Clive Barker Praises ‘Hellraiser: Revival’ and Doug Bradley

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Clive Barker Was “Astonished” by How Far ‘Hellraiser: Revival’ Goes: “I’m Proud as Fuck” [Exclusive]

If you’ve been wondering whether Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival has its creator’s stamp of approval, Clive Barker couldn’t have made his answer much clearer.

“I’m proud as fuck at the end result.”

Speaking exclusively with Dread Central to celebrate the game’s release, Barker told me that even he was surprised by how far the developers were able to push his world of pain, pleasure, and transgression.

“The folks at Boss Team Games were kind enough to ask me,” Barker explained. “I was passionate about doing this and astonished by the quality of the content. The quality and defiance of the game is extraordinary.”

His biggest concern? That some of that defiance might not survive.

“I was fearful at one point that the game would be overly censored but I’m genuinely astonished by how far they’ve been able to push it,” he continued. “I think for the audience that loves Hellraiser and horror video games this will be a knockout.”

Having just completed it, I think that’s exactly what makes Revival work. It’s a fantastic old-school horror experience that lets you walk around inside Barker’s mythology without feeling like somebody scrubbed away everything that makes it uncomfortable. The sex, the depravity, the grotesque imagery – it’s all part of Hellraiser. It should be confronting.

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And having Doug Bradley back as Pinhead makes that experience even better.

“Doug is Pinhead and Pinhead is Doug,” Barker told me. “They occupy the same space. He does a wonderful job and I would have hated to see anyone else in that role.”

Barker’s affection for Bradley goes back much further than the puzzle box.

“I’ve known Doug since he was 14. He’s been my best friend for most of my life. We worked on theater together for 7-8 years before Hellraiser,” he recalled.

“Doug was always magnificent. We had no money, but we learned to become artists with each other. We taught each other. We didn’t go to theater school.”

Barker said much of what he applied to making Hellraiser came from that experience. It makes me wonder how much that time working alongside actors informed the performances he would later get behind the camera. He understood the process because they had learned it together.

His assessment of Bradley’s range also goes well beyond horror.

“He plays the role with great gravatas and in another universe he could have been James Bond,” Barker said. “That combination of malice and charm was wonderful. I’m so happy he’s in the game.”

Pinhead eventually became the face of Hellraiser, but he began as one of several Cenobites. When I asked Barker about that evolution, he returned to the restraint that made Bradley’s performance so effective.

“When we started shooting the first Hellraiser, I kept giving him the same instruction: do less. He rolled his eyes, but he got it.”

Pinhead doesn’t need to race around the room or compete with the grotesque imagery surrounding him. Bradley can make a line feel threatening without raising his voice.

“I gave him some lines and other actors may have fucked them up, but Doug did not,” Barker said. “You have to go back to an earlier breed of British actors to find someone who could do this the way Doug did.”

“He plays the character in a very cool and detached way. That’s what makes Pinhead and the Cenobites scary.”

Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival is available now on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Nintendo Switch 2. Christian McKnight gave the game 4 out of 5 in Dread Central’s review, writing, “I had a damn good time playing it… It felt like Hellraiser.”

We’ve also been digging into the game’s tribute to Ozzy Osbourne and Lemmy, if you missed that during your own trip through Hell.

As for Barker, this collaboration might not be his last with the team.

“I’m looking forward to working with them again on some other projects.”