10 More Horror Movie Sequels That Had No Right To Be This Good

4. Hellraiser (2022)

Hellraiser Pinhead
Hulu

The Hellraiser series is one full of far more stinkers than classics, with the 11-film franchise one condemned to straight-to-DVD releases after just its fourth movie, Hellraiser: Bloodline in 1996.

While it didn't get a theatrical release, though, last year's reboot of the franchise was far better than anyone was expecting. Long had fans been burned by dumpster fire's such as Hellraiser: Revelations, Hellraiser: Hellseeker, and Hellraiser: Hellworld, and thus anticipation was low for the 2022 film.

Bringing a welcome lick of fresh paint to the stagnant series, this David Bruckner-helmed picture features a mesmerising Jamie Clayton as the Priest, the leader of the Cenobites. Of course, some quarters bemoaned Hellraiser for gender-swapping Pinhead here, but that was an utterly daft argument to have in the first place, and those naysayers were left looking rather daft when Clayton knocked it out of the park.

Being immediately released to streaming platforms didn't help the 2022 Hellraiser, yet those who have seen it will agree that this was the finest entry in the franchise since Hellbound: Hellraiser II all the way back in 1988. Heck, it may even actually be a better movie than that second outing for the series.

Senior Writer
Senior Writer

Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main day job, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks/Saints, Jamie Hayter, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is co-host of the Fearless in Devotion podcast, which won the Club Podcast of the Year gong at the 2024 FSA Awards.