Editorials
Here’s How to Fix ‘Hellraiser’…And You’re Not Going to Like It
The Hellraiser films are a tragic franchise. While Friday the 13th made sure the kills kept climbing and A Nightmare on Elm Street returned to its roots (a lá Wes Craven’s New Nightmare), the Hellraiser series descended into direct-to-video sequel oblivion, each one becoming progressively worse. Hell, with the news that Halloween is no longer at Dimension, that means we’ll even get to see possible new approaches to Michael Myers.
But when it comes to our friendly neighborhood Cenobites, we’ve been languishing in pits of despair so great that not even Pinhead would subject his victims to such suffering. And there’s a problem there. These movies have a rich mythology behind them thanks to esteemed author/creator Clive Barker and we deserve films that honor the amount of work that went into creating that world.
Now, I have an idea on how we can bring the franchise back from the dead, back into a state of grace where imaginations can flow as freely as a freshly severed artery. But as with any such radical idea, there must be a sacrifice and I have a feeling that many of you aren’t going to like my suggestion. Jesus wept, remember?
In order to create a new series of Hellraiser films, ones that will challenge audiences as well as filmmakers; the series needs to let go of Pinhead. No, I’m not joking here. Pinhead is the biggest crutch that the series continues to rely on and he’s also entirely unnecessary in terms of continuing the story.
Let’s think about this, okay? The Lemarchand Box was created in the late 18th century, as shown in Hellraiser: Bloodline. Upon its first use, it summoned Angelique, who’s a rather unpleasant character in and of herself. However, her techniques are quite different from Pinhead’s. Instead of embracing pain and suffering as her tenets, she prefers the methods of temptation. It’s obviously effective and she still isn’t afraid to get to the heart of the matter, quite literally.
So, we’ve had the box as a gateway to Hell for over 200 years. It’s only in 1921 that Captain Elliot Spenser opens the box and becomes the latest human-turned-Cenobite. That means that there’s still 150-ish years of possible Cenobites that have caused suffering and carnage. And that’s not even taking into account that Hell has been around for a very, very long time, which means there are other demonic entities that are all about feasting on souls.
To further this point, Doug Bradley himself told Fangoria in the May 1989 issue, “I don’t see him as the first Cenobite. Of the four we know about, he is the leader, but the Cenobites have been around for centuries. To me, Pinhead is the chief Cenobite of the 20th Century…”
In fact, never have we been told that Pinhead is the ultimate Cenobite. In Hellbound: Hellraiser 2, Dr. Channard as a Cenobite not only defeated Pinhead but the other three lieutenants as well, Chatterer, Butterball, and Female Cenobite (I wish Barbie Wilde had an actual Cenobite name but this is apparently canon).
What this tells me is that there are other Cenobites that are just as powerful, if not more so, than Pinhead. And that fascinates me. That intrigues me. That makes me want to know more about them. So why not use them as the foundations for future Hellraiser films? Just look at the teaser for Hellraiser: Origins and tell me you’re not pumped about that world being fleshed out (pun absolutely intended).
Look, Pinhead has never been the central character in these films. Sure, he’s an interesting one but other Cenobites could be, if given the same screen time and attention as he receives. Plus, when they replaced Doug Bradley, the horror community rioted. It was nearly the same as when the Nightmare on Elm Street remake came along and they said Robert Englund wasn’t going to reprise Freddy. So why even bother? Get away from Pinhead altogether and show us what other sights Hell has to offer!
What are your thoughts? Am I onto something here or should I open the Lament Configuration and rid myself of this world? Tell me in the comments!
I first heard about The Mandela Catalogue through a couple of nephews who were obsessed with the ARG’s sinister mythology. It was only after watching Wendigoon’s in-depth analysis of the series that I realized just how deep this rabbit hole goes.
In fact, I’d already been exposed to the nightmarish visuals of Alex Kister’s YouTube creation for years at that point without even realizing that it was the origin of several viral “cursed images” and spooky memes that had leaked into the wider internet – with this viral element actually being a part of the Catalogue’s overarching narrative.
Flash-forward to 2026 and the unprecedented success of Kane Parsons’ Backrooms has led to Hollywood betting on horrific internet properties with existing fanbases, which means that Kister’s unique hybrid of both religious and analog horror is finally headed to the big screen with a script written by Kister himself alongside Tyler Clifton.
While this news shouldn’t be too surprising if you’ve been keeping up with the ongoing success of The Mandela Catalogue (both myself and Wendigoon having previously predicted that the series would inevitably make the jump to theaters one day), plenty of horror fans are likely confused as to why so many folks are excited for what appears to be a Hollywood adaptation of a series of creepy .jpeg images under a VHS filter.
