Looks like David Goyer’s long-gestating Hellraiser adaptation has finally found a director. Yep, the writer behind Batman vs. Superman, Man of Steel, and the Nolan Batman movies, has found his Hellraiser Hell-mer, The Night House’s David Bruckner.
Searchlight Pictures
As first reported by THR and confirmed by Bloody Disgusting, rising genre star Bruckner will be taking on the Spyglass-produced reboot of Clive Barker’s groundbreaking horror classic. Details are scarce but the original movie was based on Barker’s own novella, The Hellbound Heart, from his Night Visions series, and focuses on a mystical puzzle box known as the Lament Configuration which has the power to open a portal to hell. Dark, beautiful, and strange, Hellraiser introduced fans to the horror icon Pinhead and his fellow cenobites as they attempted to reclaim a soul that had escaped them.
Though a Hellraiser reboot doesn’t necessarily spark joy in this fan, Bruckner is an inspired choice. His V/H/S segment “Amateur Hour” is filled with all the dread, repressed sexuality, and examination of how terrible humans can be that Hellraiser thrives on. Southbound featured another chilling short from Bruckner that works as a trapped room, mystery box nightmare that feels completely fitting for the world of Pinhead, the puzzle box, and the depths of hell where they hail from. Bruckner is also behind The Ritual, an adaptation of a brilliant contemporary British horror novel which offered up some solid chills.
Entertainment Film Distributors
But it’s Bruckner’s most recent film, The Night House, a terrifying psychological thriller, that makes us most excited. The story of a widow trying to find solace in the lake house her dead husband built her is haunting, steeped in anxiety, and builds a mystery box narrative that would confuse and intrigue Pinhead himself. The Night House writing team, Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski, will also be reuniting with Bruckner, writing the screenplay for Spyglass’ new vision for Hellraiser.
Header Image: Entertainment Film Distributors
