Horror aficionados were taken aback when the first “Hellraiser” film was released. It was a fresh concept that had never been explored before, and audiences appreciated the horrific story and distinctive characters after the initial shock. Clive Barker had put out a foundation for them that would eventually blossom into a full-fledged brand.
Fans of the Hellraiser franchise are spoilt for choice because the franchise has created such a vast universe. However, the first five films in the series are unquestionably the greatest. The brilliance of Doug Bradley and his portrayal of the famous character of Pinhead is responsible for much of the franchise’s splendor.
He is not even mentioned in the first film, but he quickly rose to prominence as the apex of cinematic horror at the time. Pinhead was the leader of the Cenobites, evil monsters from another world whose bloodlust found expression in sadomasochism and inconceivable torture of his victims.
The rich mythos around this character has only grown as a result of the movies and comic books. Fans’ interest has grown as well, as they seek an explanation for some of Pinhead’s strange qualities. In this video, we have an explanation bag ready for the inquisitive mind. We will tell you everything there is to know about Pinhead’s anatomy and abilities, as well as show you some of his unusual features!
The Past Life of Pinhead – Elliot Spencer PTSD
The one we see and fear as a ferocious Cenobite was once a normal man just like us! Pinhead was known as Elliot Spencer in his human life, and he was born in Victorian Era Britain around 1887. He joined the British Army as a young man during the First World War, and he became a Captain in the Expeditionary Force.
He was far from the merciless Cenobite that we know him as. In fact, Elliot Spencer was known for his compassionate ways and his caring attitude towards fellow soldiers. However, it all changed after the horrors he witnessed at the Battle of Flanders. He saw morbid, disturbing deaths all around him and it took away his faith in humanity altogether.
He also stopped having faith in God, whom he believed had failed mankind. He suffered from an acute case of PTSD, or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and he wandered the Earth as a disillusioned man.
He led a hedonistic lifestyle, and this eventually brought him to the Lament Configuration. He solved the puzzle box and understood the true pleasures associated with pain and suffering. He was turned into a Cenobite named Pinhead, and the rest is history!
The Story behind the nails in his head?
The first thing that comes to mind when we think of Pinhead is the nails in his head. You must have wondered if there was some symbolism of the nails! All the Cenobites have some dreadful and dark caricatures, and these physical mutilations are only a part of the perversion that signifies their existence.
Pinhead, as the name suggests, has nails embedded all over his head, and this probably symbolizes authority. He is an authoritative figure among the demented creatures, and his very appearance makes it clear that he is in charge of things. The nails represent the constant pain that is the source of joy for the Cenobites, and it also shows the authority that Pinhead has over others.
If you are looking for a spiritual and biblical explanation, the nails are probably a mockery of the crown of thorns. It might have something to do with the crucifixion of Jesus, or maybe it just tries to hint at how different the world of Cenobites is from the conventional religious world. Another potential explanation for the nails could be hidden in the past life of Pinhead.
Before becoming a Cenobite, Pinhead was a man named Elliot Spencer, who served during the First World War. There must have been some painful memories of the violence and death surrounding him, and the nails could also symbolize his trauma from the war-time experiences. The large number of nails could imply the huge loss of lives that he witnessed as a soldier during the war.
He has learned to derive pleasure from his pain, and his past life is still impacting his appearance. The nails could also be some kind of a twisted representation of the headgear that the soldiers wore during the war. There is a distinct pattern and the spacing of the nails is neatly balanced; it all might be hinting at his past life as a soldier.
Speculations aside, Clive Barker has revealed that the designs were largely inspired by S&M gear and punk fashion rolled into one, with a hint of Catholic outfits. Pinhead, in particular, was inspired by certain African fetish sculptures, and they have a common theme of nails and pins hammered into a human body!
Chain Manipulation – Alysidakinesis
If the nails in his head define him, Pinhead’s ability to use hooked chains to attack his victims is not too far behind. There have been numerous instances where he used this signature move of summoning barbed iron hooks and chains out of nowhere.
These would be used to mutilate and rip apart the victims and were totally under his mental control. Pinhead could direct the chains at will and could summon unlimited amounts of this weapon to the fight. This was easily Pinhead’s most powerful method of attacking victims, and we have rarely seen him fail at it. Thus, it is fair to say that chain manipulation is one of the supernatural powers that Pinhead has because his expertise with these twisted weapons has been witnessed time and again!
Pinhead’s Split Personality
It turns out that even the scariest horror icon suffers from the mere mortal’s psychological issues! This was explored in the third Hellraiser movie titled “Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth”. We learn that Pinhead has somehow been split into two entities – one of these entities is simply his former self, the soldier in the British Army named Captain Elliot Spencer, and the other is his demonic manifestation Pinhead! Elliot Spencer’s soul is trapped in limbo and so is Pinhead along with the Lament Configuration, in a pillar called the Pillar of Souls.
He is released when a selfish, womanizing owner of a nightclub named J.P. Monroe buys the pillar as an art form. Once he comes to life, he is back to his old antics. The chains and hooks emerge once again and the body count increases by the minute! Eventually, Elliot Spencer’s limbo-bound spirit forcibly fuses with the demonic version, and the narrative shows that he is sent back to his hellish realm.
Pinhead Can Create Pseudo Cenobites
Pseudo Cenobites are basically incomplete Cenobites who haven’t been taken to Hell yet. They are simply put into a Cenobite Creation Chamber, and they emerge as terrifying Cenobites. We got the first glimpse of the Pseudo Cenobites in “Hellraiser: Hell on Earth”, where Pinhead slaughtered an entire nightclub full of people. He then used the mutilated bodies to turn them into Pseudo Cenobites. However, he could not transform all of them because after transforming five dead bodies he was interrupted.
