Clive Barker’s novella “The Hellbound Heart” will forever be remembered as a shining pearl in the crown of horror flicks. His Cenobites are demons who serve for Leviathan, a Devil-like power that lives in his own personal Hell known as the Labyrinth. The Cenobites are dangerous entities who appear to anybody who can figure out how to open gateways between Hell and Earth by solving puzzles.
The Lament Configurations, which are simply one-of-a-kind puzzle boxes, are the most frequent of these puzzles. There are, however, various ways to call a Cenobite. These demons dwell forever as the Masters of Agony and Pleasure, demonic angels who don’t know the difference between pleasure and pain.
While Pinhead, played by Doug Bradley, is the most well-known Cenobite, there have been several Cenobites depicted in films and comic books. In this video, we’ll look at all of the key Cenobites from a variety of sources, including those from Marvel Comics.
Pinhead
While some regard him as an angel of cruel and masochistic pleasure, others regard him as a death demon. Pinhead can’t be ignored, no matter how one feels about him. This Cenobite, dubbed the cruellest, was created by Barker in a fetish club notorious for employing sadism and masochism as a way of getting high.
However, another source of inspiration was the African fetish dolls like Nkondi. These dolls also have nails pinned throughout their bodies and faces. Naturally, Pinhead is an amalgamation of sadomasochism of the developed world and ancient mythology and lore of the developing world. Rather international, isn’t he?
Although his name is taken among other horror icons of Hollywood, such as Freddy and Jason, Pinhead wasn’t named Pinhead until the third film. In the previous two films, he was simply known as the Lead Cenobite. Nevertheless, Pinhead doesn’t require a name to fill the people’s hearts with fear or to make his hooked chains do his horrific biddings.
During World War I, Pinhead was Captain Elliot Spencer, and he wasn’t always this ferocious Leviathan servant. He was a loving and empathic man who wouldn’t hurt a fly unless it was absolutely necessary. But the hardships of war took a toll on Captain Elliot Spencer of the British Expeditionary Force over time.
He soon lost his faith in humanity, and his morals and codes started to deteriorate because of the prevalent violence and bloodshed. After losing himself to the war, he began an unending search for carnal and hedonistic pleasures, and it wasn’t before long that he came across the Lament Configuration somewhere in or around British India.
Spencer solved the puzzle and was turned into a Cenobite. Ultimately, Pinhead became the absolute favorite of Leviathan, who chose him as the Hell Priest. He’s also a part of the Order of the Gash, which is a religious sect-like organization composed of the worst of Cenobites.
Pinhead’s character is the only one to have appeared in all ten films of the franchise. Doug Bradley played the iconic pain demon in the first eight films, and Stephan Smith Collins and Paul T Taylor played Pinhead in the ninth and tenth films, respectively.
Pinhead only featured in ten to fifteen minutes in most of the Hell Raiser flicks in which he starred. However, the ninth installment, Hellraiser Judgement, was fully based on him. In this video, he violates God’s plan and successfully irritates God. Naturally, God punishes him by taking away his powers and turning him into a mere mortal.
What better punishment for the Hell Priest than the vulnerability that comes with mortality. However, in the fourth installment of the franchise titled Bloodline, we see that Pinhead has retained his powers as a Cenobite. Now, this film was set in the year 2127 and marked the final end of Pinhead. So it is obvious that Pinhead got back his powers between the tenth and the fourth installments of the franchise. It’ll be interesting to know-how!
Phillip Channard
Phillip Channard was a doctor before he became the Channard Cenobite, or simply The Doctor, due to his desire and fixation with the Lament Configuration. Phillip used to like dissecting tiny animals and having their blood on his hands as a kid. Naturally, these ailments influenced his conscience and moulded his intellect, causing him to acquire a fondness for sadomasochism.
Although he grew up to become an acclaimed neurosurgeon, he played with the minds and bodies of his various patients to uncover the mystery behind pain and Hell. His obsession helped him learn about Leviathan’s Labyrinth and the Lament Configuration, but he never got his hands on the infamous puzzle box.
However, he knew that his favorite patient Tiffany would help him solve the puzzle if he ever found one. When the protagonist Kirsty Cotton finally confirmed the existence of the Lament Configuration, he went on to retrieve it and made Tiffany solve it, only to enter the winding paths of the Labyrinth. Once inside the Labyrinth, Leviathan himself ordered that Phillip should be turned into a Cenobite.
Interestingly, Leviathan connected itself with Channard through an extension, and this gave him immense powers like the ability to eject tentacles from his hands. These tentacles would end in several tools meant for torture. Phillip became one of the most powerful Cenobites, so much so that he killed several members of the Gash and turned out to be impossible to kill. However, Kirsty Cotton ensured his death by reopening the Lament Configuration, which decapitated Channard’s head in a bloody and gruesome fashion.
Butterball
We know that the most common reason for people becoming Cenobites is desire. Butterball, on the other hand, is a Cenobite who has been changed due to a compulsive eating condition. He was known as Laslo before his conversion, and he was a man who enjoyed eating.
He would eat and eat, but his Hunger would never be satiated. Ultimately, he learned about the Lament Configuration and gave in to the promise of otherworldly pleasures. But Laslo was unaware of the fact that the pleasure the Lament Configuration provides is beyond the concepts of pain and pleasure. After he solved the puzzle, Laslo was taken to Hell and subjected to insurmountable amounts of cruelty, torture, and pain—all in the name of pleasure.
His eyes were sewn shut, and a deep gash was made on his stomach while the resultant skin remains stretched with hooks. In the Hellraiser movies, Butterball can’t speak and serves under Pinhead. However, according to The Hellbound Heart, Butterball was the leader of the Cenobites and not Pinhead. Furthermore, Butterball could speak in the novella.
