8 Disturbing Horror Movie Monsters (And What They Represent)

Pinhead, master of the cenobites and all things overtly BDSM, has got some serious sh*t going on. According to Clive Barker - a Christian god-fearing man and also the creator of a plethora of creatures like pinhead - he writes religious fiction, and his worlds are based on the fundamental belief in a higher power and plane of reality that religion functions in. In an 1998 interview, he stated:

"Where else can you credibly deal with the absolutes of good and evil or probe life beyond the grave? Where else can characters converse with the dead? Those are the same tools of the metaphysician..."

Hellraiser's imagery is no different. Just like Christ pinned to the cross, Pinhead's face is adorned with nails, sacrificing himself to something he believes greater than his very being on blind faith. They hunt out the most intense carnal pleasures in the universe, on a never-ending quest for enlightenment, which is a pretty clear religious link without taking into account his Biblical manner of speaking and priestly garb.

The disenchantment with Christianity and religion in general across the globe is something concerning to the director, so slotting it into a film that explores the nuances of faith, pain, and resurrection is a way of bringing back his personal values into modern conversation. That, and it's f*cking scary.