Hellraiser: Bloodline - The Original Screenplay

by Peter Atkins

You may well be a fan of the first two or three Hellraiser movies who found that your relationship with this fourth one was … well, what shall we say? Complicated, maybe? You may, if you were of a kindly and forgiving nature, have found the film somewhat interesting, even occasionally entertaining, but you probably also found it confusing, felt that something just wasn’t right about it. You may have noticed the director’s name—Alan Smithee—and googled it, and discovered that Alan Smithee doesn’t exist, that the name is a pseudonym sometimes applied to movies that have been significantly troubled during production and post-production by crises both financial and creative. Whilst you’ll never get to see a Director’s Cut of Bloodline, you can read in this book what was supposed to be...

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Media Tie In, Science Fiction, Historical Fiction

204 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 21, 2021

About the author

PETER ATKINS is the author of the novels Morningstar, Big Thunder, and Moontown and the screenplays Hellraiser II, Hellraiser III, Hellraiser IV, and Wishmaster. His short fiction has appeared in several award-winning anthologies and has been selected eight times for one or more of the various 'Year's Best' anthologies. His collection, Rumors of the Marvelous, was a finalist for the British Fantasy Award, and his new collection, All Our Hearts are Ghosts & Other Stories, will be published next year. He blogs at peteratkins.blogspot.com and can be found on Facebook under his own name and on Twitter and Instagram as @limeybastard55.

Reviews

[Chip · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am one of those fans that liked the movie, but I have to ask why was this not the movie? How did we get the film we got?

[Sara Twigg · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favourite hellraiser film. Wish they would have done this as the film.

[Anthony O'Connor · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

Like most Hellraiser fans I have a fairly complicated relationship with the movies. Parts 1 and 2? Adore completely. Part 3? Love the first three quarters, find the ending a bit trashy as they give ol' mate Pinhead the Freddy Krueger treatment (plus, um, CD Head). However, it's part 4 aka Bloodline that I feel the most ambivalent about.

See, the wildly ambitious screenplay by Peter Atkins was going to be made into a wildly ambitious horror movie by special effects master Kevin Yagher. But then, despite being greenlit, the producers starting browning their daks with fear. Would the fans appreciate this ambitious, multi-timeline take? Was there enough Pinhead? WOULD THEY ONLY MAKE A DISGUSTING AMOUNT OF MONEY INSTEAD OF AN OBSCENELY HUGE PILE OF IT???

Anyway, the chicken-hearted producers slashed the budget and did some inane reshoots which diminished the fascinating and intriguing conflict between Pinhead and Angelique (and heaps of other stuff). Poor Yagher hated what was left so much he took his name off the flick in favour of "Directed by Alan Smithee" and for generations Hellraiser fans wondered about what could have been, looking longingly at still images in FANGORIA for brief glimpses of grisly, grand guignol genius.

Anyway, we're never getting a director's cut because much of the footage wasn't shot. However, we DO have Atkin's original screenplay to read now and it's pretty bloody good! The first section, in particular, is wonderfully evocative and feels very in keeping with Barker's vision. The second is solid, but the third still feels like it's stuffed full of 90s cheese. Perhaps Pinhead should never have gone to space... although you have to admire the chutzpah of putting him there in the first place.

One wonders what would have happened if Bloodline had been made properly. The Hellraiser series probably would have had at least another couple of cinematic offerings, I suspect, instead of the straight-to-DVD gear that followed. Yagher would have made more horror flicks, no doubt, which would have been welcome.

Ah well, what could have been, eh? Feeling an obscure nostalgia for what never was.

Anyway, this is a good screenplay that deserved much better than it got and I really appreciated the chance to give it a decent squiz. Peter Atkins, mate, it's a bloody shame they did you dirty like this and I hope someone gives you a call re: one of the (two?) Hellraiser reboots currently lobbing about the place.

