Where You've Seen The Cast Of Hulu's Hellraiser Before

The "Hellraiser" franchise has earned its place in the pantheon of beloved '80s horror properties, right alongside the likes of "Halloween," "A Nightmare on Elm Street," and "Friday the 13th." But unlike those other series, "Hellraiser" has always differed by leaning a little less heavily on a singular iconic villain to trot out time after time with each passing movie. Sure, Pinhead is undeniably a well-known character in pop culture thanks to a terrifyingly unique look, but "Hellraiser" has always been more about the overwhelming terror of humans being corrupted by the seductive forces of Hell itself. The Cenobites as a whole are the true antagonists of the series, with Pinhead being a particularly interesting piece of the bigger puzzle box.

It's for that reason that Hulu's newest addition to the series reimagines the Pinhead we've always known into a new Cenobite who bears some resemblance to what came before. 2022's "Hellraiser," directed by David Bruckner of "The Signal" and "V/H/S" fame, brings the series back to the roots set down by Clive Barker's original 1986 novella "The Hellbound Heart," with some distinct changes away from the first movie. One of the biggest departures is that the character of Hell Priest — undeniably the new Pinhead — is played by a woman, rather than actor Doug Bradley. Since this is meant to be a full-fledged reboot of the "Hellraiser" franchise, it makes sense to try something new and exciting by going back to the more androgynous descriptions of the Cenobites in Barker's book. 

This movie sports an impressive cast of both humans and Cenobites that may seem familiar to audiences watching, so read on to learn where you've seen the cast of Hulu's "Hellraiser" before.

Starring as the lead in "Hellraiser" is Odessa A'zion as Riley McKendry, a recovering drug addict who gets caught up in the torturous world of the Cenobites after discovering a strange puzzle cube in a storage facility. Taking up the reins of original main character Kirsty Cotton (played by Ashley Laurence), McKendry must face off against the forces of Hell by finding sacrifices for the evil entity worshipped by the mutilated pain demons that are after her. If there's one lesson to learn from the "Hellraiser" movies, it's to never solve mysterious puzzle boxes that you find laying around.

As an actress, Odessa A'zion has an impressive filmography of roles in everything from big budget franchises like "Hellraiser" to smaller, niche television shows like "Ghosts." She may look familiar to viewers thanks to her prominent role as Joey Del Marco in the Netflix teen drama series "Grand Army." The show follows A'zion's character as she navigates the harrowing reality of the worst aspects of being a high schooler in America. Beyond that, A'zion also has made appearances on shows such as "Better Things," "Nashville," "Love," "Fam," and "Milo Murphy's Law." Her career continues to grow with an upcoming role in Sarah Elizabeth Mintz's feature directorial debut "Good Girl Jane," where she will be starring alongside Andie MacDowell (of "Groundhog Day" fame).

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

Taking up the mantle of Doug Bradley's Pinhead performance is no small task, but luckily the team behind the new "Hellraiser" found an actress worthy of Cenobite leadership with Jamie Clayton. As the new Hell Priest (whose look and style mirror that of Pinhead), Clayton stars as the main antagonist of the film, controlling the cohort of Cenobites hunting down Riley McKendry. Taking a page from Barker's writing in "The Hellbound Heart," Clayton's Priest is completely in-line with the original androgynous descriptions of the Cenobites. 

As she told Fangoria, Clayton went through an extensive preparation process in order to fully embody this iconic horror villain so that her performance would be appropriately terrifying. "It's so sexual and aggressive and dangerous and terrifying and sensual," she said, "and not that I'm not all of those things, but I'm so grateful that I've been given the opportunity to do this because I don't want to be limited in this industry, by my transness."

While this role as the main Hell Priest is a big step in her career, Jamie Clayton may seem familiar from some of her past work in film and television. She began her career as a co-host and makeup artist on the VH1 show "TRANSform Me" back in 2010, followed closely by her time as Kyla on the HBO comedy series "Hung." Clayton has become most known for her performance as Nomi Marks on Netflix's "Sense8" from creators Lilly and Lana Wachowski. Additionally, Clayton has been featured in "The Neon Demon," "Bojack Horseman," "The Snowman," "Designated Survivor," and "The L Word: Generation Q."

Drew Starkey is featured in "Hellraiser" as Riley McKendry's boyfriend, Trevor, an important supporting role. Both Trevor and Riley are former addicts who met during a 12-step program before the events of the film, and have started dating as a result. The movie's plot twists like a puzzle box, but rest assured that Trevor is more complex than he may seem on the surface. He accompanies Riley throughout the story as they unleash the box's evil and try to survive each encounter with the merciless Cenobites.