Angelique
Angelique’s origins may be traced all the way back to the Hellraiser world. Angelique was the Demon Princess of Hell and the daughter of Leviathan, unlike the other Cenobites. When a wealthy aristocrat called L’Isle opened the Lament Configuration in 1796, she came to Earth in the form of a little girl. L’Isle had asked France’s greatest toymaker, Phillip LeMarchand, to create the Lament Configuration, but LeMarchand was unaware of how the object would be used by L’Isle.
It wasn’t before long that L’Isle and his assistant Jacques used the puzzle box to summon Angelique. However, Jacques killed his Master and gained control over Angelique, who agreed to serve Jacques on the condition that he would never disagree with a deed that would favor the cause of Leviathan or Hell. But things did not go as planned, and many years later, Angelique ended up killing Jacques for defiance.
Angelique then found the Lament Configuration and made a security guard open it, an act that summoned Pinhead. At a later point in time, Angelique and Pinhead would find themselves in space to destroy the Elysium Configuration or the Anti-Lament Configuration. She was clearly one of the most prolific female Cenobites and is often compared to the Female Cenobite. As far as her appearance is concerned, she did look grotesque, but in a classy way.
Chatterer
Chatterer’s backstory is not only the most deplorable, but also the most bleak and depressing. Jim’s father was convicted of murdering his wife while he was a child, and he was put to an orphanage where he and the other children were indoctrinated and made to think that they were the slime of society.
Jim formed a tense connection with another orphan called Seth as a result of these circumstances. Jim fell so deeply in love with Seth that he started to pray to the God of Love to make Seth fall in love with him too. It wasn’t before long that Jim and Seth got involved in the flesh trade. Jim would often be complimented for his good looks and beauty, but Jim grew tired of it and wished to become ugly.
He would come across a man who would offer him a way to turn ugly. Jim was given the Lament Configuration and was asked to pass it around to his clients. He was told that in doing so, he would be serving the god of pain and desire, who would grant Jim his wish. But Jim was, in fact, serving Leviathan.
Jim served Leviathan for as long as possible until curiosity got the better of him, and he resorted to opening the Lament Configuration. This was the birth of Chatterer, probably the most hideous of Cenobites and Pinhead’s henchman and muscle man.
The child who lived in misery and grew up with abuse wanted redemption, but all he could really find was pain and eternal suffering. Made to live a solitary life without his parents and friends, in the end, his only companions were the sound of his teeth and a few demons. Chatterer dies in the second film at the hands of Channard Cenobite while saving Kirsty at the behest of Female Cenobite.
Chatterer Torso
Despite the fact that the Chatterer Cenobite was slain, the figure was beloved and admired by many admirers. As a result, the Chatterer Torso and Chatterer Beast emerged in the movie later. The Torso lacked body components beneath its ribcage, as its name indicates. In fact, if you looked closely, you could see its spine protruding out. The Torso was created by Chatterer himself and in his own image.
Unlike Chatterer, the Torso doesn’t seem to be burned and has pale white skin, but it does retain the trademark mouth stretched open with hooks and the various chattering teeth. Torso initially served his creator, the Chatterer, but once he was dead, Torso explored the dark corners of the Labyrinth in search of a new master, only to be adopted by Pinhead and included in the Order of the Gash. In Hellraiser Inferno, the Torso worked with the Wire Twins to torture Joseph Thorne.
Chatterer Beast
The available information about Chatterer Beast is sparse, but we’ve done our best to compile a complete list by combing through a variety of sources. The Chatterer Beast was a Cenobite that looked like a dog and was similar to The Chatterer. At first glance, the Beast appears to be a dog that has been transformed into a Cenobite.
However, it is highly unlikely because the Cenobites convert only those who open the Lament Configuration. But dogs aren’t smart enough to solve the puzzle box, right? Furthermore, servants of Leviathan consider all animals as innocent, so harming them remains out of the question.
Naturally, the story of Chatterer Beast is the same as any other Cenobite. The Beast used to be a human whose flesh was molded in the shape of a hound. And because of Leviathan’s love for Chatterer, the Beast was given a face resembling that of the Chatterer’s. The Beast majorly serves as muscle for Pinhead, and its most terrifying aspect are its metal teeth and jaws.
Female Cenobite aka Deepthroat
The Female Cenobite was basically Pinhead’s female equivalent, and she remained one of the key Cenobites since she accompanied Pinhead on his journeys on a frequent basis. The five wires that ripped open her neck and held the flesh back gave her an extremely ugly and diabolical aspect. Her voice is forever raspy and whispery as a result of the deep gash in her throat, earning her the nickname Deepthroat.
Interestingly enough, the Female Cenobite is also called The Fallen, well, because of her backstory. As a human, the Female Cenobite used to be a nun named Nikoletta. From an early age, Sister Nikoletta became obsessed with the concept of sin and its various forms. This uncontrollable urge to learn more about sin made her cross paths with a traveler who offered her the most sinful object ever created—the Lament Configuration.
Nikoletta choked out of delight and solved the puzzle box, only to be taken to Hell by the Cenobite called Grillard. In Hell, she was subjected to intense levels of pain and pleasure. Over a period of time, Sister Nikoletta fell out of love with God and became a servant of Leviathan.
Kirsty Cotton
Kirsty Cotton is the most well-known protagonist of the Hellraiser franchise, owing to her fast thinking and resourcefulness, which sets her apart from so many other female protagonists in horror films. You may even compare her to Laurie Strode from the Halloween franchise. Kirsty has a habit of striking bargains with Cenobites, particularly Pinhead, in order to spare her own life.