Throughout the Hellraiser franchise, numerous Pseudo Cenobites make their appearances. J.P. Monroe was turned into Pistonhead, and who can forget the twin brothers who were fused into one. Pinhead seems to have the power to create Pseudo Cenobites at will, and apart from him, Angelique has been seen to have similar powers.
There is even a Pseudo Pinhead, who works as his apprentice. He looks like a primitive form of Pinhead, and his skin seems to be held together by the nails. As a human, Pseudo Pinhead used to be Steven Craven, and he was seen in the movie “Hellraiser: Revelations”. This simply adds to the long list of incredible powers that Pinhead has, and his ability to create more Cenobites only makes him deadlier!
Pinhead is a Shapeshifter
Pinhead has been seen in various forms throughout the franchise, and it is abundantly clear that his shapeshifting qualities are an addition to his long list of supernatural powers. In “Hellraiser III”, we see him exploiting a vulnerable lady, who presumes that her father died in the Vietnam War.
Pinhead transforms into her dead father, in perhaps one of his meanest tricks, and tries to convince her that he is the real spirit of her father who came to say goodbye. His real motive was to make her hand over the Lament Configuration, which fortunately did not happen because the lady sent him back to hell.
Again, in “Hellraiser: Inferno”, Pinhead hides for much of the movie in disguise as he takes the form of Dr. Paul Gregory. He is a priest and a counselor and has repeated sessions with a morally corrupt cop. The twist in the tale reveals that the corrupt cop was actually suffering in hell the whole time, and Dr. Paul Gregory was simply Pinhead’s tool to torment him.
Kirsty Cotton becomes the new Pinhead
You know of a very different story of Kirsty Cotton if you have only watched her in the movies. The comic book fans will know that the Hellraiser comics from Boom Studios chart a completely different trajectory for her character. One of the story arcs shows Kirsty agreeing to take over as the new lord of Hell, replacing Pinhead.
Elliot Spencer would be restored to humanity, and Kirsty would step into the shoes of Pinhead. There is a brief prelude to this storyline. Both Pinhead and Kirsty are shown to have grown tired of their monotonous lives. Kirsty tried to end the menace of Pinhead forever, but she failed. Most of her loved ones died terrible deaths and ended up trapped in the hellish realm.
On the other hand, the same torturous methods as a Hell Priest bored Pinhead as well, and a trade of their lives seemed imminent. Kirsty agreed to take over because she thought she would be reunited with her loved ones.
However, she was in for a rude shock. Becoming Pinhead came with its share of changes, and her new life was far from what she hoped for! For those who are interested in exploring more of this bizarre plot, there are some very graphic pages that portray their painful physical transformations!
Pinhead could have looked completely different
Those who are familiar with Clive Barker’s novel, “The Hellbound Heart”, will know that the Pinhead depicted in his writings is quite different from what we saw in the movies. Barker’s initial designs showed him having a navel piercing, and Pinhead did not look as intimidating as his final version!
The novel doesn’t even establish its gender and Pinhead’s voice was described as that of an excited girl. Clearly, the movies took a very different route, and the novels don’t even mention Pinhead as the leader of the Cenobites. In fact, he takes orders from the leader, and the movies changed it quickly to make him the prominent lord of Hell.
Other Supernatural Powers of Pinhead
Besides all the supernatural abilities that we have discussed already, Pinhead also has some other powers up his sleeve. He is almost invulnerable and seems to be resistant to any kind of severe damage. His magical powers allowed him to create objects out of thin air, and he also had the ability to teleport himself to various places.
He was a master of illusion, and there were many occasions, where he deceived the victims with his magic. Pinhead also had the ability to read people’s minds and get into their vulnerable thoughts. This often allowed him to persuade others to do unthinkable things for him!
How to Kill Pinhead Permanently
This feared Cenobite has been banished back to his realm, locked up in the Pillar of Souls, and on rare occasions, he has been outwitted as well. But how about getting rid of Pinhead permanently! Can he be killed off at all? He has repelled the most devastating attacks on him, and no worldly force seems to do enough damage to kill him permanently. However, one thing can be observed about all the Cenobites out there.
They are vulnerable once they remember their human lives. The same is the case for Pinhead as well, and if he is forced to remember his past life as Elliot Spencer, he is considerably weakened. Humanizing him can be an easy way to finish him off. Some fans are of the opinion that only Leviathan or another powerful Cenobite can kill Pinhead! “Hellraiser 4” did kill Pinhead, and many were wondering if it was permanent.
Well, the narrative certainly hinted towards that. After the Elysium Configuration is activated, Pinhead is caught up in a permanent field of light, and we see him dying in agonizing pain. This was supposed to be the exact opposite of the Lament Configuration, and the Elysium Configuration could close all the gates to the hellish realm. It can be said that if there is a way to block Pinhead’s return to hell, he could be killed permanently! In a nutshell, nobody knows for certain if he can be killed for good. So, the next time you find a mysterious puzzle box, maybe leave it alone!
Our Final Words
This intimidating antagonist from the Hellraiser franchise has given us some golden moments in the horror genre, and even in the average movies, Pinhead’s role stands out. Clive Barker had no idea that this character would go on to become the poster boy of “Hellraiser”, but the leather-clad creepy Cenobite did make that happen. If you enjoyed all the trivia and information on Pinhead, do check out the other Hellraiser videos on our channel!