Author and filmmaker Clive Barker’s Hellraiser franchise has brought a more sensuous side to the horror genre, often exploring the lines between sex and violence with its monstrous Cenobites promising the ultimate in otherworldly hedonism. These themes are front and center for the Hellraiser revival film, directed by David Bruckner and released as a Hulu original, introducing a new generation of victims and Cenobites alike. Poised to bring Hellraiser, as a whole, to a wider audience, the film curiously strays away from its more graphically violent sensibilities in contrast to past installments and runs a bit too long, but delivers some solid memorable moments to the franchise.

The Hellraiser revival follows a young woman named Riley (Odessa A’zion), who is struggling with addiction, putting her at odds with her brother and their friends. After encountering a mysterious box known as the Lament Configuration, Riley discovers that anyone whose blood touches the device suddenly disappears. Determined to learn more about the sinister box and what has become of those that have fallen victim to it, Riley and her friends set out to investigate more about its true nature before crossing paths with the Cenobites, extra-dimensional beings led by the regally sadistic Hell Priest (Jamie Clayton).

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jamie clayton as pinhead in Hellraiser reboot

In trying to pace Hellraiser as a slow burn, the first half of the revival film feels curiously sedate, and the extended runtime -- at just over two hours -- is readily apparent. Though Hellraiser deals with dread and implied violence, several of the opening kills occur off-screen, and no trace of their violence remains, leaving Riley and, by extension, the audience to wonder what exactly has transpired to the ill-fated characters. For a franchise that has constantly brought gory mayhem to the forefront, this Hellraiser is considerably tamer than prior installments, perhaps to broaden its appeal.

This isn’t to say that the new Hellraiser is a bloodless affair. There are some gruesome kills that are showcased vividly on-screen, with the franchise’s penchant for nastiness on full display. Like the 1987 original film, the entire tenor of this new movie changes once the Cenobites stand revealed, bringing a sense of brutal fatalism as they relentlessly pursue those who summon them. These redesigned monsters are gorgeously rendered and significantly lend to the gothic aesthetic present in the film, with the revival boasting the highest production values and most beautiful art design for the franchise in decades.

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Hellraiser The Masque cenobite

The cast does a solid enough job of maintaining the audience’s attention, even through the movie’s slower, more awkwardly-paced moments in the first half. A’zion makes for an admirable horror protagonist, knowing when to dial up the terror as she reacts to the scares on-screen while capturing the energy of a woman on the edge long before the Cenobites arrive. Clayton’s performance as the new Pinhead, the fan-dubbed nickname for the Hell Priest, is riveting -- whenever Clayton is on-screen, it is all eyes on her as she delivers vaunted monologues in between bursts of requisite sadism.

The decision to deliberately pace out the new Hellraiser and attempt to instill a sense of mystery are the new Hellraiser’s biggest missteps, but fortunately, by the second half, these tactical errors are discarded once the bloody action kicks into high gear. This is a film that brings back the franchise to its menacingly beautiful roots after years of lesser installments that brought the Cenobites everywhere from virtual reality to outer space, instead confining the action back to more welcomed terrestrial locations. While its sense of restraint may put off some longtime fans of the franchise, this decision may be just what Hellraiser needs to survive as it brings new audiences into the fold, with the revival opening plenty of possibilities moving forward.

Directed by David Bruckner, Hellraiser is available to stream Oct. 7 on Hulu.