For instance, she offered her evil uncle Frank in exchange for her own life. Later, in Hellseeker, Kirsty discovered that her husband, Trevor Gooden, had arranged for her death by tricking her into opening the Lament Configuration. However, she offered Cenobite five souls, including Trevor’s. According to the latest story arc, Kirsty agreed to take Pinhead’s position as the Hell Priestess and Leviathan’s most favorite Cenobite. So, in the end, Kirsty’s story comes full circle.
Wire Twins
The Wire Twins used to be a pair of lovely twins in their human lives, as their name indicates. They took use of her beauty to obtain control and influence over men, allowing them to revel in cruel pleasure. Their Hunger, on the other hand, was becoming more ravenous with each passing day.
Ultimately, they walked through the doors of Leviathan’s Labyrinth and learned the true meaning and extent of the pleasure that they had been seeking. What they experienced in the Labyrinth was beyond their darkest imaginations, and the twins devoted their eternal undead lives to seeking pleasures of the flesh by torment and torment only. Their official description reads, “Leviathan’s sisters of tormented pleasures, two perfect twins in their human form who stumbled into the dark world of the Labyrinth. Now their eternity is spent in the sisterly sharing of the torments of the flesh of their victims.”
The most peculiar feature about the Wire Twins was their phallus-shaped tongue that they used to torment their victims by giving unbearable levels of pleasure.
The Engineer
The Engineer is not a Cenobite in the traditional sense, but rather a creature created to serve Leviathan within the Labyrinth. It does, however, depart the Labyrinth on occasion to assist the Cenobites. It appears that the Engineer was once a human or a member of a race that before humans. He accidentally opened the gates of Hell and became something of a forefather to Cenobites.
Kirsty Cotton herself had more than a few unfortunate encounters with the Engineer. In the beginning, she was chased by it, and later it came to attack her and her boyfriend. In both instances, she managed to outdo the Engineer. As far as its biology is concerned, it seems that it has been created by teeth and several fish-like scales. Apart from the several rows of teeth, it has more animalistic features like feline eyes and a scorpion-like tail. It usually hangs upside down like a bat, while its limbs end in palms instead of feet.
The Auditor
The Auditor is a strange Cenobite, and he appears to be the most humanitarian of them all. He acts as Leviathan’s clerk, taking down information on people. These remarks are written in blood and given to the Assessor thereafter. As far as his appearance is concerned, the Auditor wears a blood-stained shirt under a black suit.
It is quite surprising why he must wear sunglasses, for he spends most of his time in the darkness of Hell. He has made only one appearance in the film Hellraiser Judgment, but we think he’s an interesting character, and it wouldn’t hurt to see more of him.
The following five Cenobites are Pseudo Cenobites, as opposed to pure Cenobites, who are produced in Hell. They first debuted in the third chapter of the franchise. In the film Hell on Earth, the knowledge that Pinhead’s soul becomes split into two parts once he learns that he used to be an Army Captain named Elliot Spencer.
One of these sections became lodged within the Pillar of Souls, which J. P. Monroe, the proprietor of The Boiler Room Club, eventually bought. Monroe struck a deal with Pinhead, according to which Monroe would bring Pinhead souls to feed upon in exchange for Monroe getting what he wanted.
Monroe wanted to feed his girlfriend Terri to Pinhead, but she struck a deal with Pinhead and sacrificed Monroe in exchange for being transformed into a Cenobite herself. Pinhead gets freedom from the Pillar of Souls and wreaks havoc on the unsuspecting clubgoers, as Pinhead turns many of them into pseudo-Cenobites.
Barbie
Richard Bloodstone, the Boiler Room Club’s bartender, was one of the pseudo-Cenobites. Until Pinhead wrapped Bloodstone’s head in coils of barbed wire, he was a skillful and dedicated employee of J. P. Monroe.
He went blind because the cables covered his eyes. As a Cenobite, Barbie seemed to be quite powerful. He could breathe fire and always kept some gasoline with him, which he often used to burn people alive. The way he burned a group of cops in the film was a sign that he could have proven to be a dangerous Cenobite, but unfortunately, he didn’t appear in any films after the third one.
Camera Head
Joey’s protagonist, Camera Head, used to be the film’s cameraman. Joey requested that he meet her at the Boiler Room Club after she learnt of the unexpected news. He arrived early since he was closer to the place, only to be changed into a Cenobite by Pinhead. Joey reached a while later and ran away with the Lament Configuration because she had learned from Kirsty Cotton’s videotape that it was the only way to stop Pinhead and his minions.
Pinhead then ordered Camera Head to go after Joey and retrieve the puzzle box. As the name suggests, Camera Head had his own camera stuck on his head, while a film role protruded from where his ear was supposed to be. Interestingly, everything that the camera filmed could be exploded telepathically. However, the camera also transformed into a weapon that slashed victims.
CD Head
Pinhead continued the pretence of turning Cenobites into CD Heads by impaling Jimmy Hammerstein, the DJ of Boiler Room, with five CDs. A CD each was impaled into his eyes and lips, making him blind and mute. CD Head utilised his CDs as shurikens, slicing and slashing his helpless victims. Strangely, two different actors played Jimmy and CD Head, while most other pseudo-Cenobites were played by the same actor as their human counterparts.
Dreamer
I can dream now, Joey. Oh, you wouldn’t believe what I can dream of now.– Terry to Joey
The Dreamer used to be Terri in her human life, but after learning of her lover’s desire to sacrifice her, she opted to be converted into a Cenobite instead. People in Terri’s life, including and especially Monroe, were continually using her.
