With Hellraiser back in the news thanks to Saber Interactive’s Hellraiser: Revival, featuring Doug Bradley’s return as Pinhead and Clive Barker‘s involvement, the franchise is finding new ways to torment audiences. Halloween Horror Nights has also brought the property into its seasonal lineup, while BOOM! Studios has returned to the franchise with five new comic book one-shots exploring the mythology of the Cenobites.
The new Hellraiser: Resurrections collection revisits what happened to some of the original Order of the Gash after Hellbound: Hellraiser II. Many fans assume the Cenobites were simply destroyed, leaving Pinhead to assemble a new group in Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth. That isn’t really the case, and these comics offer another explanation, revealing what happens when these creatures are defeated, stripped of their power, or left to endure an existence beyond death.
Let’s look at each of them.
Chatterer: Fighting His Way Back
Beginning with the obvious choice, Chatterer. One of the most recognizable Cenobites in the franchise, he met his apparent end in Hellbound: Hellraiser II at the hands of Dr. Channard.
In Hellraiser: Resurrections – The Onanistic Ritual #1, writer Zac Thompson and artist Gavin Mitchell bring him back with a mission to reclaim his rightful position as the Hell Priest’s right hand. The story introduces Mark, a young man obsessed with looksmaxxing (is an online trend and self-improvement practice focused on maximizing a person’s physical attractiveness) who discovers a disturbing film seemingly depicting Chatterer’s creation. Mark attempts to summon the Cenobite as an avenging force against those he believes have wronged him.
Chatterer’s return gives him a new purpose within the hierarchy of Hell. His story also raises questions about the Cenobites who followed Pinhead in Hellraiser III and whether the original order can reclaim its place. This one shines a light on what exactly a Cenobite has to do to get back their former status and power in Hell.
Deep Throat: A New Order
The Female Cenobite, known to many fans as Deep Throat, takes a different path. In Hellraiser: Resurrections – The Deep Gospel #1, writer Tini Howard and artist Jenna Cha explore what happens after the Engineer finds her dead, or close to it, and attempts to restore her. (If you remember your Hellraiser lore, the Engineer is a vile creature used by the god Leviathan to help create new Cenobites.)
The Engineer intends to rebuild her stronger than before, but she refuses his plans for her transformation. He casts her into Nidus, where Cenobites in their larval stage fight to survive. It’s a kind of “Middle Hell” or Limbo area for souls in the labyrinth. Having escaped this place before, she must find a way out again.
Her journey eventually puts her on a collision course with her former demonic order. Rather than simply fighting to regain her old position, Deep Throat begins moving toward a new identity and a future beyond her allegiance to the Hell Priest. Her story suggests that the Cenobites’ existence can take unexpected turns after their apparent destruction.
Butterball: Not Quite Dead
Butterball received little character development in the films, and his apparent destruction in Hellbound: Hellraiser II came quickly. His story continues in Hellraiser: Resurrections – Hell’s Council #1, written by Nero Villagallos O’Reilly and illustrated by Francesca Ciregia.
The comic reveals that Butterball’s apparent death wasn’t the end. A mysterious woman takes in the wounded Cenobite and nurses him back to health, gradually manipulating him emotionally as she works her way into his mind and possibly his heart.
For a character who spent much of his screen time simply looking grotesque and intimidating, this story gives Butterball room to develop beyond his appearance. It also leaves readers wondering whether he is the real focus of the story or whether the woman who has taken him in has an agenda of her own.
The Hell Priest: Reclaiming the Throne
The Hell Priest is the clearest example of a Cenobite who has an opportunity to escape his predicament but instead chooses to reclaim his power.
Captain Elliott Spencer‘s experiences in World War I left him disillusioned with humanity. His hedonistic appetites eventually led him to the Lament Configuration and transformed him into the being known as Pinhead. After Hellbound, Spencer and his demonic counterpart were separated, leaving Pinhead without the power he once possessed.
His attempted takeover of Earth in Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth also ended in defeat. Now, Hellraiser: Resurrections – The Return of the Priest #1, written by Sarah Gailey and illustrated by Alessio Avallone, explores his existence in Middle Hell, where Leviathan has left him trapped in sensory deprivation. He can feel neither pain nor pleasure. Which totally sucks for a being like Spencer, who values a good bit of pain.
When Leviathan’s influence restores his ability to experience pain, the sensation becomes a revelation. The Hell Priest sets out to remake himself and gather the Order of the Gash once again, spreading his devotion to pain among those who will follow him. The Hell Priest is literally depicted as going door to door, as it were, talking to other lost souls and trying to convert them to the Order of the Gash.
His return is about more than reclaiming a throne. It is about recovering the ability to feel and rebuilding the order that gives his existence purpose. We won’t spoil the ending for you, but it’s one that leaves the door wide open for future Cenobite tales.
The Box Is Waiting
These four stories offer a deeper look into what happens to the Cenobites when they are defeated. Their apparent deaths do not necessarily mean their stories are over, and their returns can involve transformations that take them in entirely new directions. This does beg the question of what happened to Dr. Channard after he was ultimately killed by his own god, Leviathan, but does that mean, like the other Cenobites, he could return in a future story? Only time and BOOM! Studios will tell.
As Pinhead once demonstrated throughout the franchise, these beings can endure extraordinary physical destruction and still return. Their existence is tied to forces far beyond the human understanding of life and death.
Will these comics lead to even more stories set between the films, the video game, Clive Barker’s The Scarlet Gospels, and Hellraiser: Revival? Could the game eventually receive a sequel? We don’t know.
What we do know is that Hellraiser is finding new ways to expand its mythology, and BOOM! Studios is giving longtime fans more reasons to explore the Labyrinth.
We’re glad the Lament Configuration has been opened. The box is waiting.
