French director Pascal Laugier is in final negotations with Dimension to helm a remake of Clive Barker’s popular horror-franchise “Hellraiser.” Laugier has directed several horror films in France, including the controversial “Martyrs.”
“This is a dream project for me,” Laugier told the Hollywood Reporter. “I know Clive Barker’s work very well, and I would never betray what he has done. Fans are expecting a definitive ‘Hellraiser,’ and I don’t want to take that away from them.”
A “Hellraiser” relaunch has been in the works for several years now. Dimension has been eager to bring the series back to the big-screen for a new generation of fans.
“If I could make all my films from franchises, I would,” Dimension CEO Harvey Weinstein said recently at the Media and Money conference in New York.
Laugier’s previous work in the horror field are seen as “in tune” with previous entries in the “Hellraiser” series. Laugier’s “Martyrs” has been the subject of controversy since appearing at the Festival de Cannes because of its unrelenting violent nature. “Martyrs” begins as a revenge movie then entering the grounds of spiritual horror, with torture figuring as a focal point.
The “Hellraiser” series began in 1987 with the story of an unfaithful wife attempting to help her dead lover escape from hell. The movie introduced viewers to a race of demons called Cenobites, most notably one nicknamed Pinhead — who became one of the most enduring horror characters of the decade — who was summoned using an antique puzzle box.
Since that time, there have been seven entries in the “Hellraiser” movie series, many going directly to home theater.
[…] in mind, this is one of the founders of Miramax speaking here: “If I could make all my films from franchises, I would,” Dimension CEO Harvey Weinstein said […]