It was only natural that she yearned for power and control and jumped at the chance whenever it presented itself. Furthermore, the poor girl was always confused and had no direction in life. In the end, she took actions that she didn’t completely understand. At the end of the film, Joey opened the Lament Configuration and sent several cenobites to Hell, including Dreamer.
Pistonhead
For a long time, we’ve been talking about J P Monroe, but what happened to him? Terri and Monroe got into a fight as Terri attempted to serve Monroe to Pinhead. Terri eventually overpowered Monroe and knocked him down after a brief tussle. Pinhead then converted Monroe into Pistonhead by planting two pistons on either side of Monroe’s head. The pistons appear to be in constant motion, giving Pistonhead a disgusting appearance.
Siamese Twins
Joey buries the Lament Configuration in a concrete pile of an under-construction building at the end of the third part. Angelique and Pinhead track out the location of the box, which was left under the care of twin brothers Michael and Mark Bradley in the following part. Pinhead recognised the boys’ greatest dread was separation, so he gave them a terrifying respite by conjoining them as Siamese twins.
Later, they were sent to Hell, where they were further worked upon. In one of the scenes, the twins separate from each other only to trap one Captain Edwards between them. The process crushes Edwards, and he gets absorbed between them. In the end, they die in space with other Cenobites when the protagonist, Paul Merchant, activates the Elysium Configuration, which shuts the portal between Hell and Earth.
Female Chatterer
The Female Chatterer was the fourth variety of the Cenobite Chatterer, and she first debuted in Hellraiser Revelations, the franchise’s eighth entry. The Female Chatterer has a similar general appearance to her namesake. She does, however, have wires for hair, similar to the Wire twins.
Her dressing sense is similar to other Cenobites. Furthermore, she has several tattoos on her head, but it is unknown if they bear some deeper meaning or not. It becomes quite evident from so many variations of the Chatterer that Leviathan never really wished one of his favorite Cenobites to leave the Labyrinth.
Uncle Frank
Frank Cotton, Kirsty Cotton’s uncle, was a lusty guy who began to feel he had tasted every form of pleasure the earth has to offer. He acquired the Lament Configuration from a Moroccan trader as a last option and transported it back to America. He expected some unearthly joy after solving the puzzle box, but instead he was confronted by Cenobites who tore his body apart with chains and converted his chamber into his personal Hell.
Later, they took him to Hell for further transformation, but Frank managed to escape from there. Once he was back, he tricked Kirsty’s mother into bringing him bodies to devour so that he could regenerate. But it wasn’t before long that Kirsty learned the truth and made a pact with the Cenobites, according to which they were to spare her life in exchange for getting back Frank.
Abigor
Abigor is the sister of the Female Cenobite, and she is a prominent character in the Devil’s Brigade series, despite not appearing in any of the films. It’s unclear who she was before becoming a Cenobite, although it’s been speculated that she was either Cleopatra or Helen of Troy, both of whom were perpetual beauty. But irrespective of her history, her present and future are committed to serving Leviathan.
And in that regard, She can not be killed or even wounded with a human weapon; therefore, one would need a Cenobite weapon or a blessed weapon. Like other female Cenobites, she wears revealing and dominatrix-like leather clothes and is exceedingly strong and powerful. However, her most proficient talents are dark arts and the seduction of men.
She is so potent with her magic that her words become commands for men, who do her bidding without question. As far as the Hellraiser extended universe is concerned, she is known to have ruled over sixty legions of demons.
Aeshma Deva
Aeshma Deva first featured in Hellraiser Nightbreed: Jihad #1-2 in the comic book Hellraiser Nightbreed: Jihad. Despite being a dwarf Cenobite, she is reported to have participated in a Jihad or fight against Leviathan himself due to her commitment to the Nightbreed sect. She was one of numerous members of the uprising, which was eventually put down by Pinhead and his cohorts, including Chatterer.
According to Zoroastrianism, the term Aeshma is the name of the Demon of Wrath, while according to Sanskrit, Deva means God. That’s an interesting nomenclature that blends Hell and heaven.
Clown
Clowns and terror appear to be inextricably linked. Similarly, there had to be a Cenobite that looked like a clown. Mr. Winky Dink Show, a cartoon TV show about a cartoon and its pet, was hosted by the Clown when he was a person. He was sent to Hell after solving the Lament Configuration to entertain the youngsters trapped in Limbo (pronounce:-Limb-O). But, the tricks he performed were clearly not meant for children’s viewing and Hell doesn’t really have a rating or censorship system.
The kids would get frightened to death, well… in the way of saying! So, he decided to ease the kids by pulling a rabbit out of a hat, but this act of compassion enraged Leviathan, who rippled the Clown’s stomach and pulled his guts out. The Clown had learned that in the Labyrinth, there was no room for compassion. The real extent of his cunning and brutality are explored in Mike Mignola’s comics titled Dead Things Rot, so much so that he doesn’t spare even his own pet Agathion.
Agathion
Agathion was the Clown’s pet, as previously stated. Agathion had the look of a mutant dog, but he could communicate well in English. As a reward for bringing numerous souls into the Labyrinth’s fold, the Clown tortured a man named Thorndike one day.
To escape his torture, Thorndike offered to bring in another soul to the Labyrinth and Agathion suggested to his Master that they should consider the offer and let Thorndike free. But what Agathion didn’t understand was that he had just displayed mercy and compassion. Naturally, the Clown electrocuted Agathion and killed the beast.
Alastor and Chalkis
For a Cenobite, Alastor’s narrative is depressing and dismal. He used to live in rural Italy as a human and was in love with a girl named Chalkis, who, while being in love with him, spurned his advances. When he spied on her, he discovered that her brother and father had physically abused her.