With that in mind, today I’d like to invite fellow readers to accompany me as I explore the origins of Alex Kister’s viral hit and attempt to explain exactly why we should all be excited about the Mandela Catalogue adaptation!
From High School Writing Project to Internet Horror Phenomenon
The first seeds of The Mandela Catalogue were sown when Kister was still in high school and developed a writing project subverting religious tropes in a world where biblical history had been altered by demonic forces. A little while later, Kister came across an analog horror contest on Reddit and decided to adapt his ideas into a standalone video where he would edit a religious kids’ cartoon –The Beginner’s Bible: The Nativity, to be specific- into something far creepier. This is how the iconic Overthrone video was born, with this viral short film taking on a life of its own as fans demanded more eerie content from Kister.
Though the video was originally meant to be a one-and-done sort of affair, with Kister actually regretting some of its primitive visuals and considering the editing amateurish and “YouTube-Poop-like” when compared to his current standards, fan reaction and free time during the COVID-19 pandemic encouraged the (then) seventeen-year-old filmmaker to continue producing content set in this same world. The Mandela Catalogue name was inspired by the Mandela Effect conspiracy theory, as the series would slowly begin to explore the subtle horror of alternate histories.
Inspired by existential dread brought on by extended periods of quarantine as well as a personal crisis of faith, Kister continued to expand his alternate timeline where the rise of Christianity had been prevented by what was presumably the Devil disguised as the Archangel Gabriel. This alternate course of fictional events led to the existence of certain paranormal anomalies that had come to be accepted as “normal” by the 1990s, which is why most of the series’ supernatural horror is presented in such a matter-of-fact manner.
Most of this background information and religious lore is delivered by increasingly cryptic broadcasts and in-universe PSAs, as well as the occasional found footage video, that often have to be decoded by clever viewers. Of course, it’s the consistently disturbing imagery that made the series so popular – much of which was originally created by Kister on a smartphone!
The Alternates: Horror’s Most Unsettling Modern Monsters
The show’s early episodes mostly take place within the fictional Mandela County in Wisconsin and depict life in a world where demonic entities are capable of using media to enter our reality. This process usually involves scaring victims into killing themselves and then repurposing their bodies as horrific doppelgangers referred to as “Alternates”. This terrifying phenomenon has become so common that local police already have specialized procedures in place to deal with the issue, though this usually consists of simply ignoring calls for help so as to avoid spreading so-called “Metaphysical Awareness Disorder” any further.
Over time, Kister would expand this mythology and incorporate different kinds of Alternates into the mix, though the story never stopped deconstructing religious concepts. The series’ second volume exponentially increased both video quality and the overall narrative scope as we began to follow the lives of characters who had already grown up in this dystopian hellscape where the government is forced to prohibit religion, television, and even mirrors in the hopes of mitigating the damage done by the ongoing invasion of otherworldly entities.
The really interesting part comes into play when you realize exactly how the Alternates make use of scary media in order to spread their demonic influence, with the analog horror of it all being a diegetic part of the story and something of a memetic trap orchestrated by the false Gabriel.
I particularly appreciate how some characters begin to suspect that there’s something wrong with their version of reality and that things weren’t meant to play out this way, especially when Mark utters the haunting line “who have I been praying to all this time?” That’s why I think The Mandela Catalogue is an effective piece of religious horror even if you don’t subscribe to the Christian worldview, as the mere idea of a world where evil has already won is a universally terrifying concept in and of itself. Not only that, but the series’ uncanny analog imagery alone is already worth the price of admission, as you’ve likely already noticed by looking at the pictures accompanying this article.
Why The Feature Adaptation Could Be Horror’s Next Big Success
It’s actually been a whole year since Kister first announced that he had been working on a feature-length screenplay for a Mandela Catalogue movie since 2022, with his proposed story following an ensemble of high-school graduates who uncover a supernatural conspiracy after the mysterious disappearance of a fellow student. This premise sounds similar to narrative elements present in the series’ second volume, but I’m pretty sure that Kister is going to go the Kane Parsons route and make the movie more of a spin-off than a re-imagining of its source material.
While notable Hollywood producers like Aaron B. Koontz, Scott Stuber, and Steven Spielberg himself are backing the upcoming project, I feel like there’s no one better to adapt this deeply personal exploration of faith and the dark side of communication than the person who first came up with it. That’s why I can’t wait to see Kister’s work on the big screen, as I have a feeling that this young filmmaker is the next one on the list about to make cinematic history – especially since this is clearly a passion project that has been in the works for years at this point!
That being said, there’s always a chance that the film could end up unleashing a fresh wave of Alternate incursions, but I guess that’s just a risk we’ll have to take.
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