A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this movie.
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Positive Role Models
none
At first, the lead character is presented in a sympathetic way as someone who's struggling with drug and alcohol addiction, but aside from the trust issues with her friends that have developed due to addiction struggles, this aspect of the story is quickly overshadowed.
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Diverse Representations
some
Racial and ethnic diversity in the cast. A gay couple features prominently.
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Violence & Scariness
a lot
Horror movie violence, gore, and blood throughout. Characters' wrists and ankles wrapped in chains as meat hooks tear into their shoulders before they are ripped apart. Pins through brains. Skin ripping. Flesh tearing. Demon bites an arm; bloody. A mysterious puzzle box, when solved, shoots out a sharp blade that stabs the hands of its victims; blood. Jump scares.
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Sex, Romance & Nudity
a lot
Couple shown having sex in different positions, with brief female nudity, overheard by lead character's roommates.
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Language
a lot
Strong language throughout. "F--k" often used. Also "a--hole," "s--t," "bulls--t," "bastard," "ass," "hell."
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Drinking, Drugs & Smoking
some
Lead character struggles with drug and alcohol addiction, shown relapsing with booze and pills; these struggles have created trust issues between her and her brother as well as her roommates. Lead character shown coming home drunk, leading to an argument with her exasperated brother. co*cktail drinking. Beer drinking. Drinking from a flask. Cigarette smoking.
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Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Hellraiser is a 2022 reboot of the Clive Barker horror movie franchise that started in the '80s. Unsurprisingly, there's horror movie violence, gore, and blood. Victims of Pinhead and their minions get chained up by their wrists and ankles, get meat hooks stabbed into their shoulders and pins through the brain, and then get pulled in different directions until their bodies split apart. Solving an ancient puzzle box results in a sharp blade stabbing the person holding it, leading to bloody stab wounds in the hands before it gets much worse for the victim. The movie has jump scares, strong language throughout (including "f--k"), as well as alcohol drinking and cigarette smoking. The lead character struggles with an addiction to pills and alcohol and is shown relapsing with both. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails.
What's the Story?
In HELLRAISER (2022), Riley (Odessa A'zion) is in a 12-step program to work through her struggles with drug and alcohol addiction. She lives with her brother, Matt (Brandon Flynn), his boyfriend, Colin, and friend Nora while also spending time with her new boyfriend, Trevor (Drew Starkey), who Matt and the others think is sketchy and not good for her. While struggling with addiction, she's also struggling to make ends meet, when Trevor, who works as a courier for expensive items and artifacts, has an idea to help her make some money. Trevor knows about a nearly abandoned warehouse where he has made deliveries that surely has artifacts that would be easy to steal and then sell. He convinces her to do this, and, fortified by booze, Riley and Trevor break in, rip open a crate, and hammer out a safe, which contains an ornate puzzle box. After returning home, she gets into a heated argument with Matt over her obvious intoxication, so she moves out on the spot. While trying to sober up in a nearby playground, Riley begins playing with the puzzle box. After solving the first round, a sharp blade shoots out, missing her hand, but unleashing, once again, Pinhead and the other Cenobites onto an unsuspecting world.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about horror movie reboots like Hellraiser. Why do you think so many popular movies and franchises from decades past are remade with the same infamous villains and different stories?
How do the violence, blood, and gore compare to that in other horror movies? Was it necessary, or did it seem excessive? Why do you think gory violence like this has an appeal for some audiences?
How does the movie portray Riley's struggles with drug and alcohol addiction and the strains on her relationships with her brother and roommates as a result?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming: October 7, 2022
- Cast: Odessa A’zion, Brandon Flynn, Drew Starkey
- Director: David Bruckner
- Inclusion Information: Gay actors
- Studio: Hulu
- Genre: Horror
- Run time: 121 minutes
- MPAA rating: R
- MPAA explanation: Strong bloody horror violence and gore, language throughout, some sexual content and brief graphic nudity.
- Last updated: October 12, 2022
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