We’re still months away from Halloween, but it’s never too early to start preparing for spooky season, especially when Universal is steadily releasing new Halloween Horror Nights news that makes me want to take up permanent residence within the parks. (As if I didn’t already want to.) The latest update is one Hell of a major announcement, and it pains me in zero ways to say that the Hellraiser franchise is finally getting some theme park haunted house love.
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Not the entire franchise, as that might get a little superfluous, but the new house also isn’t solely rooted in Clive Barker’s seminal first film. Rather, the first three films — Hellraiser, Hellbound: Hellraiser II, and Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth — will get the focus, bringing Pinhead and the Cenobites to Halloween Horror Nights' walkthrough attractions for the first time.
I cannot imagine how many times the phrase "We have such sights to show you" will be used in the final product, as well as how many times that's already been said behind the scenes at both Universal Hollywood and Universal Orlando. And yeah, I'm more than a little jealous.
And guess what? It looks like whenever that line comes up in the attraction itself, it'll be the OG Pinhead saying it.
Hellraiser's Doug Bradley Is Reprising Pinhead For HHN!
For all the iconic characters that have been showcased and portrayed at Universal parks' Halloween Horror Nights over the past 34 years, rare is it for on-screen talent to themselves become part of the scares. And Doug Bradley's contributions thankfully won't just be through the use of archival footage.
Which isn't to say he'll be in full make-up at the parks, either, but that's understandable, given he's in his early 70s. Rather, here's how Universal noted his efforts:
Legendary Pinhead actor Doug Bradley will reprise his character and lend his voice to both haunted houses in Hollywood and Orlando.
I hope the team behind the Hellraiser house gets Bradley to say some trucked f--ked up stuff for the audio that will play out. They can't pussyfoot around with this guy.
As far as what to expect from the house itself, visitors will gloriously get to walk through the Lament Configuration puzzle box that is just as much of a visual stand-in for the film's title as Pinhead himself. The gateway to painful pleasures leads to Frank Cotton's attic, the Channard Institute, and other memorable locations from the original trilogy, culminating in a Cenobite-filled Labyrinth. I'm pretty sure nobody's souls are actually in danger, but no promises.
Check out the teaser video for the Hellraiser house.
Fans can definitely expect to see some new branded merch coming out to celebrate this team-up. As it goes, one will be an exclusive T-shirt for the Hellraiser house, and one will be an acrylic figure that will be part of this year's Infernal Carnival collective display.
Final note: Jamie Clayton portrayed Pinhead for the 2022 remake, which obviously isn’t part of this particular haunted house, though it’d still be cool to see some kind of a nod to it.
Stay tuned for a few more major announcements for what other terrifying monsters are coming to HHN 2026. For those who can’t possibly wait until the even starts to indulge in large-scale horror festivities, definitely check out the Universal After Dark attraction in Las Vegas.
