What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedHellraiser
Clive Barker · Film · 1987
If you loved Hellraiser, start with Stranger Things (Ross Duffer, 2016) — a series from the same story. Below: 4 books, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to Hellraiser across media.
You crave the visceral collision of forbidden desire and existential dread that defines the haunting world of Hellraiser.
Start with the source
Inspired by
Stranger Things
Ross Duffer · Series · 2016
Books on the same thread
The Damnation Game
Clive Barker · Book · 1985
Shares 2 threads with Hellraiser: Body Horror, Occult Horror.
Like Hellraiser, this novel explores the dangerous intersection of greed and supernatural consequences, trapping its protagonist in a high-stakes deal that mirrors the agonizing price of forbidden knowledge.
The Great and Secret Show
Clive Barker · Book · 1990
Explores: Supernatural power, Generational conflict, Occult.
This narrative captures the same obsession with occult power found in Hellraiser, escalating personal passions into a dark, reality-bending conflict that threatens to consume the mortal world entirely.
Everville
Clive Barker · Book · 1994
Explores: Dream Worlds, Alternate Dimensions, Cosmic Horror.
If the cosmic horror of Hellraiser intrigued you, this story expands those boundaries by pitting humanity against malignant forces from other dimensions, echoing the unsettling intrusion of otherworldly entities.
The Thief of Always
Clive Barker · Book · 1992
Explores: Eternal Childhood, Temptation, Loss of Innocence.
This tale strips away the innocence of childhood just as Hellraiser deconstructs adult desire, presenting a sinister trap where the promise of eternal pleasure masks a dark and terrifying reality.
Series on the same thread
Twin Peaks
Mark Frost · Series · 1990
Explores: Small Town Secrets, Doppelgangers, Good vs Evil.
This series mirrors the atmospheric dread of Hellraiser, pulling you into a surreal investigation where moral ambiguity and supernatural mysteries dissolve the thin veil between our world and another.
Berserk
Series · 1997
Shares a thread with Hellraiser: Moral Ambiguity.
The brutal sacrifice and existential suffering Guts endures will resonate with any Hellraiser fan, as the story delves into the harrowing cost of ambition and the interference of divine beings.
Lucifer
Tom Kapinos · Series · 2016
Shares a thread with Hellraiser: Moral ambiguity.
This show takes the concept of the underworld from Hellraiser and places it in a modern setting, focusing on the moral ambiguity of a ruler weary of his hellish domain.
Stranger Things
Ross Duffer · Series · 2016
Explores: Government Experiments, Telekinesis, Monsters.
Much like the mystery of the puzzle box in Hellraiser, this story centers on the terrifying consequences of unearthing government secrets and supernatural forces that should have remained hidden away.
Podcasts on the same thread
The Magnus Archives
Podcast
Explores: Esoteric Research, The Weird, Paranormal Investigation.
This podcast channels the same obsession with forbidden research found in Hellraiser, inviting you to face the esoteric and the weird through a lens of deep, lingering existential dread.
The Truth
The Truth · Podcast · 2026
Shares a thread with Hellraiser: moral ambiguity.
These stories mirror the moral ambiguity central to Hellraiser, utilizing cinematic soundscapes to explore dark, transformative human experiences that often blur the line between reality and the bizarre.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is Hellraiser similar to Stranger Things?
Hellraiser and Stranger Things both feature portals to other dimensions that release terrifying entities into our world. While Hellraiser focuses on the Cenobites and the pursuit of extreme sensory experiences, Stranger Things explores supernatural threats within a suburban setting, yet both share a focus on dark, otherworldly incursions.
What is the primary catalyst for the events in Hellraiser?
The events in Hellraiser are triggered when a hedonistic man discovers a mysterious puzzle box. Solving this object summons the Cenobites, a group of gruesome beings who serve as the guardians of a dimension where pain and pleasure are inextricably linked, leading to the film's central conflict.
Are the Cenobites in Hellraiser strictly evil?
The Cenobites in Hellraiser are otherworldly entities who exist in a dominion where pain and pleasure are indivisible. They are not defined by human morality but rather by their devotion to this dark philosophy, acting as the agents who harvest those summoned by the puzzle box.
How does the puzzle box function in Hellraiser?
In Hellraiser, the puzzle box acts as a key or gateway to a different dimension. When a person solves the mechanism, it summons the Cenobites. These beings then arrive to claim the individual, bringing them into a realm defined by the inseparable nature of pain and pleasure.