaser from a few days ago.

Jamie Clayton, who is known for The Wachowski’s Sense8, is playing Pinhead this time around where the film has the approval of creator Clive Barker, with Bradley also revealing his approval, which is the opposite of what happened last time.

“It seemed like [a female Pinhead] was coming. It’s an interesting piece of casting,” Bradley said at this weekend’s Silver Scream Con in Massachusetts (via Bloody Disgusting). “I don’t know Jamie. Of course, they’ve taken even a little bit of a wrinkle in that, because Jamie is transgender. 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.”

Update: First look images and details are here.

Hellraiser has always been transgressive

Doug Bradley continued with a laugh by pointing out that his Pinhead does happen to wear a skirt.

“I really can’t say more than that. I do like to point out that I did wear a skirt as Pinhead,” he said. “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?”

Bradley added, “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.”

Story counts says Doug Bradley

Bradley did reveal a new tidbit for the flick in that it will feature the Cenobites as he met the actor playing the new Chatterer.

“I was at Monsterpalooza, a convention in Pasadena, a couple months ago, and I met the guy who’s playing the new Chatterer. He’s like 6’9″ and a beanpole, so they’re going in lots of different directions. It’s another interesting casting idea. Cenobites of all shapes and sizes!” revealed Bradley.

While Pinhead may be male or female, Bradey says it doesn’t matter, but what matters when it comes down to it is the quality story.

“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,” he said. “That’s why Hellraiser has succeeded; not because the Cenobites are gloriously fucked up and so is Julia, which they all are. All of those elements are magnificent in the film, and Chris 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.”

Regarding what happened last time, back in 2016 with the Hellraiser: Judgement movie, Bradley didn’t like the fact they wouldn’t let him read the script, and Clive Barker also f-bombed the Revelations movie that preceded it.

Hellraiser premieres on Hulu on October 7.