We discuss the ending of the Hulu film Hellraiser (2022), which will contain spoilers. Did Riley make the right choice? Let’s find out.
This 2022 reboot of Hellraiser is the eleventh installment in the franchise that began with Clive Barker‘s kinky, violent, and disturbing 1987 film of the same name. Directed by David Bruckner and written by Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski, this film is an obvious love letter to the original, though it lacks any of the boldness or originality that made the first one so memorable. That being said, there’s a lot to love in this reboot, and considering the ending, it’s likely that there are sequels to come.
Hulu’s Hellraiser ending explained
Chased by the Cenobites, Riley, Colin, and Trevor escape back into Voight’s mansion to hide behind the steel doors and buy some time. After leaving Trevor in a room to rest, Riley and Colin make a plan to use one of the Cenobites as the last sacrifice for the puzzle box. Meanwhile, Voight talks with Trevor in the other room, revealing that Trevor had been hired by Voight to find sacrifices for the box and Riley was going to be one of those sacrifices.
All hell breaks loose when the Cenobites get inside the mansion. Voight begs The Priest to take back the gift they bestowed him after completing all the sacrifices, a contraption that twists his nerve endings and renders him in constant agony. One of the other Cenobites finds Colin and begins torturing him with sharp wires. In order to save Colin, Riley stabs Trevor with the box, marking him as the final sacrifice.
The Priest offers Voight The Leviathan Configuration–a different gift than constant agony, realizing he does not seek pure sensation, but instead power. As a colossal chain flies from the ceiling and embeds into Voight’s chest, before pulling him through a portal to Hell, The Priest murmurs with excitement, “Oh yes, we have such sights to show you.”
Having completed the puzzle box, Riley is offered a gift of her choice by the Cenobites. She refuses the acceptance of any gift, which disappoints The Priest, who tells her that she will have to live with the knowledge that all the pain and death was for nothing. She chose the Lament Configuration. The box returns to its original shape and the Cenobites disappear. Colin asks Riley if she made the right choice, but she remains silent…
…did she make the right choice? Well, considering the gift that was bestowed upon Voight, it doesn’t seem like the Cenobites are the best gift-givers out there, so I’m not sure why Riley would’ve rolled the dice. What could she have possibly gained from the Cenobites?
The final scene of Hellraiser shows Voight being flayed and pierced by massive needles as he is painfully transformed into a Cenobite. This Cenobite could show up in potential sequels, perhaps dragging Riley and Colin back into new hellish scenarios.
What did you think of the ending of the Hulu film Hellraiser (2022)? Comment below.
