In 1986, Clive Barker published The Hellbound Heart – a supernatural novella about a mysterious puzzle box. A year later, that novella was turned into a movie, directed by Barker.
The film – re-titled Hellraiser – kicked-started a successful series of films, largely centred around the iconic horror character, Pinhead, as well as the puzzle box, the Lament Configuration. But what is the best order to watch the Hellraiser movies?
Let’s take a look…
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The Hellraiser film order
The Hellraiser films have been in regular production since 1987, beginning with Hellraiser which starred Doug Bradley in the role of Pinhead. A sequel, Hellbound: Hellraiser II followed in 1988, with Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth arriving in 1992, and Hellraiser: Bloodline appearing in 1996.
After the fourth instalment, Bradley remained a key fixture of the series as it progressed through a series of direct-to-DVD releases, beginning with Hellraiser: Inferno in 2000, and continuing with Hellraiser: Hellseeker (2002), Hellraiser: Deader (2005) and Hellraiser: Hellworld (2005).
Following the release of Hellraiser: Hellword, rumours began to circulate that the series was to be rebooted, through a remake of the original film, however, this project never came to pass. Instead of a remake/reboot, another sequel was hastily put into production to ensure Dimension Films could retain the rights to the series.
This next movie – Hellraiser: Revelations – was to be shot within a three-week timeframe, something which Pinhead actor, Doug Bradley did not believe would result in a good end product. As a result, he chose not to take part in the movie and the role was recast, with Stephan Smith Collins taking on the part of Pinhead.
A tenth movie arrived in 2018 – once again produced to ensure Dimension Films did not lose the rights to the series. Bradley was approached to appear in the movie, but once again he declined and was replaced this time by Paul T. Taylor.
Following the release of the tenth movie, the Hellraiser film franchise went on a brief hiatus, before being rebooted via Spyglass Media in 2022. This would be the eleventh movie in the series and would simply take the title, Hellraiser.
For this relaunch of the series neither Doug Bradley, Stephan Smith Collins, or Paul T. Taylor were asked to appear. Instead, Jamie Clayton took on chief villain duties in the role of the Hell Priest.
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If you wish to watch all of the Hellraiser movies in order, you should watch them as follows:
- Hellraiser (1987)
- Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988)
- Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth (1992)
- Hellraiser: Bloodline (1996)
- Hellraiser: Inferno (2000)
- Hellraiser: Hellseeker (2002)
- Hellraiser: Deader (2005)
- Hellraiser: Hellworld (2005)
- Hellraiser: Revelations (2011)
- Hellraiser: Judgement (2018)
- Hellraiser (2022)
The first four films in this series were released theatrically and feature an ongoing story that is linked chronologically. Movies five to ten, i.e. Inferno to Judgement, were released straight to home video and do not adhere to a strict chronology.
As highlighted above, Hellraiser 2022 is the eleventh film and was conceived as a reboot/new entry point for the series. And that’s pretty much all you need to know.
Although…
Those looking to brave the Hellraiser series should know it is quite notorious for its uneven quality. Hellraiser: Bloodline and Hellraiser: Revelations in particular are known for being weak entries. You’ve been warned.
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If you’re a fan of the Hellraiser movies then you may wish to know that many classic horror movie series are currently available on Blu-ray, such as the Paranormal Activity movies.
The Paranormal Activity: 6-Movie Collection Blu-ray release includes Paranormal Activity, Paranormal Activity 2, Paranormal Activity 3, Paranormal Activity 4, Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones, and Paranormal Activity: The Ghost Dimension.
The Paranormal Activity Blu-ray is available from all good entertainment stockists, including Amazon US and Amazon UK.
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Thanks for stopping by to read this post about the Hellraiser movie series. Should you wish to know about more iconic horror series, such as The Exorcist, The Omen, or A Nightmare on Elm Street, please click on the highlighted links.
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9 Responses to What is the best order to watch the Hellraiser movies?
I haven’t seen them all but 1, 2, and 3 are my favorites. I vaguely remember hellworld. I don’t think I’ve seen any others.
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It’s a series that seems to just pop up every few years.
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I like the first four films, only seen a couple of the later ones, they were no where near as good though. The original and the first sequel, Helbound are still my favourites. The Hellraiser films are such an iconic horror saga, always worth a look.
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The original is a favourite of mine – as is the book it’s based on. 🙂
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The original Hellraiser is superb, awesome practical effects as well. I like the book also, such a great story, Clive Barker is one of my favourite horror authors.
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I need to read more Barker – it’s on my list of things to do!
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Great author. If you haven’t read them already, I’d certainly recommend Weaveworld, Galilee, Cabal, and The Scarlet Gospels.
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I haven’t, so thank you for the recommendations! Much appreciated. 🙂
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It’s not Hellraiser if Doug Bradley isn’t in it. Don’t bother with the last two movies for sure. Pure garbage.
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