When you think about it, it’s pretty crazy that the Hellraiser franchise has been going on for so long and yet hasn’t gotten a remake/reboot. A full thirty years after Clive Barker’s original film was released, ninth sequel Hellraiser: Judgment is headed our way, the film set to introduce the third actor to play Pinhead to date.

Of course, Doug Bradley made the character an icon of horror across the first eight Hellraiser films, wrapping up his run as Pinhead with 2005’s Hellraiser: Hellworld. Subsequently, Stephan Smith Collins took over the role for 2011’s Hellraiser: Revelations, and Paul T. Taylor will next be playing Pinhead in the aforementioned Hellraiser: Judgment.

It would seem that we’ve seen the last of Doug Bradley as Pinhead, a fact that doesn’t give Hellraiser fans much hope about the future of the franchise… or have we?

Speaking with Bradley as part of an exclusive interview that included him giving us some insights into what it was like being back in the costume (the first time in 14 years!) for the recent Pinhead Experience fan event, the legendary horror icon told us that he’s not opposed to sticking the pins in his head one more time and bringing the character back to the screen proper.

But he’s not on board unless/until he approves the vision.

“I’d absolutely be open to doing it again. I’ve never closed the door on the idea,” Bradley told us. “Right place, right time, right motives (unlike Revelation and Judgement) right script etc, etc, who knows. A full-on adaptation of The Scarlet Gospels would be a perfect end to the journey – and before any Internet rumours start: No, I don’t know of any such plans and no-one has spoken to me about it. Just a thought.”

We also asked Bradley for his thoughts on other actors taking over the role that he made famous, and he graciously expressed no ill-will towards either Collins or Taylor.

“I’m pretty relaxed about other actors playing the role,” he explained. “I made a conscious choice to turn Revelations down and did so for a variety of reasons. I finally watched it at the beginning of last year. It fully vindicated my decision to reject it. Judgment is slightly different in that the decision was effectively taken out of my hands and I didn’t even get to read the screenplay. The movie will have to be released before I get a chance to see it. I won’t be racing to watch it, but I won’t avoid it either.”

Bradley added, “Since I turned down both movies, it follows that I knew other actors would get to play the part. Good luck to them. I don’t know about ’taking over’, either: enjoying temporary ownership, maybe.”

Finally, we asked Bradley to name his personal favorite Hellraiser sequel.

“That would be a close call between Hellbound and Hell On Earth,” he revealed. “And I tend to give the latter the nod.”