Aside from his part in "Hellraiser," Starkey has been in plenty of projects that may be familiar to audiences. His first big film role was in 2018's "American Animals," in which he played a character known only as Frat Boy. Since then he's been in several different movies, including "The Hate U Give," "Just Mercy," and "The Devil All the Time." His most famous role, though, is likely Garrett Laughlin in "Love, Simon" (a character he actually reprised in "The Hate U Give"). Starkey also has appeared on a number of high-profile television series like "Ozark," "Doom Patrol," "Scream: Resurrection," and "The Outer Banks."

Playing the role of Riley McKendry's distant brother Matt is actor Brandon Flynn. As the story begins, Riley is living with Matt while making efforts to overcome her drug addiction. Matt, his boyfriend Colin, and their roommate Nora all live together when the plot is set in motion by the appearance of the demonic puzzle box. From there, Matt plays an essential role as the Cenobites get involved, even if Flynn's screen time is limited.

Brandon Flynn is new to the big screen, but his appearance in "Hellraiser" is not the first time he's been in the public eye. His first feature film role was as Max Richards in the 2020 romantic comedy "Looks That Kill," in which he played a boy with a skin condition that makes his face so angelically beautiful that it can literally kill people. With a role as flattering as that, it's no wonder he's continued getting work. He's also gained fame from his performances on television, with leading roles in series like "True Detective," "13 Reasons Why," and "Ratched."

A relatively new face in the entertainment industry is Adam Faison, who stars in Hulu's "Hellraiser" as Colin. Colin is the boyfriend of Riley's brother Matt, and after Riley comes into possession of the puzzle box, they all get caught up in the chaos of Cenobite mayhem. Colin's role in the story grows significantly larger after Matt disappears, with Colin and Riley working together to avoid getting taken to Hell by the Cenobites that have killed their friends.

Faison appeared in various roles throughout the few years leading up to "Hellraiser," beginning with his first major role as Josh on "The Fosters." According to CNN59, Faison started working as an intern for NBC Universal Studios before transitioning to acting on screen, and since then has gotten more roles in both movies and television. Some other notable performances of his include Alastair on "NCIS," a teenaged Jasper Sitwell on Marvel's "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., " Spencer in "Daphne and Velma," and Bob on "Grace and Frankie." These days, Faison is most known for playing Alex on Freeform's series "Everything's Gonna Be Okay."

Aoife Hinds joins "Hellraiser" as Nora, the other roommate of Matt and Colin who gets caught up in a battle with the Cenobites after Riley brings home the Lament Configuration puzzle box. She's more of an auxiliary character in the film's plot, but Hinds still brings heart to the role as an innocent bystander falling prey to the forces of Hell itself. While Nora doesn't deserve the fate she meets at the mutilated hands of the Cenobites, she still does her best to survive the nightmare with Riley, Matt, and Colin.

Thanks to the familial resemblance to her father Ciarán Hinds (famous for his roles as Mance Rayder on "Game of Thrones" and Julius Caesar on "Rome") and her mother Hélène Patarot, Aoife Hinds may be someone already on your radar. But beyond her family's acting legacy, she has fostered an impressive filmography in her own right, taking a particular spotlight with the prominent guest role of Mae Chung in a 2019 episode of "Derry Girls." She's also been featured in projects like "Normal People," "Anne Boleyn," and "The Commuter." 

Hinds has gone on record to speak about her unique experiences with racism while working in Ireland as a half-Irish and half-Vietnamese actor. One particular incident involving some kids shouting racial slurs during the production of "Normal People" was deeply upsetting, as she discussed in an interview with IrishCentral. "Paul [Mescal] started to walk towards them as they were running off," she recalled. "I told him not to bother as I wanted to brush it off and get back to the scene, but that was obviously a defense mechanism."

A critical supporting role in "Hellraiser" is that of Roland Voight's lawyer, Serena Menaker, played by the incredible Palestinian actress Hiam Abbass. Within the story she plays an important part in how the Cenobites become involved with the lives of Riley and her friends. As a lawyer for the evil entrepreneur Roland Voight, Menaker is actually the one who's stored the puzzle box in an abandoned warehouse, hoping it wouldn't be found. Unfortunately for her, once Riley and Matt track her down she accidently gets cut by the box and taken to a realm of pure pain by the Cenobites. Tough break, but that's what happens when you work for an immoral millionaire.

