I am now laying on the couch engaged in one of my favorite nerd activities; reading the latest movie buzz. I usually become enraged at every news article regarding the next remake or adaptation of something I love. It's the fanboy in me...he refuses to let me be happy.
However, sometimes I smile because the people doing it not only get what makes it work, but also want to do it justice. Sin City, Watchmen, Harry Potter, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Friday the 13th remakes, there are quite a lot of them, actually, you just have to see them for what they are. Unfortunately, most of them are dogshit and I get so angry I nearly give myself an aneurism when talking about them at lenth.
The Hellraiser remake, is one of the former.
Speaking as a person who enjoys Clive Barker's work on a more than casual, but less than fanatical level, the movies are very hit or miss when it comes to how successful they are in adapting an already flawless short story or novella. The recent adapations of the short stories found in the Books of Blood have only truly gotten it right once.
But, let's talk about Hellraiser. The movie itself was written by Clive Barker, an adaptation of his novella "The Hellbound Heart". Now, as an adaptation of the book, the movie did a piss poor job. I'm not saying it was a bad movie, it's 80's horror at it's finest, it just sucks as an adaptation.
Now over 20 years later and they're remaking it, but this time it's different, somehow. This time we're getting a remake of an adaptation of a book, which is an adaption of the book and not the movie it's remaking? Hold on, I'm still processing that last sentence. Ok, I'm listening.
Here's some of the speculation from www.upcominghorrormovies.com
This flick will reportedly be in 3D
Ok, I know the first instinct here is hop on the "Fuck 3D" bandwagon, but this could be interesting. If it doesn't take the cheap route and use it as a lame scare tactic (My Bloody Valentine), but instead tries to use it in a way to bring the world to life (Avatar) the possibilities could be astounding. Hell, in full 3D? I'm fuckin in.
Fully titled Clive Barker Presents: Hellraiser.
Good.
The Pinhead in this film will be different from the one we've grown to love.
The book and movie have very different takes on the cenobite's, with Pinhead in particular. In the book the cenobites are still there, they just took a back seat to the real story. See, the main plot detailed how far one woman was willing to go for her lover, who just so happened to be her husband's brother. The cenobites just pop out every now and then and there is no leader of the pack. There's one in particular who did happen to stand out above the others, but that character was female. In the movies you know her as Pinhead.
Back in the 80's, every big horror movie that became a franchise, had a male embodiment of evil as the protagonist. All the horror icons are male, so I'm guessing that's why Pinhead was moved to the foreground and given the change in gender. It might have even been this change alone that made it the classic it is today. So, as a remake this is a blasphemy, but as an adaptation of the book it's absolutely necessary. I'll allow it.
Pascal Laugier (Martyrs) was once attached to direct before he left the project.
I'm so pissed, this would have been epic!
Now, this is all speculation, but if it gets made and they do it this way, it'll be what the original film should have been all along.
Coming soon: My thoughts on Nightmare On Elm Street
No comments:
Post a Comment