Welcome to 2026's 31 Days of Heistoween, a daily dose of spooky icons, spine-tingling oddities, and — most harrowing of all — memes. Check back every day from now through October 31 for each daily entry!
The character horror legend Clive Barker originally called the "Hell Priest," who was then dubbed the "Lead Cenobite" in Hellraiser, who's now been affectionately called "Pinhead" for decades, is incredibly powerful. He's an extra-dimensional BDSM demon with a taste for bargains and love of puzzles. He can rip you apart in extremely painful ways with a thought, and commands a coterie of fellow Mutilated Daddies.
And yet, if you asked me to name one entity that could easily take out Pinhead, I'd say "Oh, Lemmy from Motorhead" without missing a beat.
The year was 1992, and Hellraiser III: Hell On Earth was about to hit theaters. The biggest movie in the franchise so far, it was also the one that transformed Pinhead (Doug Bradley) from puzzle box-bound dealmaker into wisecracking horror icon, joining the likes of Freddy and Chucky but, y'know, kinkier. With this new status as a darling of the horror scene, Bradley gamely donned his Pinhead garb for gig after gig, from talk shows to MTV spots to music videos, which is where the Hell Priest met his match.
Motorhead doesn't seem at first like the best fit for Hellraiser as a franchise, but they're a great fit for the word "Hellraiser," which helps explain their song from the Hellraiser III soundtrack. Like so many Motorhead tunes, it's about how bad things are actually good for you, and you really should stop but you can't, and actually fuck anyone who wants to get in your way. It's got a little bit of hair metal edge (not a bad thing) to the hooks, but otherwise it's vintage Motorhead.
What sets it apart, besides the simple movie tie-in of it all, is the music video. Directed by Clive Barker himself, the "Hellraiser" video features the band playing the song while a Motorhead fan is tormented by a series of bondage demons, only to summon Pinhead himself into the fray. Enter Lemmy, who takes a break from screaming his head off and playing blistering bass to tangle with a Cenobite. So, how does a demon settle scores with Ian Fraser "Lemmy" Kilmister?
Poker, of course.
Great song, great video, and great image of Lemmy in the afterlife. I bet there's not an angel yet who's beaten him at pool, or a demon who's beaten him at cards. Miss you, Lem.
Come knock on our door tomorrow for even more 31 Days of Heistoween treats.
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