As a massive horror fan, I was on the hunt for Clive Barker's Hellraiser: Revival Easter Eggs as soon as I loaded up the game. And, to my Cenobite-obsessed delight, I've found 13 references that made me do a double-take while messing about with the Lament Configuration.
Clive Barker's Hellraiser: Revival is, of course, set in the Hellraiser universe, which has given us some of the best horror movies of all time and is a staple in '80s horror media, period. So of course there were always going to be nods to the iconic franchise for us to dig into here. However, in between my time gushing over Pinhead voice actor Doug Bradley's being in this title and wincing at all the virtual gore on my screen, I was shocked to find obscure nods to other '80s horror movies, the Hellraiser comics getting some love, and even tributes to iconic metal bands as well.
Some of the easter eggs I found are really hidden, and some aren't so cut and dry. I'm sure I may have missed a few as well, so feel free to share any you may have found in the comments below. But for now, here are all the spooky references and easter eggs that are in the new game, Clive Barker's Hellraiser: Revival. Warning: spoilers ahead!
1. Mattress with chains at the beginning of the game
In a blink-and-you'll-miss-it kind of moment, at the very start of the game when you enter Hell for the first time, a mattress is quickly thrown in front of you before it is pulled away with chains. Now, this moment is way too much of a curveball not to be a shout-out to the first two Hellraiser movies. Mattresses being like a gateway to hell are massive things in the franchise in general, but seeing one so soon and without context has to be an easter egg in my opinion. In Hellraiser 2 specifically, Julia is resurrected via a mattress (which the game later replicates with Sunny), so that just further cements my thoughts on this one. Is this Julia's mattress? We don't know, but it is definitely a movie nod if ever there was one.
2. A man with wires on his face like the Doctor in Hellraiser 2
When you first escape Bruno, near the place where you get a gun for the first time in the game, in the hallway you will find the dead body of a detective whose death has some very similar characteristics to Dr. Philip Channard's fate when he is taken over by Leviathan in Hellraiser 2. In the movie, before he's turned into a Cenobite, one of the most memorable moments is seeing wires cut into his face. In the game, the dead body has a contraption on his head with wires cutting into his face in the exact same manner. We do see this model used again later in the game, so it isn't limited to this one scene, but it is a clear homage to one of the best practical-effects moments in an '80s movie. It is also one of the only nods to Channard, who personally would have loved all of Bruno's gruesome handiwork.
3. Shopkeeper being an Eremite
When you meet the shopkeeper for the second time, you will find a document next to her that reveals that she is an eremite. Eremites are basically demons who guard all the puzzle boxes that lead to Hell, and they are also beings who try to entice souls into Leviathan's domain. Eremites are half-human, half-Cenobite beings who can look human at first, but their true form tends to be a bit more horrific. We saw that back in the first Hellraiser movie, with the homeless figure turning into a skeletal winged monster to get the Lament Configuration at the end of that film. We did only get a name for these creatures in the Hellraiser comics, though, so this is a nice nod to that side of the franchise as well. I will say that the shopkeeper behaves quite odd for an Eremite since they don't seem to be operating under Leviathan's will, but they do enjoy messing with Aiden's head about his relationship with Sunny and his true desires, so the essence of the original source material is still there.
4. Orno is mentioned
In the same note that reveals that the shopkeeper is an Eremite, we also get mention of the Cenobite Orno. Now, Orno is basically all of the Eremites' parent and is the Cenobite who is tasked with creating new puzzles in Hell. It's a bit complicated, but in order to reproduce with humans and make Eremites, Orno embeds his essence into his "Raw Material", a tortured human husk he uses to create the insides of the puzzle boxes, which he then returns to the real world in order to act as a surrogate to impregnate people with his own Cenobite genes…delightful. Only years later when they've grown does he send them a puzzle box, activating them like sleeper agents. Orno doesn't turn up in the Hellraiser movies and is really only a figure in Epic Comics, but seeing his name pop up is a neat little easter egg for longtime fans of the franchise.
5. Ozzy Osborne's grave
In the graveyard section of the game, after you escape the club, you can stumble upon a gravestone that reads "Here lies our prince of darkness who raised hell then went back to his mother". Under the tombstone, you will see Ozzy's iconic glasses as well as two bat statues, and for some extra flair, candles sporting the iconic Black Sabbath purple color decorate the grave as well. Ozzy Osbourne died in 2025, so seeing this very sweet homage to him in the game was surprisingly touching. Also, a fun fact: Ozzy wrote a song called Hellraiser with Zakk Wylde and Lemmy Kilmister back in the '90s, so he has got ties to the franchise directly. Basically, this is a top-tier tribute and Easter egg, friends.
6. Motörhead's Lemmy's hat
Next to Ozzy's gravestone, you will also see Motörhead bassist and lead vocalist Lemmy Kilmister's iconic cowboy hat. As I mentioned in the Ozzy Osbourne Easter Egg, Lemmy co-wrote the Hellraiser song. However, Motörhead did do a version of the song for the movie Hellraiser 3: Hell on Earth. Lemmy also played poker with Pinhead in that song's music video, and it was directed by Clive Barker too, which is just the cherry on top of the cool horror cake. So yeah, finding a version of Lemmy's hat next to the Ozzy easter egg is very cool, and one I highly suggest all fans keep an eye out for when they are in the graveyard sections of the game.
