There is a great thing about horror movies. They are for everyone. Being scared is a universal emotion, and as a result, a genre that is defined by anything that elicits that feeling is as broad as it is diverse. There are horror comedies, thrillers, gore porn, horror that acts as an allegory for pretty much every single social issue imaginable. Horror fans know that horror is for everyone. That said, ever since F. M. Murnau got a man to dress up like a non-copyrighted version of Dracula, the horror film genre hasn’t been an equal rights place.

For over a century, women have often been overtly sexualized in the name of creating horror, be it horny campers being punished or chaste babysitters being idolised, the horror genre has always sexualized, infantilized, and generally just treated women weirdly. So, how best to rebalance the scales? Well, after previewing Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival at Gamescom, it seems like Saber Interactive might have a solution. The genre needs to give men the same treatment.

Running naked through hell

In the opening 40 or so minutes of Hellraiser: Revival, you will play as a very confused and very scared butt naked man running around both a Hellish other dimension and an underground sadism club that seems to ignore safeword equity. And honestly, it’s great. From the extreme gore to the graphic sex, and even just the general tone, there is a level of brash confidence to the game that seems totally aware that it’s most likely going to get denied classification by multiple age rating boards, and that is exactly what you want from something as historically transgressive as Hellraiser.

The opening of the game sees an extremely explicit sex scene play out between the protagonist, Aiden, and his girlfriend, who seems strangely enamored with a curious puzzle box she brought into the couple’s bedroom. After the two spend some time, um, enjoying each other’s company, she solves the cube and suddenly, a portal to hell is opened, she is being flayed with hooks on chains, and Pinhead, voiced by Doug Bradley, and his Gash are inviting her to see “such sights”.

She disappears into the portal, and Aiden decides to follow, and it was around here that I assumed he must have put on pants between the cutscene and gameplay. You can’t tell as of yet, because the game is played in first person, and Saber cowardly doesn’t let you see your body when you look down, but rest assured, we soon find out Aiden does all that follows in the nude.

Once you start exploring this maze, the first thing that will strike you, if you’re a fan of the films, is that Saber has really nailed the look and feel of this extra-dimensional realm. Narrow halls full of spikes and Escherian stairways give way to a small ledge that overlooks an endless maze with an impossibly imposing obelisk hanging in the air. The skybox even looks reminiscent of the matte painting used in the first two films.

You’ll soon find yourself chased by Chatterer in an escape sequence that is surprisingly fun, helped by the moving walls, shifting reality, and helpful 180-degree turn button that quickly lets you double back. Eventually, Aiden will stumble back into his room and begin to gather himself, but before he can do so, a group of what can only be described as very rude BDSM enthusiasts raid his house and knock him out.

To hell and back

Now I am not sure what your Saturday nights are like, but if you’re like me, you’ll know what comes next for Aiden, as he awakes to a man in a custom-made mask and leather trenchcoat, monologuing to him about the joys of pain and suffering. It is at this point that the game reveals that Aiden has been going commando throughout this whole ordeal. You wake up tied to a chair with several of your extremities sewn or hooked to places they really shouldn’t be, and Hellraiser: Revival goes to great lengths to showcase just how naked you truly are.

It sounds funny now, and I am kind of playing it up, but it does a really good job at making you feel powerless. Some horror games like Resident Evil will take away your huge arsenal of guns for segments to try to make you feel like you’re in more danger, Hellraiser leaves its protagonist with literally nothing.

Once the world’s least supportive domme leaves the room, you begin to unhook yourself and rip stitches out of your body. It’s a gruesome scene, and it feels weird to say about a digital video game, but it all feels like looking at really good practical effects. There is a level of artistry in its depiction of flesh that feels akin to something Tom Savini or K&B Effects would create.

Party foul

Once you break free of your restraints, the game opens up from a very linear “run away from the monster” type thing into something of a survival horror game like Outlast or Resident Evil 7. You tiptoe your way through a short stealth sequence, solving puzzles, avoiding enemies, observing unimaginable horrors inflicted on others (the usual), until you eventually pick up a knife. It was at this point that the game began to remind me of Condemned: Criminal Origins with its first-person combat.

You will also begin to scavenge equipment to craft things like healing items (and later in the demo, ammo). None of this survival horror is particularly revolutionary, particularly at a convention where Resident Evil: Requiem had a similar demo that stripped you of your tools. However, the team going out of its way to show just how vulnerable Aiden is at this point really works to ratchet up the tension.

Eventually, after much sneaking, Aiden will be reunited with some clothing, and even find a gun to arm himself. Despite this, though, Hellraiser: Revival has done enough work to establish you as totally out of your depth. This sexual cult actually seems to know what’s going on; you have no idea where to even start looking for your girlfriend, and you still have to find a way out of this situation. Game intros often get a lot of extra attention in the development process, but as far as cold opens go, there are few as icy as this.

The demo ends with Aiden finally getting out of the second hell of the night, after witnessing a botched surgery – or, come to think of it, maybe that surgery went exactly as that deranged surgeon intended – only to discover that he’s now stuck in a bustling nightclub.

Ultimately, Hellraiser: Revival makes a hell of a first impression. The only question is if it can maintain this atmosphere through the rest of the game. What’s more, it remains to be seen if it can live up to the often engaging philosophizing of the first two films without treading into the direct-to-DVD schlock of later entries.

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This preview is based on a PC demo played on-site at Gamescom in Germany. The final product is subject to change.