[Mikepottz · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first three Hellraiser movies are top notch. I usually don't read screenplays but made an exception for this. Lemarchand the obsessed toy maker who will all know made the Lament Configuration, the hell summoning box from the OG. Lemarchand's masterpiece. The secrets within the box the toy maker didn't know. Lemarchard bloodline must be killed. They could turn against the summoned demons. A summoned demon is there to command forever unless you stand in Hells way. A modern day opening of the Lament Configuration, the blue light emitting from beyond, the appearance of the Black Pope, Pinhead. Chains into the neck. Screaming, haunting roar. Pinhead ready to fight with fire. The existence of the Lemarchard offspring which might be a danger to Pinhead. Pinhead has harvested more souls than one can dream of and their suffering is always with him. Pinhead now stuck into the box. Forward 200 years and we are in Space. Yes please. Imagine the fear of Pinhead and other cenobites on the spacecraft. Even worse than Uber Jason. Chatterer Beast slashing, snapping, slavering its jaw. A first new cenobite of a siamese twin.

[Webberly Rattenkraft · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun Fact: One delightfully sunny day in 1996, I took my beloved Fdot to an afternoon screening of HELLRAISER: BLOODLINE (the fourth in the series), and to this day, he still hasn't forgiven me. At last, he and the world have a chance to see what might have been had the studio not insisted on major rewrites and rejiggerings, as Encyclopocalypse Publications brings us Peter Atkins' original, pre-massacre screenplay, and it's a right doozy, it is. Mourn for the loss, but marvel at what we missed out on.

[Andrew Garvey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aside from an introduction, this is exactly what it says it is - the original screenplay for the fourth Hellraiser film. It's a cracking one and so much better than the disappointing, somewhat confused, cheapo imitation that was eventually cobbled together and released by a clueless, interfering and cheapskate studio that seemingly never had any intention of actually making the film as it's written here.

[Rob Ridenour · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s with great strength that I’ve taken time to finish this review since my health isn’t very good. It’s taken me over ten months including two to read it since I have a hard time doing so. For the effort alone I’m proud of it. I love the fantastic and everything about it. Thank you very much!

Now on with the review.

I’ve always been obsessed with “Hellraiser: Bloodline” since I was in highschool. I remember being a goofy freshman and running up to some of my other friends during lunch period and ecstatically telling them about how the new film was going to use the anthology format to tell stories about the creator of the box from the past to the future. “Pinhead in space sounds stupid,” my friend Shawn Gaddy begrudgingly sneered. I always believed the idea could work if the script was good. Everyone else lost interest, but I continued to follow the film’s progress through many different genre magazines (“Fangoria”,”Sci-Fi Universe”, “Cinescape”, etc.) over the next few years. One of the reports from “Fangoria” actually pulled me out of a depression from not making the Senior League All-Star baseball team. In hindsight, reading a lot of horror/sci-fi material that year helped me understand myself and that maybe sports really wasn’t for me. I was different from those types of people.

When I finally saw the trailer attached to “Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers” I was blown away! The angry symphony of Wagner’s “Mars: The Bringer of War” made me jump out of my theater seat and cheer at the screen with passion that I made an older couple move to another seat. I’d experienced my first nerdgasm and was pumped after that! If only the final movie had been as good as the trailer! Kudos to whoever cut that together. And ironically, It was also the best thing about seeing “Halloween 6” too.

“Bloodline” was originally supposed to be released sometime in 1995, but it would be revealed how the first half of the movie was being reshot and that original director and FX whiz Kevin Yagher had been replaced. In a “Fangoria” interview actor Doug Bradley would detail how horrible the movie was to make because of some bad early financial decisions made early on. It wasn’t looking good, but I still held out hope. And thankfully, the other two Clive Barker related projects released that year, “Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh” and “Lord of Illusions”, kept me happy and my desire alive for the love of the imagination of Clive Barker.

Finally, in March of 1996 I saw the film at the Beaucatcher Cinema here in Asheville, NC. I saw it twice in one day and I enjoyed it even though there were obvious problems. I didn’t like how the film had changed from its original anthology approach and how the 18th Century segment had all but been removed. What happened to Angelique’s version of hell? The gambler cenobites? Why was Pinhead now the main star of the movie? And who the hell was Alan Smithee? Everything that made the sequel interesting had been gutted from the final product. As I read more about the film’s production problems I started to loathe the release version because I knew there was a better movie here. I wanted to get my hands on the script, but it was extremely rare.

