Hellraiser: A Very Niche London Urban Legend
During this spooky season, I thought I’d recount the odd story of the strange appearance of a Hellraiser VHS atop a London bus stop.
For those of you not aware of the cult horror classic, Hellraiser is an adaptation of Clive Barker’s novella the Hellhound Heart. Barker wrote and directed the movie, which would instantly become a cult classic namely down to it’s central beasty, Pinhead of the Cenobites.
What are the Cenobites? Well the original story very much insinuates that the Cenobites are neither good nor evil. An angel to some, a demon to others. The film is a spectacle of blood and gore that left audiences reeling in disgust but thirsting for more. Its positive reception would make way for ten sequels, ranging from ok to absolute trash, as well as video games and a graphic novel series.
Furthermore the world of the sadomasochistic Cenobites have inspired many filmmakers and storytellers, but how did it become a London urban legend worth sharing this Halloween?
Back in 2012, an unknown person on the upper level of a double decker bus noticed something unusual on top of a bus stop on the Old Kent Road in South London. There sat a VHS copy of Hellraiser, with the terrifying visage of Pinhead on the front cover looking up at them.
Hellraiser VHS sitting on top of a bus stop in South London
For those of you too young to know what a VHS is, it’s what we had before DVDs. If you don’t know what a DVD is, then you should be ashamed of yourself. Seek help now!
The story gets stranger though, as eventually the local council would remove the videotape… only for it to mysteriously reappear. Over several years the VHS would be taken away and then replaced by another copy. It got to a point where ‘Pinhead’ started making friends and was joined by copies of Toy Story and the Robin Williams comedy, Jack.
It was only in 2014 that some light was shared on this strange video library collection. A visual artist, who remained anonymous, stated that they were the one replacing the horror classic, and had done a total of 21 times. They did not take credit on the appearances of the family films, which in their mind was merely a contribution from others who found the whole thing amusing.
The artist claims that the 21 copies that they first stared placing on the 21st of December was in reference to the prophesied Mayan Apocalypse date. But the inspiration for the constant replacing of Hellraiser was on seeing the original copy sat atop the bus stop roof.
A mystery that remains just that. Maybe it was a child from one of the flats above the stop simply chucking it out the window. Perhaps it was an angry critic in a drunken stupor lobbing it up there. Or maybe, just maybe something dark from the recesses of Clive Barker’s twisted imagination came to life and felt that Old Kent Road public transport stop would be the place to relay their insidious message.
Who knows, but if you haven’t seen Hellraiser maybe this is your wake up call to get in a viewing for this years Halloween.
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