Before Superman, Henry Cavill Met Pinhead in Hellraiser: Hellworld

Nearly a decade before Henry Cavill got his big break playing Superman in Man of Steel, he encountered Pinhead in horror sequel Hellraiser: Hellworld. Cavill is a full-fledged A-lister now, having played a villain in last year’s action blockbuster Mission: Impossible – Fallout, and soon set to portray protagonist Geralt of Rivia in Netflix’s highly anticipated TV series based on The Witcher franchise. No doubt though, his success traces back to landing the Superman role in the DCEU.

First debuting as Superman and his alter ego Clark Kent in 2013’s Man of Steel, Cavill went on to reprise the heroic character in 2016’s Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, and in 2017’s Justice League. The latter performance was of course infamously effected by the mustache Cavill had grown for his Fallout role. While Zack Snyder’s DC films have both their fans and detractors, most regarded Cavill’s work as a bright spot in each movie, regardless of the script surrounding him.

Back in 2005 though, Cavill was still nearly a decade away from suiting up as The Last Son of Krypton, and was still trying to make inroads in Hollywood. To that end, the British actor landed a role in Hellraiser: Hellworld, the eighth film in the long-running horror franchise.

Hellraiser: Hellworld – Henry Cavill Played Mike, a Sex Addict

In a decently creative twist on the series’ usual formula, Hellraiser: Hellworld concerns an online game of the same name that incorporates elements of the Hellraiser iconography and lore. Two years after one of their friends dies by suicide, a group of young people previously enthralled with the Hellworld game are invited to a themed party at a spooky old mansion. The mysterious party host is played by genre legend Lance Henriksen, in a nice bit of casting. Meanwhile, Henry Cavill plays Mike, one of the main group who happens to be obsessed with sex, and of course, that leads to his downfall at the hands of Pinhead and his Cenobites.

Hellraiser: Hellworld – Henry Cavill’s Mike Dies Horribly

Surprisingly enough, Henry Cavill’s Mike doesn’t get killed by Pinhead personally, denying fans a retroactive Superman vs Pinhead match-up. Instead, he’s offed by another Cenobite in a spectacularly harsh fashion. After being lured to a remote part of the mansion by a beautiful woman, Mike is impaled by a giant hook, swung back and forth for a bit as he screams in agony, then dies hanging in mid air. He later reappears, having been converted by Pinhead into a Cenobite himself.

Of course, as anyone who’s actually seen Hellraiser: Hellworld knows, a major late game twist reveals that the entire party was a hallucination had by the characters as they lay drugged inside shallow graves, although those that died at the party died of fright in real life. This was orchestrated by Henriksen’s Host character, the father of their deceased friend who blamed them for his death. The film then puts a twist on that twist, having the real Pinhead show up to tear Henriksen’s soul apart. Now that’s some convoluted storytelling.

About The Author