Connect with us

News

Revisiting Clive Barker’s ‘The Scarlet Gospels’ and the End of Pinhead

Published

on

Cliver Barker hates the name Pinhead.

In fact, it was never his intention for his creation to be called such a silly name; one that Barker has called “undignified”. Truth be told, he hasn’t really been happy with his Hell Priests onscreen representation for some time. Though numerous sequels have depicted the demon, he’s only ever appeared in one piece of the horror author’s writings.

That changed in 2015 when Barker set out to reclaim and subsequently kill his creation in The Scarlet Gospels, a novel detailing Pinhead – er, the Hell Priest’s final days. And don’t worry, I’m not spoiling anything the author himself wouldn’t want you to know. All things considered, it would be nothing short of anticlimactic if Barker decided to let his iconic cenobite return for even more after promising his demise for so long.

The book is nothing short of fascinating due to Barker’s less-than-stellar outlook on the Hellraiser franchise. Truth be told, most of them haven’t been the greatest. The original 1987 and its sequel are classics. The rest? Well, some are pretty good. Some are unwatchable – especially the most recent offering. But I don’t want to talk about that, and you probably don’t either.

Not all of the reviews upon the book’s release have been favorable, but years later, it’s had some time to digest, guts and all. The prose is very straight to the point and doesn’t contain much of Barker’s usual poetic acrobatics, but there are times when his genius really shines through the blood and the exposed brain. There are also times when it’s necessary to look away from the pages and take a breather; passages containing extreme gore here dictate a moment of watching puppy videos on YouTube and a cold shower.

The Scarlet Gospels finally gives Barker and outlet for his depictions of Hell, the cenobite’s dwelling place, and this is really where the book shines. You can tell the author has been clamoring to accomplish such a feat for years – decades even – and it is completely apparent throughout the bloodsoaked pages of the book. Interestingly enough, it even shows a side of the Hell Priest the audience has never seen before. There’s true weakness and anger, desperation and grief. Who would have thought?

Clive Barker, that’s who, and that’s also the only person who should have ever been able to pilot who we have come to know and love as Pinhead. The Scarlet Gospels is an incredible look into not only the future of Barker’s hellish creation but the relationship the creator has with his monster. That alone is worth the price of admission.

With the release date of the newest Hellraiser still up in the air, now is a better time than ever to read what is intended by Barker to be the end of the Hell Priest. And please, for the love of both pleasure and pain, stop calling him Pinhead, okay? It’s demeaning. Shame on you.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

Movies

’28 Years Later’ Trilogy Taking Shape With Serious Star Power

Published

on

28 years later

Danny Boyle is revisiting his 28 Days Later universe with three new films. He will direct the first, 28 Years Later, with two more to follow. Deadline is reporting that sources say Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes have been cast for the first entry, a sequel to the original. Details are being kept under wraps so we don’t know how or if the first original sequel 28 Weeks Later fits into the project.

Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes

Boyle will direct the first movie but it’s unclear which role he will take on in the subsequent films. What is known is Candyman (2021) director Nia DaCosta is scheduled to direct the second film in this trilogy and that the third will be filmed immediately afterward. Whether DaCosta will direct both is still unclear.

Alex Garland is writing the scripts. Garland is having a successful time at the box office right now. He wrote and directed the current action/thriller Civil War which was just knocked out of the theatrical top spot by Radio Silence’s Abigail.

There is no word yet on when, or where, 28 Years Later will start production.

28 Days Later

The original film followed Jim (Cillian Murphy) who wakes from a coma to find that London is currently dealing with a zombie outbreak.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Continue Reading

News

Watch ‘The Burning’ At The Location Where It Was Filmed

Published

on

Fangoria is reporting that fans of the 1981 slasher The Burning will be able to have a screening of the film at the location where it was filmed. The movie is set at Camp Blackfoot which is actually the Stonehaven Nature Preserve in Ransomville, New York.

This ticketed event will take place on August 3. Guests will be able to take a tour of the grounds as well as enjoy some campfire snacks along with the screening of The Burning.

The Burning

The film came out in the early ’80s when teen slashers were being churned out in magnum force. Thanks to Sean S. Cunningham’s Friday the 13th, filmmakers wanted to get in on the low-budget, high-profit movie market and a casket load of these types of films were produced, some better than others.

The Burning is one of the good ones, mostly because of the special effects from Tom Savini who had just come off of his groundbreaking work on Dawn of the Dead and Friday the 13th. He declined to do the sequel because of its illogical premise and instead signed on to do this movie. Also, a young Jason Alexander who would later go on to play George in Seinfeld is a featured player.

Because of its practical gore, The Burning had to be heavily edited before it received an R-rating. The MPAA was under the thumb of protest groups and political bigwigs to censor violent films at the time because slashers were just so graphic and detailed in their gore.

Tickets are $50, and if you want a special t-shirt, that will cost you another $25, You can get all the information by visiting the On Set Cinema webpage.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Continue Reading

Movies

‘Longlegs’ Creepy “Part 2” Teaser Appears on Instagram

Published

on

Longlegs

Neon Films released an Insta-teaser for their horror film Longlegs today. Titled Dirty: Part 2, the clip only furthers the mystery of what we are in for when this movie is finally released on July 12.

The official logline is: FBI Agent Lee Harker is assigned to an unsolved serial killer case that takes unexpected turns, revealing evidence of the occult. Harker discovers a personal connection to the killer and must stop him before he strikes again.

Directed by former actor Oz Perkins who also gave us The Blackcoat’s Daughter and Gretel & Hansel, Longlegs is already creating buzz with its moody images and cryptic hints. The film is rated R for bloody violence, and disturbing images.

Longlegs stars Nicolas Cage, Maika Monroe, and Alicia Witt.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Continue Reading