He collaborated with Chalkis and killed her brother. Chalkis later prepared her own brother in a meal and served it to her father. When the old man learned that he had eaten his own son’s flesh to his heart’s content, he choked to death. Alastor died and ended up in Hell, only to attract Leviathan’s interest.
He was transformed into a Cenobite and tied to Chalkis with a golden chain. All through his human life, Alastor wished to be one with his love, and he would achieve this only after he and Chalkis committed horrific deeds involving murder and cannibalism. At a later point in time, Alastor created his own gash called Alastor’s Gash and coordinated an attack against his fellow Cenobites.
The Voice and Bright Eyes
Bright Eyes and Voice used to be twin sisters with abilities that matched their names. The girls, on the other hand, stepped through the Labyrinth’s gates and were transformed into Cenobites. Bright Eyes kept her gorgeous eyes but stayed silent once the procedure was completed.
And the Voice could retain her melodious voice but was turned blind. Later, a boy named Andy Kendell solved the Lament Configuration after his mother accidentally brought the infamous puzzle box home along with other toys for Andy. Although The Voice and Bright Eyes took Andy to Hell, his mother Laura followed them to save her son.
The Voice offered Laura a chance to save her son. All she had to do was stay in Hell with Andy until he grew strong enough to escape. So, you see, these cenobite sisters were not just evil but cunning as well; they not only got Laura to agree to stay in Hell but also took a chance to keep Andy in there forever.
Aparius
Aparius was the beekeeper for Hell. The Cenobite bees were created to torment a couple of parents who had broken their commitment to submit themselves to Hell if their son solved the Lament Configuration. Mesh wires encased Aparius’ mouth, eyes, nose, and other cavities, apparently to prevent the demonic bees from entering his body through these openings. Appearing in the comics Clive Barker’s Hellraiser #19, “Death Where Is Thy Sting?,” Aparius’s story ended when he was decapitated.
Spike
The Cenobite Spike was meant to appear in Hellraiser: Hellworld and Hellraiser: Deader, but it was eventually scrapped. Spike was a railroad worker who was liked and respected by his neighbours during the day, but as the sun went low, he would raise his ugly, pedophilic head and abuse little children, sometimes even using spikey items. He happened upon the Lament Configuration and opened it by chance.
Pinhead arrived and took him to Hell, where he was transformed into a grotesque Cenobite that had a huge spike that went through his head. Even though he lost his eyes and ears, he could very well hunt his victim using other senses. Even the faculty of speech was taken away because he had no mouth or tongue to speak with.
Atkins or Hell’s Armorer
Atkins participated in the Vietnam War as a human. His superiors and juniors both admired and respected him as a competent combatant. He could be buck naked in front of a hundred opponents and still win. One day, he and his platoon were tasked with infiltrating an enemy tunnel.
Atkins offered to do the job and went inside. Although he killed the enemies, he couldn’t find his way out. He dug the tunnel and crawled through it, only to emerge in front of three Cenobites. They told him that he had solved a puzzle called the Tunnel of Love and that he would be rewarded in Hell.
He initially wanted to fight the Cenobites but ultimately went along with them to Hell, where he was turned into Hell’s Armorer. Unlike other Cenobites, Atkins uses guns and ammunition like rifles and grenades against his victims.
Blue Boy, Laughing Boy, and Halo II
The three Cenobites that came in front of Atkins to take him to Hell were these three Cenobites. Blue Boy’s moniker comes from his pale blue complexion. His large, pointed fangs are the most terrifying aspect of this beast. He was unusually tall for a Cenobite, so much so that he dwarfed Atkins even in crouching position. On the other hand, Laughing Boy gets his name from his strict and imposing nature, much similar to the Female Cenobite.
Balberith or Hell’s Librarian
Mrs. Balberith was a dedicated librarian and a kind mother, but her kid became ill for no apparent reason one day. She did all a mother would do for her child, but there was no solution until a pharmacist offered her a puzzle box to complete one day. The pharmacist promised to cure her son if she solved the riddle, and she accepted.
However, the pharmacist was an agent working for Leviathan, and the puzzle was the Lament Configuration. Upon solving it, Cenobites appeared and took her to Hell, but they did make her have one last glimpse of her son, who was now cured of his illness. Her glasses were stitched to her face in Hell, and she read books made out of human flesh.
Baron
We know from the fourth film in the trilogy that, despite creating the Lament Configuration, Phillip LeMarchand intended to develop the Elysium Configuration in order to annihilate or at the very least consign the Cenobites to Hell. Clive Barker’s Hellraiser – Book of the Damned #3, however, was released by Epic Comics. This comic depicts Phillip LeMarchand and his most famous innovation in a new light.
LeMarchand managed to create the puzzle box after many failed attempts and taking help from the notes of a centuries-old serial killer. When he finally solved his own puzzle, the Duke of the Order of Gash or the Baron appeared in front of him.
The Baron was impressed by LeMarchand’s work and believed that he would serve Leviathan better if alive. So, LeMarchand’s life was spared and the Baron went after another human because he couldn’t return to Hell empty-handed. Baron’s character is particularly mysterious, but we know for sure that he has been around at least since the 15th century.
Bound
The Hellraiser franchise has continued to come up with new techniques to make their Cenobites gag, choke, blind, and mute. Bound, a female Cenobite who was strangled and blinded by leather bands around her lips and eyes, carried on the custom. There isn’t much known about Bound because she was a minor role in the film Hellraiser Hellseeker, but it is said that she was the wife of a serial murderer who she herself laid to rest. In the next film, her character transformed into a male and was called Bound 2.
