Director Douglas Schulze has cast Doug Bradley, who achieved genre icon status by playing the Cenobite known as Pinhead in eight Hellraiser movies, as a “mysterious archbishop” in his upcoming creature feature Thorns. Schulze told Fangoria, “There’s a short list of iconic actors I’ve always wanted to work with, and Doug Bradley is near the top of that list. He brings a sense of authenticity to every role he plays—such a commanding screen presence. I felt he was the perfect choice to play a holy man obsessed with biblical prophecy. Between takes, we’d discuss one of the film’s driving themes: predestination vs. free will. We also chatted about author Lewis Carroll and the impetus for Alice in Wonderland, and his time working with Clive Barker, whose work I’m a huge fan of.“
In fact, Schulze said Clive Barker and John Carpenter were two major sources of inspiration as he was crafting the story for Thorns, which has the following synopsis: An ex-priest working for NASA is sent to investigate a remote observatory that went silent after receiving a radio signal from deep space. Upon arrival, he discovers the signal has set in motion the biblical end of times. The former priest must now summon his lost faith to stop the signal from spreading hell on Earth.
If Thorns is well-received, Schulze says he has ideas for two more films about the biblical apocalypse. Since Carpenter is a source of inspiration, it seems fitting that Schulze has ideas for an apocalypse trilogy, as Carpenter made his own apocalypse trilogy that consisted of The Thing, Prince of Darkness, and In the Mouth of Madness.
Schulze told Fangoria, “The intention was to make a ‘monster’ movie as a kind of homage to the great horror cinema of the ’70s and ’80s. John Carpenter’s The Thing, Ridley Scott’s Alien, William Friedkin’s The Exorcist and, of course, Clive Barker’s Hellraiser were all inspiring.“
The director also made sure to tell them that Thorns features old school practical effects and gore, which is always music to a horror fan’s ears.
Are you interested in Thorns, and are you looking forward to seeing Doug Bradley play a mysterious archbishop in the film? Let us know by leaving a comment below. And if you are interested, you should click over to Fangoria to see a few exclusive images.