With its distinct brand of revolting horror, the Hellraiser universe has never failed to astonish fans. Clive Barker’s tortured world of the cenobites generated an entire series, and twisted hell creatures commanded by the likes of Pinhead have never been in short supply. There is no doubt that the franchise has occasionally sunk into mediocrity, but the allure of these famous cenobites has never faded.
As spectators gain a glimpse inside the Labyrinth’s realm, it becomes increasingly horrific, especially with the appearance of several peculiar, sadistic cenobites. These extra-dimensional beings come from a whole different realm, and their only way to enter Earth’s reality is through portals that can only be opened with the help of a few supernatural objects like the Lament Configuration.
We have already looked at some of the most horrifying cenobites on the planet, and today we will add another to the list. We delve into the gloomy world of Chatterer, the Angel of Suffering, also known as Jim, in this video. His heinous deeds will send shivers down your spine, and we will tell you everything there is to know about this cenobite from the Hellraiser comic book and film franchise.
Who Is Chatterer?
The Chatterer has appeared in the comic series, and he was also seen in the original Hellraiser franchise. He was referred to as Hell’s right-hand man, and his character was portrayed as the muscle power in Pinhead’s gash. However, prior to his life as a cenobite, the Chatterer had a rather tragic life. As a human, Jim was sent to an orphanage after he framed his mother for the murder of his abusive father.
Life in the orphanage wasn’t kind to him at all, and he along with the other young people there was taught that their life was absolutely meaningless. Eventually, he took to a life of prostitution, but his sole desire deep within his heart was to be loved. He was appreciated for his physical appearance, and thus, he also wished to be ugly, so that the one loving him wouldn’t love him for his looks.
One of his clients handed him the Lament Configuration, and he began his journey serving the God of Pain and Desire. He started distributing Lament Configurations to several people and even gave one to his old lover Seth. After Seth leaves without opening the puzzle box, Jim is finally granted his desire. The God of Pain and Desire disfigured him beyond recognition and he was transformed into his cenobite from – the Chatterer. His initial appearance showed no distinct facial features because his face was simply covered in a mass of burned skin. His mouth was stretched open using eight hooks that dug deep into the sides of his mouth, and they stretched to the torn flesh on the back of his head. He also had terrible cuts on his stomach, chest, and back.
He became the second lieutenant to the Hell Priest Pinhead and remained a child of misery, who never really got what he truly desired. He could only indulge in unimaginable pain, and the only expression of his eternal solitude was the chattering sound that came from his teeth. However, he was a loyal servant to Pinhead, and his skills in the manipulation of flesh were duly noted. He became a crucial member of the Pinhead Gash, and had the opportunity to torture Janice Baur, the famous actress.
She had declined a role from a director, but the latter gave her a Lament Configuration and asked her to create the shape of pain using the puzzle box. This was supposed to be a simple acting exercise, but Janice got deeper and deeper into this messy world of hell. Finally, she solved the Lament Configuration and after ending up in hell, she was tortured by Chatterer, Pinhead, and the others. It is shown that she kept performing as an actress, but her life was now under hell’s influence.
When Alastor’s Gash organized a Jihad that threatened the balance of hell, Chatterer helped Pinhead in defeating them and restoring order.
Chatterer In The Hellraiser Timeline
Chatterer has been seen in a lot of Hellraiser movies and is second only to Pinhead in terms of the cinematic appearances of cenobites. After Kirsty solved the Lament Configuration a second time in order to ward off the Engineer, she ended up summoning Pinhead’s Gash. Chatterer was one of the first cenobites to appear, and he shoved his fingers down her throat to prevent her from screaming.
He kept her restrained while she made a deal with Pinhead to help the cenobites recapture Frank. Again, after Frank was ripped apart and sent back to hell, Kirsty realized that the cenobites weren’t going to be true to their word. Thus, she solved the Lament Configuration again and sent Pinhead and the Female Cenobite back to hell. Just as Chatterer was about to strike her dead, she solved the puzzle box one more time and sent him back as well.
In another Hellraiser movie, Kirsty revealed the past human life of the cenobites to them. This brought back some emotional memories, and Doctor Cenobite appeared in the nick of time to go after Kirsty and Tiffany. Pinhead, Chatterer, and a few others stood up against the Channard Cenobite, but the latter proved to be too strong. Chatterer was killed, as he tried to defend Kirsty Cotton. Even after his death, the legacy of this supreme cenobite was intact. New types of cenobites, such as the Torso cenobite were created, which had similar characteristics just to ensure that the Chatterer’s likeness lived on!
The Chatterer’s Revival – Back from the dead
While the movies left him for dead, a recently released Clive Barker’s Hellraiser comic brought him back to life. After almost twenty years since his death, Pinhead shed blood on the site of his death and revived the Chatterer and the Female Cenobite. He was back to his old form and joined Pinhead’s gash yet again. However, Pinhead betrayed him in order to gain back his former human life, and we see the Chatterer being torn apart by some hooked chains. It turned out that even his revival was rather short-lived and he died a rather painful death once again!
New Hellraiser Movie & Tv Series Announced
There is some good news for all the Hellraiser fans out there because there is a movie coming up in the near future. It is being produced by David S. Goyer, and although he hasn’t revealed much about the project, some information has spilled out. It has been revealed that Jamie Clayton is going to play the role of Pinhead. This will be the first time that a woman will play Pinhead and the producer has stated that this film will look to honor Clive Barker’s original novella in a violent, R-rated way!
There is also word of an HBO TV series being released, and this series will explore the story of the Cenobites. Clive Barker himself will be a part of this project as an executive editor, and he was delighted by the idea that the stories were heading back to their roots! There hasn’t been an exact release date announced yet, but in all likelihood, we are going to see it sometime this year.