In the Hellraiser film series, Pinhead was once British soldier Captain Elliott Spencer, who became disillusioned with life and humanity during his experiences during World War I, leading him to summon the Cenobites and join their ranks.

The character's appearance in 1987's Hellraiser marked a significant departure from the standard 1980s depiction of horror film villains, who tended to either be completely mute, or provide glib commentary while killing their victims.

A later film titled The Forbidden, which was shot in 16 millimetre and in black and white, included a prop in the form of a wooden block with six nails in it, which gave distorted shadow formations under different lighting angles.

A Cenobite from the novella, described as having his head decorated by a gridwork pattern and jewelled pins, was depicted in the movie as having a similar appearance involving iron nails and operating as the apparent leader of his order of demons.

Barker's sketches of the movie version of the character was different from the finished product, and had quills coming out of the top of his head, like Shuna Sassi in Nightbreed, but the budget wouldn't allow it.

The novella The Hellbound Heart introduces the Cenobites as other-dimensional beings, priest-like figures known as the Order of the Gash, summoned via puzzle boxes by people who wish to explore the limits of physical experience.

The same novel indicates there is debate among Earth's magicians as to whether this is the same Hell Priest who has existed for thousands of years or if he is a man who became a Cenobite during the 20th century, and is simply the latest of many to have Pinhead's appearance, power, and rank.

The 2018 novella Hellraiser: The Toll, plotted by Barker and written by his assistant Mark Alan Miller, bridges the gap between The Hellbound Heart and The Scarlet Gospels.

[19] Captain Elliot Spencer, Pinhead's human incarnation from the film franchise, has a cameo appearance in the novel The Bloody Red Baron by Kim Newman, in which he is working as an agent of the Diogenes Club.

The Cenobites are summoned to Earth by Tiffany, a young mute savant girl, but Pinhead declares they will spare her since she was manipulated to open the box by Julia, who escaped them, and her new accomplice, the corrupt Dr. Channard.

Kirsty realises the Cenobites have human origins and shows Pinhead a photograph of World War I British Army Captain Elliott Spencer, the man he once was.

Spencer explains his experiences in World War I caused him to see humanity and life as corrupt, leading him to use the Lament Configuration to summon the Cenobites, eventually joining their ranks.

In Hellraiser: Bloodline (1996), Pinhead allies himself with the demon princess Angelique, in order to force John Merchant (a descendant of the inventor LeMarchand who built the LeMarchand/Lament Configuration) to create an unsealable gateway to Hell.

The future segments of the film reveal that Pinhead is finally destroyed in the year 2127 by Dr. Paul Merchant, another descendant, who uses a space station to complete the "Elysium Configuration", capable of closing Hell's gateway for good.

In Hellraiser: Inferno (2000), Pinhead appears primarily under the guise of police psychiatrist Doctor Paul Gregory, assuming his true form near the end to inform protagonist Detective Joseph Thorne that he has been in Hell for the duration of the film, and is being punished for his corruption and various misdeeds in life.

After Amy is captured by the group's leader, Winter, she learns he is a descendant of puzzle creator Phillip LeMarchand, and believes that it is his birthright to control the box and, thereby, the Cenobites.

In the film, Pinhead eviscerates the angel Jophiel after manipulating events to cause the death of a serial murderer who is integral to God's plan to instill fear into sinners.

In the storytline "The Harrowing", Pinhead is revealed to have been romantically involved with a cenobite named Merkova, who was killed by the disciples of Morte Mamme, the sister and rival of Leviathan.

Reunited in Hell with his Cenobite entourage from the first two films (referred to in the comic series as his personal "Cenobium"), the Priest is still haunted by his full memories and now sees only futility in his existence, longing to explore new experiences and interests.

He declares he wants to permanently return to his human form and seek spiritual salvation, then sends anonymous clues to Kirsty Cotton as to the locations of Earth's remaining LeMarchand puzzles.

Spencer then allies with another demon lord in order to attain new power and fulfill his true mission, to unleash damned souls on Earth, conquer humanity, and replace Leviathan.

During this battle, occult detective Harry D'Amour attempts to help the US government stop the chaos, guided by his psychic friend Norma Paine and Spencer's former lieutenant, the Cenobite known as the Female.

[4] Barker's original "Hell Priest" sketches and concept art for Pinhead were eventually adapted into an officially licensed mask by Composite Effects, who released it in limited quantity to the public on 24 March 2017.

I decided to amp up the dirtiness of Pinhead's visage, make it more self-inflicted, bloodier and more brutal.Among Tunnicliffe's redesigns included the usage of square shafted nails for the iconic pins, which were meant to look rusted and handmade.

I think this new version has sacrificed that feeling.Pascal Laugier, who was set to write the remake, wrote an online statement in 2009, stressing that Tunnicliffe's redesign was unauthorised, and that he himself had a very different design in mind.

Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth portrayed Pinhead as a purely evil demon of chaos, a result of the loss of his human side in the previous film.

[46][48] In Hellraiser: Revelations, Pinhead is prepared to take Emma to the Cenobite realm, but reconsiders when other characters explain she was forced to open the puzzle box at gunpoint by her boyfriend Nico.

Studios in 2011, which follow the canon of the first three films, Pinhead becomes disillusioned with his existence and is willing to destroy his fellow Cenobites and other demons of Hell if it means he can achieve his new goals of power.

He takes a similar stance in The Scarlet Gospels, initially targeting human magic-users to acquire their power and secrets, and so they won't interfere with his plans.

He wandered Earth indulging in a nihilistic and hedonistic lifestyle to bury his trauma, turning to the baser methods of gratification and pleasure until finding the Lament Configuration in British India in 1921.