Cattleskull
The Cenobite got his name from the massive bull skull that was stuck in his stomach and whose horns pierced his torso and neck. Cattleskull is a long-lived Cenobite who has been around since the fourteenth century. He and five other Cenobites were chosen by Leviathan to combat Morte Mamme and her Harrowers.
Leviathon held his sister goddess Morte Mamme captive in an egg-shaped tomb. She summoned humans and gave them powers to fight the evil Cenobites and free her, and these great warriors would be called Harrowers.
But Cattleskull’s run was short because the Harrowers had divine powers by their side and managed to slay five of the six Cenobites. And although he gets killed in the fight, he was later transformed into a further ferocious demon named Furaie. In the end, a Harrower named Marty Steven sacrificed himself to finally put an end to Furaie.
The Boxer
The Boxer used to be a professional boxer in his human life, and he had grown obsessed with seeking excellence in the vocation he had chosen. He would often look for a worthy opponent or someone who could beat him, but he was unsuccessful.
But his hunt came to an end when he discovered and unlocked the Lament Configuration. He was dragged to Hell and was forced to eternally fight opponents in an array of infinite boxing rings. Many years later, The Boxer would come to take another man called The Champ, who shared The Boxer’s obsession.
Cowboy
The term Cenobite comes from the cowboy costume he wears. In reality, he possesses traditional cowboy traits such as boots, a hat, and blonde hair. Cowboy was one of Leviathan’s six Cenobites chosen to combat the Harrowers.
Charun
Because of his vulture-like golden head, piercing red eyes, and snakes for hair, Charun was possibly the scariest Cenobite of them. He had joined Alastor’s Gash and turned against his fellow Cenobites. But, in the end, Pinhead and Chatterer put down the revolt, confronting Alastor and Chalkis in a decisive battle while the others, including Charun, tried to flee. However, Charun was pulled back to the depths of Hell with the help of chains, and he was subsequently killed.
Doomsayer
With the exception of a lengthy neck like Aparius, Doomsayer had a normal Cenobite look. He was a member of Alastor’s Gash, and he was becoming increasingly concerned about the loss of Cenobites in Hell. He put the blame on Leviathan and even tried to face the Lord of Hell. However, Atkins couldn’t allow such disrespect towards Leviathan, so Atkins killed Doomsayer. Furthermore, Atkins wanted to set an example out of Doomsayer to anyone who even thought of doubting Leviathan. Although Doomsayer was silenced pretty early, it didn’t stop the members of Alastor’s Gash from launching their rebellion.
Draleba
Draleba was an unusual Cenobite, so much so that he swapped bodies with a lady called Esioleh when he began to mistrust Leviathan’s objectives. As a result, Esioleh was a lady who was fed up with the fear and weakness she saw on Earth. So she killed a guy and took his organs in order to execute a Draleba-calling ceremony. He appeared before her and told her that she was not ready to face the secrets of Hell, let alone living in Hell.
So the next day, she killed another person and summoned Draleba once again, and he told her the same thing. This went on for a few days until Draleba started to feel that he was falling in love with her. And to fall in love was something alien and most strange to a Cenobite, so he started doubting Leviathan and his grand plans. In the end, Draleba decided to exchange bodies with Esioleh to make her happy. She went happily to Hell while he remained on Earth as a mortal.
Yama Vidatu
Yama Vidatu and her sister Aeshma Deva were introduced in Hellraiser Nightbreed: Jihad #1-2, although Aeshma Deva’s background as a human was never explored. Vidatu and her sister, on the other hand, were members of Alastor’s Gash when they rebelled against the armies of Hell.
Deva’s death halted the rebellion, and Yama was heartbroken because both sisters were passionately protective of each other. Unlike other Cenobites who wore black leather outfits, Vidatu wore a red outfit and had a red mask stitched to her face. Cenobites are not known to have hair, but Yama brandishes a white ponytail.
Face
Face debuted in Clive Barker’s Hellraiser #1 – The Canons Of Pain and has now featured in a total of twenty-two issues. Leonidas or Lon Chaney Frank Chaney was an early twentieth-century American actor. He was not only the most diverse and accomplished actor of his day, but he was also noted for playing hideous, diseased, and tortured characters in big parts.
He would achieve the feat with the help of pioneering artistry and makeup. But what people didn’t know was that Lon Chaney was secretly a serial killer who went around killing people to peel their faces off so that he could use them in his acting roles. Does it remind you of a character from Game of Thrones? Well, yes, Arya Stark did pretty much the same.
Naturally, a talented man like Lon Chaney wouldn’t have been out of Leviathan’s interest for long. Pinhead was sent to bring the serial killer artist to Hell, where he was turned into a skinless Cenobite who would wear masks made out of people’s faces. In Hell, he continued his work as a theatre artist, where he would show plays about suffering, pain, and torment.
Apart from possessing superhuman strength and resilience, he is known to control the minds of both the living and the dead, sometimes by way of possessing them. Throughout history, there have been many artists who went to great diabolic lengths to perfect their art or simply because they were obsessed with their chosen profession. For instance, the Austrian artist Egon Schiele was convicted for forcing underage girls into satisfying his needs and painting them in objectionable positions with less or no clothes.
Fan Dancer
The Fan Dancer, despite being a minor Cenobite, is recognised for her’stay psychedelic little hippy’ look. She has a horrible yet attractive appearance, with light blue skin, long black hair, and a bandaged face. She has tattoos and marks all over her face, arms, and thighs.
Her weapon of choice is a bladed fan, which is also the reason behind her name. Interestingly, she doesn’t look like a dominatrix in tight black leather outfits but brandishes an ethnic purple attire. Her appearance and tattoos resemble the Aboriginal tribes, and since her story is set in the early 18th century, it fits.
