What if Hellraiser, but Saw? Such seems to be the basic premise of Hellraiser: Judgment, the latest installment in the iconic long-running horror franchise, which brings back Pinhead (Now played by Paul T. Taylor) and his sadomasochists from beyond the grave to torment the living once again. It's been quite the wait for a new Hellraiser film, with the incredibly cruel false promise of another Clive Barker project lost somewhere along the way at Dimension, but now Lionsgate has recruited horror effects veteran Gary Tunnicliffe to helm the latest sequel.

The film mixes grimy Saw vibes with Hellraiser's otherworldly torture tradition, following three detectives on the hunt for a serial killer who follow the clues right down to a hellish maze of horrors where "the Auditor, the Assessor, and the Jury await to pass Judgement." The creature designs on display in the trailer are pretty great (I'd expect nothing less from Tunnicliffe), but my biggest concern is that the very early-aughts torture-happy aesthetic won't have that fantastical Hellraiser flourish and I'm definitely wary of any Pinhead that's not Doug Bradley. That said, we've endured a lot of real shit Hellraiser sequels over the years, and this one certainly looks above the cut comparatively. Consider me hesitantly hopeful.

Hellraiser: Judgment stars Damon Carney, Randy Wayne, Alexandra Harris, John Gulager, Mike Jay Regan, and Diane Goldner, and even includes an appearance from Heather Langenkamp. Keep your sweetheart close because Hellraiser: Judgment, will arrive on Blu-ray, DVD, and On Demand just in time for Valentine's Day on February 13, 2018. Watch the trailer below (via BloodyDisgusting).

Here's the synopsis:

"The dreaded Pinhead returns in the next terrifying chapter of the classic Hellraiser series. Three detectives trying to stop a diabolical serial killer are sucked into a maze of otherworldly horror, where hellish denizens including the Auditor, the Assessor, and the Jury await to pass judgment."

Check out what sights Hellraiser: Judgment has to show you in the trailer images below.

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Image via Lionsgate
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Image via Lionsgate
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Image via Lionsgate
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Image via Lionsgate
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Image via Lionsgate
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Image via Lionsgate