Years later on the popular ‘Hellraiser’ fan site ‘The Hellbound Web’ administrator Mark Adams was kind enough to transcribe the fourth draft of the script onto the site. I and along with many other fans were able to read the true version of the film for the first time. If my frustrations with the released version weren’t bad enough, reading the script only amplified them because the wonderful movie I knew it should’ve been was there on the page from the start.

Which now brings me to the review of “Hellraiser: Bloodline: The Original Screenplay” or as Peter Atkins likes to call it The Writer’s Cut. The opening foreword by Atkins offers a lot of very interesting anecdotes (typical of him) and most importantly where he finally puts to rest that there will never be an official release of Kevin Yagher’s version of the movie because he never got to finish it right. As a fan I’ve always known that, but to see the actual linear edit itself was something I wanted to judge for myself. Now that I’ve seen clips from the new Arrow Video work print with finished effects and all, I believe Yagher’s version was a stinker because none of the major scenes have any impact because they feel soulless. There are some good things about some of his work in the film (the present day material is pretty strong), but not having enough money really kept him from creating something really strange and baroque which’s the tone the film needed to work.

Now for the script itself, it still has the same bizarre, fairy tale quality that made me get lost in it all those years ago. What it gets right compared to the released version is the character arc for all the LeMarchand bloodline descendants which are more fleshed out making you actually care for them. I really wish they’d brought this out more in the released version because it’s the most important part of the story and is what keeps it together in the script. I particularly liked Paul Merchant here because of how he accepts his fate to end the curse of his bloodline.

The character of Angelique is also much more of a powerful demon than a summoned spirit from hell like in the released version. She’s a much stronger and manipulative character who doesn’t take shit from anyone. The subplot with her trying to outwit Pinhead really should’ve been kept for the final release. I also wish the film would’ve kept the small touches of humanity that Atkins writes in the moments between her and John Merchant. There’s one moment in the script where she seems to hate what she is and I found myself feeling something for this creature. It reminds us that even monsters have feelings too.

There are also entire deleted sequences and characters that I believe could’ve made the film better. The original 18th century segment suffered the most cuts because of how elaborate Atkins wrote them. The infamous sequence where Angelique lures the character of Auguste into a trap with her own troupe of carnival clowns (pre-Order of the Gash) is both terrifying and creepily funny and would’ve left an impression on moviegoers if they’d been able to do it. During the present day segment there’s a scene where a security guard called Valerie Dyson (nice nod to Valentine) who takes an elevator express ride to hell which is more fun than the twin security guards scene from the movie. The future segment also included a character that I believe fans would’ve liked to have seen called Corrine Cotton, who was obviously a descendant to Kristy Cotton from the earlier films. I wonder if Ashley Laurence would’ve come back to play the part of it would’ve worked out? And finally, the ending does a nice job of paying homage to the first film by having the story come full circle and ending with LeMarchand having completed the Lament Configuration again!

If you’re a fan of the series it’s a no-brainer to buy this because this is the true version of the story. And for casual readers it should give them enough frights for you to enjoy even though the format might throw them off at first, but don’t let it bother you. Just go with it. I hope it will also help you find your way into the “Hellraiser” series as well.

Looking back over my life it’s strange how the film played a part in it too. I never dreamed I’d do an interview with the original director at a convention and even getting to chat it up with the screenwriter Peter Atkins about the movie too. I’m very thankful I was able to do so and humbled by the experiences.

I dedicate this review to my father.

RIP.

[Frazer Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

In his foreword, Peter Atkins says Clive Barker told him this was the best of the first four Hellraiser screenplays, and then throws in a modest footnote that Clive might’ve been drunk. Reading this version in print (at last!) i find it hard to believe Clive was even vaguely tipsy. The development of LeMarchand/Merchant across the generations is deftly done. Angelique is the Julia of this screenplay, a dark delight of a character and equal parts victim and assailant. I loved the phantasmagoria of the circus troupe, and the tantalisingly eerie idea of a building constructed of hell-rooms — a concept worthy of a movie or tv series alone. The transitions between the centuries are beautifully subtle. Buy this screenplay, stick on a Hellraiser movie soundtrack, kick back and let this astonishing glimpse of what coulda-shoulda-woulda been play out in your mind’s eye. Such sights!