Hiam Abbass has been a working actor and director since the 1980s, getting her start in the French scene after moving there from Palestine. While she's appeared in numerous film roles since the '80s, her first big break undoubtedly came with her role as Marie Claude Hamshari in Steven Spielberg's 2005 drama "Munich." In an interview with Quantara, she talked about the unique situation of living in a hotel with both Palestinian and Israeli actors throughout the production of "Munich," as well as the impact it had on her. "The Arab and Israeli actors had no problems with another," she said. "We all lived together in a hotel for three months. Of course we had many discussions, but they helped both sides grow closer." 

Since then, Abbass has been in many recognizable roles in films such as "The Visitor," "Exodus: Gods and Kings," and "Blade Runner 2049." She's also made waves with her performance as Marcia Roy on HBO's "Succession," playing the seemingly kind-hearted wife of cutthroat business mogul Logan Roy (Brian Cox).

Taking up the mantle of the primary human antagonist for Hulu's "Hellraiser" is Goran Visnjic as hedonistic businessman Roland Voight. The "Hellraiser" franchise has a history of showing human villains selfishly searching for otherworldly pleasure through pain and finding the Cenobites, demonic creatures who were once human themselves and now cause pain in others. 1987's "Hellraiser" started this tradition with the disgusting debauchery of Frank Cotton (Sean Chapman), and "Hellbound: Hellraiser 2" did it again through the evil ambitions of Dr. Philip Channard (Kenneth Cranham). Now, a wealthy capitalist enters the fray as Roland Voight openly sacrifices innocent lives to the Lament Configuration in order to access the power of Leviathan, the evil god served by the Cenobites.

Although he plays a terrifying bad guy in "Hellraiser," actor Goran Visnjic has made a long career out of playing a variety of characters — many of them likable. Having grown up in SFR Yugoslavia and serving in both Yugoslav People's Army and Croatian Ground Army, he eventually took up acting. Visnjic's first big break came when he took on the role of Dr. Luka Kovač, stepping in after George Clooney's departure in the sixth season of "ER." Visnjic filled those big shoes with aplomb, playing Kovač for seven seasons from 1999 to 2007. Aside from "ER," he has also been featured in projects like "Ice Age," "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," "Timeless," and "The Boys," just to name a few.

The real stars of "Hellraiser" are, of course, the Cenobites. Each one is iconic in its own right, with unique styles, personalities, and mutilations that distinguish them from one another. While the supporting Cenobites often get overshadowed by Pinhead (or in this case, the Hell Priest), they still get significant screen time and attention. That's why Jason Liles stands out as The Chatterer, a Cenobite with a particularly famous design that hunts down Riley throughout the film. His horrifying visage looks as though his mouth has been cut open and peeled back around his face with hooks, while he's also being blinded with skin above, leaving him with his chattering teeth as his only form of communication.

In real life, Jason Liles looks nothing like his monstrous character in "Hellraiser." It may be hard to recognize him beneath all the gruesome prosthetics, but Liles has been around for a while. Some of his first roles were in the Rockstar video game "L.A. Noire” as a gangster, "Men in Black 3" as Colussus, and "The Conjuring 2" as the Crooked Man's shadow. These roles went mostly uncredited and supplementary until his big break as the voice of George the giant gorilla in 2018's "Rampage" with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. Since then, Liles has been featured in various projects like "Star Trek: Picard," "The Last of Us: Part II," and "Stereoscope."

Another Cenobite in the spotlight is Yinka Olorunnife as The Weeper, a creature whose jaw has been ripped off to reveal her open mouth at all times. "Hellraiser" has no shortage of disgustingly mutilated demons to show off, but there's no denying that Olorunnife's outing as a sadomasochistic interdimensional torturer goes above and beyond many of the others. According to Dexerto, this character was originally going to be even more terrifying than what ended up in the movie. "The Weeper's arm split originally," explained screenwriter David S. Goyer. "There's also these incisions in her torso and we storyboarded out and built a Weeper that slit all the way down so that she was a quadruped with a torso shrine and a head on top ... Unfortunately, we ran out of days." Nonetheless, the design they went with for The Weeper is gross enough as is.

As explained on her website, Yinka Olorunnife has an interesting story that led her to performing on screen. Having been born in Nigeria, she spent her youth playing professional basketball at the University of Idaho on a full academic scholarship, and then for professional women's teams across the world. This brought her some serious athletic notoriety that she parlayed into an acting career, beginning with several short films throughout the 2000s and eventually the role of Decoy on the TV series spun off from "The Transporter." Overall, her appearance in Hulu's "Hellraiser" is definitely her biggest role yet, and could easily mark the beginning of a promising rise in entertainment.