'Hellraiser' Interviews: Jamie Clayton and David Bruckner

Moviefone speaks with Jamie Clayton and director David Bruckner about 'Hellraiser.' “I was nervous to fill these shoes,” Clayton said of playing Pinhead.

Premiering on Hulu beginning October 7th is ‘Hellraiser,’ a reboot of the classic 80’s horror movie written and directed by Clive Barker and based on his own novel, ‘The Hellbound Heart.’

The new movie, which was directed by David Bruckner (‘The Night House’), follows Riley (Odessa A’zion), a young woman struggling with addiction who comes into possession of an ancient puzzle box.

Riley soon discovers that the puzzle’s purpose is to summon the Cenobites, a group of sadistic supernatural beings from another dimension, including their leader, Pinhead (Jamie Clayton).

In addition to A’zion and Clayton, the movie also features Brandon Flynn, Drew Starkey, Adam Faison, Selina Lo, and Goran Visnjic.

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Jamie Clayton and director David Bruckner to discuss their new film, rebooting the classic horror movie, incorporating Barker’s original source material, and Clayton’s experience portraying the iconic Pinhead.

Jamie Clayton as Pinhead in Spyglass Media Group's 'Hellraiser.'

You can read the full interview below or click on the video played above to watch our interviews with Clayton, Bruckner, Odessa A’zion, Brandon Flynn, Drew Strakey, and Adam Faison.

Moviefone: To begin with, David, can you talk about the challenges of remaking such a groundbreaking and beloved horror film as ‘Hellraiser’ and what were some the elements from the original source material that you wanted to include in this reboot?

David Bruckner: It's my first time working on a beloved IP. It's a film that, the original ‘Hellraiser’ is revered for me in so many different ways. I never imagined I would get to play in this world. So, it's challenging in that regard. I think when it gets into the material and making the film, you realize pretty quickly how astounding those movies were, what they were able to achieve. Not just in the complexities of creating Cenobites and Labyrinths, this universe, but also in the density, in the layered nature of the material.

‘Hellraiser's complex stuff. It's psychological, it's surreal, it's visceral. So, there was always something for us to reach for and for us to contend with, of what had come before us. Just the sheer volume of invention was daunting. But we followed our passions. We tried to put as much of what we love about ‘Hellraiser’ into this movie while also telling a story that was close to us.

MF: Jamie, as an actress what is it like taking on such an iconic role as Pinhead?

Jamie Clayton: I mean, it was a huge challenge. I was nervous from the start, the idea of trying to fill these shoes. So, it was like we didn't want to try to do that. I didn't want to try to mimic Doug's (Bradley) performance in any way. We didn't want to do an impression of that. We wanted to really make it unique and make it its own. So, David and I had many discussions. I mean, he was so generous with his time while he was filming.

Jamie Clayton as Pinhead in 'Hellraiser,' which will premiere on Hulu beginning October 7, 2022.

He never had a day off but would schedule these Zooms with me where we would could talk about each scene individually, and what the intention behind each line and with each character, what that would be. I just tried to go to a really dark, sensual place. This time around, we wanted to create something that nobody was expecting and that nobody had seen before. I really wanted to just blow everybody's minds.

MF: Finally, when you have the full make-up and costume on, does it do half of the work for you? Does it help you find the character?

JC: Yes. Half, or more. It's a quid pro quo, the costume and me. I couldn't do it without it. I mean, it really helps me get to that place. Music also helps. Again, the conversations that David and I had helped. Then also David had told me early on that they wanted to do a lot of the effects practical, and I'd never been on a set where so much had been done practical.

So, that honestly helped too. It helped for the actors to see the Cenobites dressed. I mean, that is what we looked like, what you see. But then also for me to see chains ripping into flesh, and to see so much blood and so much water, it really helped.