The Ferryman
Harmon Taylor, a high-ranking member of the Ku Klux Klan, used to kidnap men of colour from various islands and bring them onboard his ship Dixie to fight death bouts against The Ferryman, a massive fighter. Taylor uncovered the Lament Configuration and opened it in one of these adventures, but instead of himself, The Ferryman was taken to Hell and converted into a Cenobite.
The Ferryman is a massive muscled man with hooked chains all over his torso and two large metal hooks on his hands. He has the typical strength of a Cenobite, but his prior experience as a fighter and his gigantic physique give him a certain edge over the others. And that’s why he was later recruited in Hell’s Army and as one of the personal guards to Leviathan. He has made an appearance in Clive Barker’s Hellraiser #13, “The Ferryman,”
Flagellum
The Flagellum is unlike any of the other female Cenobites we’ve seen. She’s pale blue but morbidly fat, and she’s dressed in a little leather garment that causes her body to weary. I’m not trying to make her feel bad about herself, but come on! Nevertheless, Flagellum is the high priestess of Hell, and this is reflected in the metal spikes on her head that take the shape of a crown.
In her human life, she remained a virgin because she wanted to remain pristine until her marriage. But she faced constant rejections, and the prolonged wait continuously increased her sexual appetite. Naturally, she would go on rigorous spells of self-indulgence, and there came the point when objects of the mortal world stopped quenching her insatiable thirst for desires. It was now that she came across the Obsidian Rhombus Phallus, a device made out of volcanic lava.
This phallus would give her the first and last orgasm of her life, and it was so extreme and indulgent that she slowly succumbed to it and ended up in Hell. She soon became a favorite of Leviathan and rose in the ranks.
Flagellum developed several abilities and powers, including anthropomancy or the art of seeking knowledge of the future by reading other people’s intestines, especially young virgin girls or children. Furthermore, she could levitate and remains almost always in a deep meditative sleep. And years and years of meditation have enabled her to build a psychic link with Leviathan himself. She’s clearly one of the freakiest of Cenobites, and it is a surprise that she has not been featured in any of the films.
Fulgar
Fulgar is another elderly Cenobite, with wrinkled skin and a balding head. And his black hair, which he does have, cascades over his shoulders. He also appears to have tattoos on his teeth, and two bones protrude from either side of his neck. His body is adorned with multiple bones of varying sizes and a skull that’s mounted on his hips. Furthermore, he has three saw blades stuck in his arm.
He first appeared to a little boy named Robert Johnson who had opened the Lament Configuration, but his parents Philip and Grace tried to offer themselves to Fulgar. The Cenobite agreed, but they tried to deceive him by running away. Of course, Fulgar captured the parents, but he also cursed the Johnson family. Every child of the Johnson family would be taken to Hell when they turned 25.
Grillard
Grillard originally emerged in 1223, although it is likely that he had been abducting souls and sending them to the depths of Hell long before that. Grillard’s body resembles that of a man on the one hand, while the Cenobite has four breasts on his chest on the other. The Cenobite also wears a nose pin, which gives it a more feminine aspect.
In 1223, Grillard took the soul of one Count Carillion of France, and the next year he came to take the souls of Lady Carillion and her new husband, Monseigneur Robataille. Grillard’s cunning nature was displayed when it transformed Lady Carillion’s infant child into her ex-husband. It is also rumored that Grillard was the one who transformed the nun into the Female Cenobite.
Praetor Abatur
Praetor Abatur was the Hell Judge in a nutshell. Once upon a time, he summoned a group of Cenobites so that he may assess their hearts. Pinhead, on the other hand, neglected to appear before the trial, prompting him to accuse him of being a traitor who encouraged anarchy and disobeyed orders.
Naturally, he ordered Pinhead’s execution, which a Cenobite named Griot III objected to. An enraged Praetor Abatur executed Griot III. In the end, it was proven that Pinhead was innocent of the charges leveled against him. Pinhead was subsequently given a chance to kill the corrupt judge by ripping him apart via chains.
Gehenna
The Hebrew Bible has a mention to Gehenna. People used to worship Moloch, a bull-headed deity. Infants were thrown into a pyre erected for Moloch as part of the rites. Gehenna was a Moloch worshipper of medieval times who spent many days tossing infants into flames sacrificing them. However, this sinister man had a tiny bit of compassion, and he would drug the infants with herbs to free them of pain.
However, one day, it was time for his own child to be tossed into the fire. Although he didn’t refuse, he failed to drug his child, and the infant burned in pain and agony until only the skeletal remains of his child remained. He was subsequently taken to Hell and transformed into a skeletal Cenobite with spikes on his head. But because of his previous encounters with fire, as a Cenobite, he was immune to fire.
The General
The General was a Cenobite who had been chosen by Leviathan to command his army against Morte Mamme’s Harrowers. The Lucky Six, also known as Merkova, Turpis, Cowboy, Cattleskull, Fulgar, and Haloblades, were then formed by the General.
Five of them perished in the end, and their bodies were carried to Hell, where Leviathan chastised The General for his failure. The General then fused the bodies of the fallen Cenobites to create a demon called Furaie, which came to Earth to defeat the Harrowers. However, Furaie gets defeated by the Harrowers.
Halo
Halo was a crafty Cenobite that wore a pin halo around his head. When his mother locked him up for being disobedient, he appeared in front of a young boy named Josh. Josh completed the Lament Configuration and met Halo in Hell. After rigorous searching, Josh’s mother Ellen finds the Lament Configuration and manages to reach her son, who was covered in bruises and a stitched mouth.
