Movies
Paul T. Taylor Talks Playing Pinhead in ‘Hellraiser: Judgment’
Tentatively set for release sometime this year, Dimension’s new sequel Hellraiser: Judgment will be the second film in the franchise without Doug Bradley; the first, Hellraiser: Revelations, understandably made fans worried about any actor other than Bradley playing the iconic role of Pinhead. Alas, Bradley didn’t want to do it, so Paul T. Taylor was brought in to take over.
Speaking with Dallas Observer, Taylor just talked a bit about the controversial recasting, assuring that playing Pinhead is a lifelong dream and that has done his best to honor Bradley’s work.
Said the new Pinhead:
It was the coolest thing that’s ever happened to me in my life. Being on that set was the coolest thing I’ve ever done. [Pinhead] was always my favorite horror icon because he was the most twisted and intelligent in my mind. And I love the fetish wear, and it’s just wrong. He’s just so wrong. Chains on hooks? That’s so gruesome and grotesque. Clive Barker’s mind is just so twisted.
I had a couple of months to work on it before we shot and I stayed home as much as possible with very few lights on while I was learning the lines. I live in South Oak Cliff in kind of a bad neighborhood, and I would just walk around like a badass basically. [I knew] that I needed to honor the Pinhead that everyone loved already, the Doug Bradley Pinhead.
Taylor admitted:
It is a little daunting. I’ve read some comments from the fans who are gonna hate me as Pinhead no matter what, but many of them are smart enough and cool enough to say, ‘I’m not gonna judge until I see Paul T. Taylor play Pinhead,’ and, ‘He’s not Doug Bradley but I’m gonna give him a chance.’
The actor also promised that the new film will “gross people out.” He added, “Hooks on chains might be mild at this point.”
In the new sequel…
Detectives Sean and David Carter are on the case to find a gruesome serial killer terrorizing the city. Joining forces with Detective Christine Egerton, they dig deeper into a spiraling maze of horror that may not be of this world. Could the Judgment awaiting the killer’s victims also be waiting for Sean?
The film also stars A Nightmare On Elm Street‘s Heather Langenkamp, along with Damon Carney, Randy Wayne, Alexandra Harris, John Gulagher, Mike Jay Regan, Diane Goldner, Andi Powers, Jeff Fenter, Helena Grace Donald, and Grace Montie (read about their roles).
Movies
‘Werewolf By Night 2’? Michael Giacchino Says It’s Being Talked About But “Everything Takes Forever”
It was Oscar-winning composer Michael Giacchino who sat in the director’s chair for Marvel’s Disney+ Halloween special Werewolf by Night back in 2022, which was released in both throwback black & white as well as full color. But are we ever getting a sequel?
Giacchino tells Screen Rant in a new chat this week that he remains hopeful.
“We’re talking about it,” Giacchino explains. “Everything takes forever to do. There’s a lot of planning that has to happen. Everything has to fit in a particular place at a particular time.”
He adds, “So, nothing moves as fast as we’d like it to. But I hope one day that you will be sitting there watching another Werewolf by Night. That’s my hope.”
Inspired by horror films of the ’30s and ’40s, Marvel Studios’ Werewolf by Night takes place on a dark and somber night as a secret cabal of monster hunters emerge from the shadows and gather at the foreboding Bloodstone Temple following the death of their leader.
In a strange memorial to the leader’s life, the attendees are thrust into a mysterious and deadly competition for a powerful relic—a hunt that will ultimately bring them face to face with a dangerous monster.
Meagan Navarro wrote in her review for BD, “The MCU kicked the horror into overdrive with Werewolf by Night. The nearly hour-long feature presents as a classic horror movie, dropping viewers into the middle of a secret world of monster hunters. Film composer Michael Giacchino directs the special, penned by Heather Quinn and Peter Cameron. Giacchino focuses on evoking the classic horror vibe to assist in the initial worldbuilding. The events play out in monochrome, save for the vibrant red glow of the Bloodstone. Cigarette burns and film grain get added for that retro look. The rules of the hunt get relayed to the cutthroat candidates by way of reanimated dead, albeit in a much campier and family-friendly way via animatronics.”
“Aside from the aesthetics, Werewolf leans heavily into the mysterious,” Meagan continued. “The black and white cinematography more than sets the retro vibe; it allows the feature to remain accessible to a wider audience even as it lets its monsters and monster hunters spill plenty of blood. Toss in a Jack Pierce-inspired beast with practical application, and you’ve got a modern superhero story with a classic Universal Monsters makeover.”

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