10 Horror Movie Sequels That Started In Surprising Ways

Having won plentiful praise for its sinister visuals, unnerving atmosphere, and ominous dialogue, 1987's Hellraiser introduced moviegoers to Pinhead and his Cenobites. Presenting these sinister sorts as an otherworldly force - after all, they do reside in Hell - Clive Barker's directorial debut set these pleasure 'n' pain-obsessed figures up as something totally foreign to the real world.

Catching many a horror hound off guard, follow-up Hellbound: Hellraiser II opened by surprisingly humanising Pinhead.

Released just a year after its predecessor, this sequel started by showcasing Pinhead before he was Pinhead. Rather than forever being some pseudo supernatural being that's only ever called the murky depths of Hell home, Hellbound's opening teased that Pinhead was previously a human soldier who was ultimately corrupted by the infamous Lament Configuration.

The film would later identify this man as Elliot Spencer, a British army captain during World War I. And with that, Pinhead now had a backstory; a backstory which itself would be further elaborated on and fleshed out in 1992's Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth. In fact, that threequel went in the bold direction of utilising Pinhead and Spencer as two entirely separate entities who had been unbonded following the events of Hellbound's finale.