Hellraiser Movie Rights Return To Franchise Creator Clive Barker
Clive Barker, the writer and director of the original Hellraiser film, has won a legal dispute to reclaim the film’s rights. Barker is one of the horror genre’s most accomplished, prolific and beloved creators, having found great success through both his written and onscreen work. He is currently working as executive producer on a Hellraiser TV series at HBO.
When Hellraiser first released in 1987, it spawned a loyal following and left an indelible mark on the horror genre. Based on Barker’s novella The Hellbound Heart, the original film follows a group of humans and their interactions with the Cenobites – a sect of demonic creatures who travel across dimensions in search of extreme sadomasochistic experiences. Hellraiser has been both praised as seminal and criticized as empty, grotesque violence, but it’s remained a staple of the genre for decades. More recently though, that legacy has manifested only as a string of poorly-received, direct-to-video sequels.
That could be about to change. Per The Hollywood Reporter, Barker has reached a victorious ruling in his bid to take back the original film rights. Invoking the Copyright Act of 1976, which allows authors to reclaim rights from publishers after a certain amount of time (usually 35 years), Barker won Hellraiser back from Park Avenue Entertainment. He will officially repossess the U.S. film rights in December of 2021, though the ownership of international rights remains unclear at this time.
The victory for Barker has major implications for the franchise, effectively putting the creator back in a position of authority over future uses of the property. The upcoming HBO show will happen under Barker’s eye, with a production team that also involves Halloween’s David Gordon Green and Trick ‘r Treat’s Michael Dougherty. There’s also a new Hellraiser movie in the works, which will be directed by David Bruckner. Between the film, the series, and the promise of future projects coming under Barker’s jurisdiction, Hellraiser fans look to have a bright future ahead of them.
Hopefully, that future can help redeem the franchise’s recent past, as well as some of Barker’s newer adaptations. Hulu’s Books of Blood, and anthology film based on Barker’s classic work of the same name, released in October to overwhelmingly negative reviews, being called everything from boring and unoriginal to laughably bad. While the genre has always been niche, Barker has made a career out of work that rises above and blazes trails in the realm of horror. With one of his most beloved properties back in his hands, that trend could continue with the future of Hellraiser.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
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