According to the good folks over at Bloody Disgusting, attendees at this past weekend’s Silver Scream Con in Danvers, MA, were given the opportunity to hear the original Pinhead (the iconic Doug Bradley) share his opinion about the new Pinhead (Jamie Clayton, perhaps best known for her work in Netflix’s Sense8), and it sounds like he’s embracing the character’s gender-swap with an open mind.
Said Bradley:
It seemed like [a female Pinhead] was coming. It’s an interesting piece of casting. I don’t know Jamie. Of course, they’ve taken even a little bit of a wrinkle in that, because Jamie is transgender. I’m not familiar with her recent work, but there was a science fiction series on Netflix several years ago called Sense8, which I was quite a fan of. Jamie was in that, and I really, really liked her performance in that.
I really can’t say more than that. I do like to point out that I did wear a skirt as Pinhead! It’s an interesting casting decision. Well, that only goes so far. We say ‘female Pinhead’ like we know what that means, but there are a million shades of femininity. Where exactly are they going to go with that?
This is an excellent point! Details regarding David Bruckner’s Hellraiser have been in very short supply ever since the production went in front of cameras (don’t worry, the next issue of FANGORIA Magazine will have plenty of Hellraiser details for you), and at this point we have very little to go on in terms of how making Pinhead female might impact things — if at all!
Bradley went on to add:
Everything about Hellraiser has always been transgressive. Everything, always, from start to finish. It’s not a new idea in that sense, but I’m intrigued. I’m in the same position as all the rest of you, I guess, to see where that goes.
So, it sounds like Bradley is intrigued by the possibilities inherent in Clayton’s casting, and curious to discover where this new Hellraiser might lead us. That’s certainly where we’re at! If nothing else, changing the formula will keep things fresh, and lord knows if there’s a horror franchise out there that could stand to be shaken up a bit, it’s Hellraiser.
You can stop by Bloody Disgusting to read the rest of Bradley’s remarks on the new Hellraiser (including a fun little mention about the changes that’ve been made to the Chatterer, and how important story will be in keeping the Hellraiser brand strong), which hits Hulu on October 7th.
