It wasn’t going to be easy, but we knew that.
David Bruckner’s 2022 relaunch of the show HellraiserFranchise was started in the 1980s with Clive Barker’s novella The Hellbound HeartBarker’s movie adaptation (which was later made into a movie) is every bit as gory and dark as the film’s title. The ending is, however, no different.
Let’s talk about what happened in the final credits, if you felt a bit winded afterward. What was the exact story? Hellraiser What does it all mean in 2022?
What happens in Hellraiser (2022)?
Bruckner’s movie is not an adaptation or remake of Barker’s book. Although it is a different story, the concepts are similar to those in Barker’s original novel.
Hellraiser (2022) is the story of Riley (Odessa A’zion), a recovering addict whose path to recovery is impeded by her relationship (Drew Starkey) with Trevor (Drew Starkey). The pair steals contents from a storage container that appears abandoned in an attempt to make quick money. The pair discover a dangerous and strange puzzle box, which was previously owned by Goran Visnjic (a sadistic millionaire). Voight has since vanished.
The problem is? The problem is that the puzzle box can open a portal to an evil dimension, home to very nasty creatures known as the Cenobites. They enjoy inflicting pain and are extremely unpleasant. Each puzzle box has a different configuration, and each requires a new human sacrifice to allow the Cenobites pain and torture. Riley will be rewarded with a gift if she makes it to the end, if not, these evil creatures will promise her something beyond her wildest expectations.
What is the twist at the ending of? Hellraiser (2022)?
They are only a handful. First, Voight is still alive, even though he was assumed to have died.
He is hiding in his crumbling mansion and has been fitted a horrible contraption which causes him occasional bursts extreme pain. Vogt received the contraption from the Cenobites as a “gift”. He chose “sensation” from a variety of options. He thought he would experience new pleasures. Unfortunately, the Cenobites favor pain over pleasure and are averse to desserts.
A second twist is that Trevor who appeared to be an unwitting ally for Riley was actually working for Voight. He got her to find the puzzle box by tricking her. He led her to Voight where she could solve its puzzles. Voight may trap the Cenobites at his mansion, and ask for a refund.
What happens to Voight?
Riley discovers that the Cenobites are only a trap at the film’s end. Initially, Riley wanted “resurrection” in order to bring her brother back from his death. When it comes to claiming her prize, she declines. The Priest (played by Jamie Clayton) announces that Riley has chosen the gift “lamentation”. This basically means that she will have to face the consequences of her actions which led to her accidentally leading the Cenobites toward her brother.
Voight manages to persuade the creatures to give up his “sensation”, and instead trade it for the “power”. Quickly, Voight is pulled into the air and a huge version of the puzzle boxes awaits him. Voight’s final scene shows his body being ripped apart into new shapes, so that it resembles a Cenobite.
There are many interpretations of this. Voight’s transformation can be seen as a metaphor of the corrupting nature power and the cycle that makes victims into persecutors. However, this is literal meaning of the legend of Voight. HellraiserIt’s obvious that we’re being shown the origins and terror of the creatures that plague Riley throughout this film.
This implies that while the Cenobites may have once been humans, their experiences with the puzzle box led to them becoming the nightmares they are today.
