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Hellraiser has been added to Universal theme parks for Halloween, because people don't remember how horny Hellraiser was

Line up, folks! Take the family to the most BDSM-coded Universal Studios' Halloween Horror Nights yet, courtesy of Clive Barker's Hellraiser

News by Grant DeArmitt, Staff Writer

Published on Wed Jul 01 2026

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So Universal's Halloween Horror Nights - I know they're scary and all, but they're still ostensibly family-oriented, right? Like, maybe you don't take the little ones, sure, but seeing as they're part of a theme park, they're still catered toward ticket-buying parents and their children, yes? I'm only asking because, this Halloween, Universal is adding a theme that I simply cannot imagine teenage me enjoying alongside my parents.

That is, Clive Barker's Hellraiser.

The news comes from a press release sent out by Universal's official marketing team June 30. In case you don't know, the themes of BDSM and sexual pleasure derived from pain are all over this classic horror franchise, and I gotta say, the announcement of Hellraiser's inclusion this year's Halloween Horror Nights simply doesn't shy away from that fact in its language.

"Halloween Horror Nights tempts guests to step beyond the threshold of pain and pleasure," reads the beginning of the statement, later confirming that the Hellraiser franchise, created by horror-meister Clive Barker in 1987, is "known for blending psychological horror with graphic imagery and philosophical themes of pain and desire."

Now imagine explaining this to, I don't know, your dad?

Misplaced horniness of it all aside, there are some genuinely cool facets of the event headed to one of the world's biggest scare attractions. For example, the set-up promises to include the voice OG Pinhead - sorry, Hell Priest - Doug Bradley in newly recorded lines for their Hollywood and Orlando-based haunted houses. Then there's the fact that the design team won't just be pulling from the first Hellraiser film, but also its sequels, Hellbound: Hellraiser II and Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth.

Which, hey, is probably a pretty accurate subtitle for the carride home with gam-gam.

Halloween Horror Nights runs select nights at Universal Orlando Resort from August 28 to November 1, and at Universal Studios Hollywood from September 3 to November 1. Hellraiser is streaming (for free!) on Tubi.

In the immortal words of Danny Elfman, "Life's no fun without a good scare." Join Popverse's freaky forays into frightful filmology with:

And much gore. Er, more. Much more.

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Grant DeArmitt: Grant DeArmitt (he/him) likes horror, comics, and the unholy union of the two. In the past, and despite their better judgment, he has written for Nightmare on Film Street and Newsarama. He lives in Brooklyn with his partner, Kingsley, and corgi, Legs.