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‘Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival’ Video Game Devs On Making The Franchise “Nobly Provocative” In The Modern Age
Deadline spoke with Saber Interactive's Antony De Fault and Emil Esov, respectively narrative director and game director on Clive Barker's Hellraiser: Revival, about bringing the horror franchise into video games for the first time. Set more than 20 years after the original film, the standalone game follows Aiden, a troubled young man with a history of addiction, prison and gang involvement, whose unhealthy relationship with his girlfriend Sunny draws them into a nightmare involving the Cenobites. The project matters because it fills a long-standing gap for fans, following a scrapped 1990s NES attempt, and marks the franchise's first proper video game adaptation, with Doug Bradley returning to voice Pinhead.
The developers said Clive Barker was closely involved but largely hands-off, giving guidance on the "spirit" of Hellraiser and a few aesthetic notes, such as the depiction of the labyrinth, without dictating major creative decisions. They drew inspiration primarily from Barker's original novellas and the earliest films rather than later instalments, aiming to capture the series' blend of pain, pleasure and philosophical horror. De Fault noted that the Hellraiser licence gave them freedom to push further on graphic content and mature themes than an original IP might have allowed, while Aiden and Sunny were created as new characters, alongside the returning Cenobites, driven by an unfillable inner emptiness that fuels their extreme behaviour.
In short
- Hellraiser gets its first true video game, Revival, from Saber Interactive
- Game follows new character Aiden and girlfriend Sunny facing the Cenobites
- Clive Barker guided the game's tone but let developers make creative calls
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
A faithful game adaptation can honour Hellraiser’s tradition of confronting pain, desire and inner emptiness, while giving fans a long-awaited way to engage with the franchise. The developers’ focus on Barker’s early work and his guidance on its spirit may help preserve its distinctive ideas while allowing new characters and interactive storytelling to expand them.
The case against
Using the franchise’s freedom to push graphic content and mature themes risks making provocation an end in itself, especially when the story centres on addiction, imprisonment and a troubled relationship. A game adaptation may also struggle to translate the films’ philosophical horror into interactive form, and new creative choices could disappoint fans if they feel the series’ core ideas have been reduced to shock or spectacle.
Explained simply
Hellraiser began as a story by British writer Clive Barker and became a series of horror films featuring the Cenobites, beings summoned through a puzzle box. The stories combine graphic horror with questions about desire, suffering and the limits people will cross in search of new experiences.
Saber Interactive is making the first full video game based on the franchise. Its story centres on new characters Aiden and Sunny, while Doug Bradley returns to voice Pinhead, the best-known Cenobite.
The game draws mainly on Barker’s original stories and the earliest films. Barker advised the developers on the series’ tone and some visual details, while leaving them room to shape the story and characters.
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