[Samael Kovacs · Rating 5 out of 5]

The masterpiece that could've been.

Gonna be honest if this script was the film we got it would've been the best Hellraiser story that's me just loving this hell I love the film we have but this would have been so much better


If you know why the film is the way it is that is because certain fucking excutivies which I will not name but whose names are sadly obvious wanted Pinhead in the film earlier.................. After most of the film was already shot.

I fucking hate hollywood man.

Really happy I have this screenplay in paperback form, much easier to read then loose a4 papers.

[Kirsty Mills · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the film so was interested to read the original screenplay to see what the differences between what should have been and what we ended up with. It's not hugely different overall. What was missing from the film are some really great ideas with the clowns and more importantly the developed relationship between Angelique and Pinhead. The space elements, my least favourite section in the film, is still here but feels more dialled down and makes more sense with a slightly better flow.
Definitely recommend for a fan of the franchise.

[Josh Burkey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ah, what could have been. Perhaps one of my biggest fascinations with being a cinephile is knowing what could have been. Peter Atkins presents both a prequel and fitting finale to what would have been the Hellraiser big screen saga. I would have loved to see this come to fruition. Bloodline carries the gruesome imagery of its predecessor but equally gives us a foundation at the same time. Missed opportunity.

[mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Welcome to oblivion

Oh I wish this were the film they made. Pinhead and co back to being unfeeling instead of comic relief like Freddy. If you are a fan of hellraiser read this you shan't be disappointed

[Todd Guerra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ah, the film that could have been. Such an improvement over the actual movie. I really wish they'd actually filmed a lot of the stuff in this script so that they could make a cut that's what it was originally supposed to be. Would have been a hell of a lot better of a film.

[T.J. Tranchell · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a fun read. It’s interesting to see the original vision and think about what actually made it to the screen.

[Cameron Fraser · Rating 4 out of 5]

Infinitely better than the final film.

[Ric Santos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very much like the film version, only linear and alternate scenes to what was presented in the movie. Still enjoyable and a good have for Hellraiser fans.

[George · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reads like a collection of vignettes rather than a single story with a cohesive tone. A ton of interesting ideas and settings but not much is done with them in the end.

[Davey Rumsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

If this script had actually been shot, it would have been the 2001: A Space Odyssey of Hellraiser movies.

[Snobbery and Decay · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kevin Yagher’s first and last feature film was also the last of the Hellraiser franchise that attempted to add anything of interest to Clive Barker’s original mythology. Had the film been shot as written, without the Weinstein brothers’ constant meddling and an ever shrinking budget, would it have been remarkably better? Perhaps. It would have certainly gain in coherence but beyond that I’m not entirely sure. Although Hellbound (1988) was not devoid of impressive set pieces and fascinating ideas, there was a sense of meandering to the whole proceedings that made that second opus not completely satisfying. And as we progressed through the Atkins penned franchise - Hell on Earth (1992) and finally Bloodline (1996) - that feeling intensified while the satisfaction quotient gradually lessened. At least for me. So here’s my point: maybe Hellraiser should have remained a single film. Maybe, by exploring the history of the Lament Configuration and the Cenobites, the fascination for all the unanswered questions that made the first film so impactful along with its human drama and its savage yet hypnotic beauty was trivialised, diluted. And consequently it transformed the Hell Priest - forever renamed Pinhead - and its tortured congregation into a bunch of boogeymen. I don’t know. Maybe it’s just me. For anyone who’s ever caught one of Peter Atkins’ short stories, one thing is certain, the man’s a fine story teller but here, his full talent is not always in evidence. The script has its moments for sure, but it becomes a slog halfway through and I actually found it a bit tough to finish. For Barker’s completists and horror cinema fans only.

[Thomas Simpson · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable read and more coherent than the final film was. A must read for purists of the franchise.