If there's a shorthand for remembering what happens in Hellraiser: Hellworld, it would be "The One With Henry Cavill." Directed by Rick Bota, the eighth film in the Hellraiser franchise offers a metatextual spin on the series as a whole, presenting audiences with a world where Pinhead is a celebrity for computer geeks everywhere. But while placing Hellworld within the broader context of Clive Barker's franchise might be a fool's errand, we've enlisted jouranlist and author Rosie Knight to do her best.
When a group of friends addicted to the official Hellraiser RPG are invited to an exclusive players-only party, a night of debauchery seems like the perfect excuse to put aside thoughts of their late friend. But when the group runs afoul of both Pinhead and their mysterious host, they will soon learn the true meaning of the phrase "hellsite." With an appropriately villainous turn by Lance Henriksen and a standout performance from a young Cavill, Hellraiser: Hellworld is a curiosity in a franchise known for punshing the curious, and that's what makes it special.
In this short excerpt from the episode, Knight explains what Hellraiser: Hellworld gets right about the real-world Hellraiser fandom:
Some of the best qualities are those moments where – intentionally, unintentionally – they capture the reality of this fandom, and this kind of obsession. But also the silliness of it! I love the idea that any of these people would turn up to a random rave house with a printed out paper invite and then stay after someone stabbed them all at least once with a tiny nail. There's so many things about it that just don't make any sense, but the movie is just so vibey.
The Hellraiser: Hellworld episode of the Certified Forgotten podcast with Tori Potenza is now available to stream on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube Music, or the podcast platform of your choice.
