Finally Another Update From Saber Interactive – Hellraiser: Revival Dev Diary [Video]
Hellraiser: Revival is the highly anticipated survival horror based on the cult classic film franchise. Saber Interactive is heading this beautifully gory horror game, and they’ve done an absolutely fantastic job developing it. From the several trailers that have been released to the HANDS-ON Preview at last year’s Gamescom, where viewers were actually provided vomit bags during the session, we can definitely expect a disgustingly beautiful journey through hell.
As a fan of the film series, it’s already been an exciting journey seeing Hellraiser: Revival’s development. The gore is exactly what we would expect, the story is as depraved and sadistic, and Saber Interactive has definitely done the Cenobites justice. The devs recently released a new YouTube video discussing Hellraiser: Revival, their thoughts, and what fans can expect when the game drops later this year.
Hellraiser: Revival Official Developer Diary [Video]
Hellraiser: Revival Official Developer Diary, courtesy of IGN official YouTube Channel and Saber Interactive
Saber Interactive has come out with yet another update on the development of Hellraiser: Revival, the survival horror gem set to release later this year. The video was released on IGN’s official YouTube channel, dubbed Hellraiser: Revival Official Developer Diary, where the creators of the series, devs working on the game, and none other than Pinhead himself, Doug Bradley, discuss their thoughts and ideas on the game and how it influenced the development of Hellraiser: Revival.
Throughout the video, many of the devs expressed the idea of taking the original concept from the films and expanding the Hellraiser universe through an original story set apart from the films. The addition of Doug Bradley as the voice of Pinhead “brought weight to the project, when he decided to join”, according to Audio Lead, Selena Bogdanovic. However, Bradley did express a bit of anxiety coming back to play his iconic character once again, especially because of the infamy and stigma attached to the character.
However, it seems Bradley was quickly convinced of Saber Interactive’s intentions with the game. The devs described the importance of the Cenobite characters, wanting to recreate each of them and expand on their characters in ways the films hadn’t before. The devs felt it was important to demonstrate Pinhead’s otherworldly presence and nobility, Chatterer’s menacing, intense aura, the Female Cenobite’s etherealness and authority, and Butterball’s disturbing nature. These different elements are what make Hellraiser: Revival such a wonderful addition to the Hellraiser series in all its bloody glory.
A Bloody Symphony of Pain and Pleasure
Hellraiser: Revival is the first survival horror game based on Clive Barker’s Hellraiser, which was released in 1987. The 80s were widely regarded as the golden age of horror, popularizing the slasher horror subgenre, with the likes of Michael Myers, Jason Vorhees, and Freddy Krueger. Clive Barker’s Hellraiser stands apart from other films, as it’s not your typical slasher horror.
The 80s were also a time when practical effects and body horror came to life (literally and figuratively) within the horror genre, which is something that the Hellraiser series is not only known for, but has also created such a huge cult following. The depravity of characters obsessed with the Lament Configuration and the indifferent brutality of the Cenobites elevate the horror, and are what I’d like to think why people love this classic horror film.
According to Antony De Fault, the narrative director of Hellraiser: Revival, Pinhead is unlike your typical slasher, who “has a specific aim that he wanted to achieve with his killings”. Pinhead exists until someone calls him with the Lament Configuration; he isn’t a being filled with malice, but someone who is “searching for enlightenment through sensation”. There’s been so much attention to detail put into the game, not just to recreate iconic characters like the Cenobites, but to ensure that Saber Interactive keeps true to the Hellraiser franchise and Clive Barker’s vision for it.