7. The occult magazine, Damballa
When you return to the club after acquiring the Hell chain ability, you will see a magazine on a chair called Damballa. Now, I will say a lot of books and magazines in this game are just stock assets; however, in the realm of '80s horror movie lore, this find made me do a double take. Damballa is a voodoo spirit that, in the horror movie Child's Play, is the reason why Chucky was able to transfer his soul into a doll. Damballa doesn't have any Hellraiser ties directly, but the game offers an '80s movie mode, and since Hellraiser 2 came out in 1988 (the same year as Child's Play), I'm pretty sure this is a fun easter egg paying homage to horror movies in general of that time. Later on in the game, we see a cabin that looks kind of similar to Evil Dead, and a boat on a lake that may be a Friday the 13th nod, but those are all very vague "could be" references. The Damballa mention is the best case for an '80s horror movie easter egg out of the whole bunch.
8. Cultist note called 'Hell on Earth'
In the game, you will find a note called "Hell on Earth", which discusses the cult's plans to bring the Cenobites to Earth. In the note, the writer does complain that they want to descend into Hell instead of bringing it to Earth, simply because they want to "bathe in Leviathan's shadow". Pretty standard bad guy stuff, but the Easter Egg here lies in the note's name, which is the same as the third Hellraiser movie, Hellraiser 3: Hell on Earth. It's not a deep Easter egg that needs lore unpacking to get the most out of it, but it is a fun little nod.
9. Yellow floating balloon
OK, so I will admit that whether this is an easter egg or not is probably a stretch, but considering all the other subtle nods to '80s horror media that isn't purely Hellraiser-related, I do think it is worth highlighting a potential IT reference I found. In the swamp section, when you are approaching the cabin after the graveyard section in the game, you will be able to spot a very out-of-place yellow balloon. If you are a long-time Stephen King fan like myself, then you know that the balloon that Pennywise gives Georgie is actually yellow in the '90s IT miniseries. The red balloon for the IT franchise was only made popular after the recent movies; before then, Tim Curry's portrayal of Pennywise holding up that yellow balloon in the gutter haunted my nightmares. There are no other IT signifiers in the game, but a random balloon in a swamp is a suspicious choice to include; also, considering we have had a Chucky reference and that IT was written in 1986, this may be another '80s horror homage.
10. All the Steam achievements are references
Almost all the Steam achievements are references to something. Be that Hellraiser quotes spanning from all the movies, other horror movie nods, Resident Evil 4 references, and there is even an achievement named after a line from Lord of the Rings. I'd be here for ages listing them all, so I highly recommend checking them out for yourself. However, I will share some of my personal favorite Easter eggs that I found:
- The achievement "Only Nightmares Last Forever," which is a line from the more obscure and straight-to-video Hellraiser: Deader movie
- The achievement "A waste of good suffering," a classic line from the first Hellraiser movie
- The two achievements "What Are You Selling?" and "What are you buying?" which are nods to the merchant in Resident Evil 4
- The achievement "What's in the Box," which is a line from the iconic thriller movie Seven
- The achievement "No life in the void, only death," which is a line Sauron says during The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
- The achievement "Burn, oh such a limited imagination," which is a line from Hellraiser 3
- The achievement "Unlimited Power," which is, of course, a reference to the Star Wars line said by Palpatine in Episode 3 – Revenge of the Sith
11. Blade tentacles from Hellraiser 2
The general aesthetic of the Labyrinth takes cues from all the Hellraiser movies, so there aren't a lot of Easter Eggs to be spotted in Hell. However, in some sections you will encounter hallways filled with tentacles with surgical blades coming out of them, which is very clear Hellraiser 2 imagery. When Channard turns into the Cenobite "the Doctor" in that movie, he sports said tentacles with blades, and it is very specific to his character. While the other Cenobites tend to stick to hooks and chains, these blades do make Channard stand out in the franchise, so seeing the blade tentacles in the game is clearly a nod to that iconic villain. Even though The Doctor perished at the end of Hellraiser 2, it's nice to see that some twisted part of him stuck around in Hell to make it a more terrifying and horrific place…right?
12. Red Dragon painting
In Marlowe's mansion, there is a very clear interpretation of the Red Dragon painting by William Blake. If you are a Silence of the Lambs fan, chances are you know about this painting through the prequel. The 1981 novel Red Dragon by Thomas Harris often references the painting directly. In the book, the main villain (who isn't Hannibal but a serial killer nicknamed the "Tooth Fairy") believes that each person he murders will bring him closer to ascending into the red dragon, which is very similar to Marlowe's train of thought, if you ask me. Marlowe's crusade is to kill and mutilate his followers for Leviathan, so that he may eventually walk among the Cenobites. The painting that we see in the game isn't an exact replica of the Red Dragon, but it is very clearly a version of the painting that stood out enough for me to do a double take. Also, thematically, the story of the Red Dragon and Marlowe's own wishes are pretty undeniable. On another note, it's very cool to see another '80s horror nod with this one too.
13. Jesus Wept reference from Hellraiser 1
Probably the most iconic scene and line from the first Hellraiser movie is at the end of said film, where Frank Cotton's body is pulled by Pinhead's chains, and his entire skin is stretched out. In that gruesome moment, he says the line "Jesus Wept". In the game, depending on what choice you make, you will see a scene that is pretty similar to this moment. However, I will say Aiden doesn't say the iconic line and isn't as stretched as Frank is. It isn't an exact one-to-one replica of the scene, but it is a very clear nod toward it that will make film fans crack a smile at the very least.
Next read our Hellraiser: Revival review for more details on this new horror.