To Ellen’s surprise, Halo congratulated her on bringing Josh the torture and then decided to let Josh go in exchange for turning Ellen into a Cenobite. However, Halo knew that the torture inflicted on little Josh would take a toll on him. And rightly so, when Josh went to the hospital, he tortured and abused a female patient. But this was only the beginning for Josh.
Hunger
Hunger is about as scrawny as it gets. He finds it pleasurable to acquire souls in horrible ways. The personality of this pale blue Cenobite is laid out in his name. In one of the stories called Fire Trap, a man named Byron had murdered his entire family. Hunger saw it fit to convert the corpses into a beast and fed Byron to that beast. Hunger leads a group of Cenobites who form Hunger’s Gash and follow him in his hateful and heartless adventures.
Of course, he’s powerful and strong like other Cenobites, but his physical strength coupled with the knowledge of magic and dark arts gives him an edge over his victims and enemies. Furthermore, he is a master of telekinesis and remains a witty and cunning demon who thrives to make unfair trades with people who summon him. But the most interesting thing about Hunger is that Cenobite pets are created when Hunger discards the remains of corpses.
Little Sister
This lovely little Cenobite made an appearance in the eighth Hellraiser Deader flick. Despite the fact that she had a small role, she is considered to be a vicious Cenobite. She was a talented girl who had practically everything she ever desired as a human, but she always felt like something was missing in her life, and she didn’t know what it was.
But all of that changed when she found the Lament Configuration and solved it. It was this otherworldly pleasure and pain that she was seeking. Mortal things and didn’t do her much good. Although she was a blind Cenobite, she could move around freely and even hunt her targets.
Merkova
People who have seen the Hellraiser flicks frequently assume Pinhead and the Female Cenobite were a couple. Merkova, on the other hand, was Pinhead’s lover. So, when Pinhead isn’t tearing people apart, we now know what he does. And, why not! Merkova is hot in a Cenobite sort of way.
The only hiccup is probably the horse’s snout that’s stitched to her face. That should make kissing a real task. Unlike most Cenobites, she has long hair styled in a mohawk, and her arms have horsehair, and instead of human legs, she has horse legs.
But unfortunately, she died pretty quickly in the comics. Merkova led this team but was stabbed with a divine sword by one of the Harrowers named Marty Sevenbirds. She teleported back to Hell, where Pinhead saw his love succumbing to her wound. He pulled the sword out of her guts, and she perished in Hell.
Orno
In his human life, Orno was a physicist, but his desire to figure out the math underlying Hell led him to Leviathan and his Labyrinth. He was given the responsibility of inventing new ways to open the gate between Hell and Earth once he arrived.
Orno found a revolutionary means for accomplishing this by infusing his own essence into the dwellers of Hell, whom Leviathan dubbed Raw Material. These people would be sent back to Earth, where they would mate with women, and the resultant child would end up becoming the Guardian of specific puzzle boxes.
Master
Master was a Cenobite who prioritised logic over anything else. He would frequently assess souls coming to Hell to see whether they were worthy of being converted into Cenobites. When a serial killer was taken to Hell and proclaimed his desire to become a Cenobite, Master questioned him about why he wanted to become a Cenobite and the Cenobite principles. After listening to the serial killer closely, Master deduced that the serial killer had potential but needed to learn more. Later, Master ripped the serial killer apart himself.
Needles
Needles is one of the most reclusive Cenobites, and little is known about him, but he has featured in several adventures alongside Hunger and was a key member of Hunger’s Gash. Needles is named from the needles on his mechanical fittings, which serve as his hands.
Saucy Jack
Saucy Jack was a Cenobite created from the spirit and body of Jack The Ripper, an infamous serial killer. According to the comics, Jack had been killing women his whole life, not because he was insane, but because he was searching for something called the Heart of Damnation. It was intended to bring him to Hell and provide the key to his transformation into a Cenobite. And, well, he does succeed on his mission after his 25th murder.
Sculptress and the Delivery Man
The Sculptress is a bald Cenobite dressed in a green off-shoulder dress who is capable of carving your body into one of her maquettes and keeping the parts for her other human-body art works. The Delivery Man, another Cenobite who loves the Sculptress but lacks lips, brings her the bodies she works on. The Delivery Man once delivered to him a young masochist who had figured out the Lament Configuration.
She would address this person as My Sweet while she took her sweet time carving his body. Soon, the young man started falling in love with her. The more the Sculptress would cut the man’s body, the more he would love her.
This frustrated the Sculptress, so she decided to give the man psychological pain when all forms of physical pain seemed useless. She cut out her lips and gave them to the Delivery Man and the two kissed in front of the young man. However, she didn’t realize that a masochist loves all forms of pain, physical and psychological.
Stitch
Stitch was a light white Cenobite with burnt, peeled, and sewn back face skin. But there’s a catch: they didn’t merely sew her skin back together; they did it from the inside out. Stitch made appearances in the sixth and seventh films, Hellseeker and Deader. In Hellseeker, she would reap the souls of people Kirsty Cotton would bring to the Cenobites. She also shapeshifted into one of Trevor’s mistresses and killed him with her metal mask.
Surgeon
Another fascinating Cenobite who arrived in the sixth part was Surgeon. He was a former surgical doctor who accepted Pinhead’s offer to get away from his mental anguish. Deacon Vrainian was a skilled and well-known surgeon who had never failed. However, he had never operated on someone he loved. So, when he performed surgery on his wife, she died on the operating table. The burden of this loss filled him with guilt, and he began to lose his sanity. In the end, he opened the Lament Configuration and spent the rest of his undead life as a Cenobite.