Frank was Incestuous Necrophiliac in Clive Barker’s 2014 Unmade HELLRAISER Remake
While the Cenobites were always the most iconic and visually stunning characters in Clive Barker’s original Hellraiser (released in 1987), the true villains were Frank and Julia Cotton
Regular readers of Dread Central know that we’ve been following a video series produced by UK YouTuber and film critic Mr. H. He recently released an exploration of Clive Barker’s unmade Hellraiser reboot, written in 2014, by piecing together leaked portions of the notoriously-hard-to-obtain screenplay. Since then, he’s gotten his hands on the unholy grail itself: The actual script.
Related Article: Video Pieces Together Full Plot of Clive Barker’s Unmade HELLRAISER Remake
We’ve already shared the above-mentioned exploration, as well as the first in an ongoing series exploring characters and aspects of Barker’s script; it was a deep-dive into Pinhead, who, it was revealed, was reimagined as the creator of The Lament Configuration, Phillip L’Merchant, not a shell-shocked WWI British Captain named Elliot Spencer. For a complete breakdown of the 21st Century Pinhead, check out Mr. H’s video by following the link below.
Related Article: Pinhead in Clive Barker’s Unmake 2014 Remake Was Someone Else—But Someone We’ve Met Before!
Mr. H’s latest video recap of Barker’s script is all about Frank Cotton. The man was a complete bastard when we met him in 1987, but he was a saint compared to the piece of trash portrayed in Hellraiser 2014! Just how much more depraved can a blood-famished sadist have been? Check out the video below to find out!
If you can’t stream, the main points of Mr. H’s exploration of Frank Cotton from the unmade Hellraiser reboot are briefly summarized below. Enjoy!
- When Larry, Julia, and Kristy arrive at their family home, the movers are strangely perturbed by something in the attic. It turns out to be Frank, who’s broken in; he sleeps on a dirty mattress; the walls are covered with obscene sketches.
- As soon as Kristy learns Frank is living in the attic, she responds with dread. Though never stated explicitly, it’s implied he has already abused her.
- In flashbacks, we see the first time Frank and Julia had an affair; the language is so graphic, Mr. H can’t share it online without risking demonetization. It’s also revealed that Frank and Julia had sex at her wedding to Larry while she was still wearing her dress. While Julia is still clearly in love with Frank, he’s, at best, ambivalent towards her, only seducing her with promises of love in order to get his way.
- Frank’s ritual with the Lament Configuration unfolds much as it did in 1987 with one major difference: Instead of chains ripping his body to shreds, Pinhead arrives, followed by supernatural vines that cocoon Frank, draining his body of all its essences until he’s basically dust. Frank’s return from Hell is near identical to what we saw in 1987: After breaking back into our reality through a pool of spilled blood, Frank manipulated Julia into bringing him a steady stream of victims to exsanguinate.
- Here’s the worst of it: When Kristy encounter’s a partially reformed Frank in the attic, he immediately makes sexual advances. He claims that he will kill her quickly, but plans to violate her sexually before draining her blood. When she escapes, Frank spews obscenities, including a threat to wear Kristie’s gentiles as a neck-tie. I’m not sure how that’s even possible!
What do you think of Frank as he’s reimagined in Clive Barker’s unmade Hellraiser remake? Sound off in the comments below or on Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram!
