Gorica Regodić | The Mother

How did you get the role of the ‘Mother’ and what was the audition process like?

I got it in an audition, we had the assignment to make an audition tape according to the instructions we got for another Cenobite, if I remember correctly – the Asphyx. Afterwards we worked in person (how Cenobites walk, breathe, talk) with the director David Bruckner, and I got elected for the Mother, which was a new Cenobite I knew nothing about.

What are your favourite on-set memories and on-screen moments for Hellraiser (2022)?

Well…this was my first time wearing such a mask, so the first day I came Maria (one of the organizers) asked me if I wanted a coffee, while being masked, I wouldn’t’ mind I replied. A second later I asked: wait, will I be able to use the toilet, she said that she needs to check. In a few minutes the answer was no. I had to say no, also.

We were really heavily masked, so we couldn’t see well, some couldn’t see at all, we couldn’t hear well, it was very funny just to look as we mingled through the set. Also, I unintentionally scared two cameramen – with just coming out from the dark to ask a question because I couldn’t hear well. They screamed, two really big fellas, and I asked them, in Serbian, what happened, and they took a moment, and we all started laughing, I asked them- you do know that you’re filming a horror movie?

Was there anything about your scenes that changed significantly between script and filming for the Mother? Or perhaps any scenes that were completed but not present in the final cut?

Nothing changed significantly, the assignment was to make her come to life, to present her to the audience, the first pregnant Cenobite, and let you wonder. Did you just see that? Or didn’t. To play with your imagination.

With your own canon or insight, what do you see as the Mother’s role as in Pinhead’s ‘Gash’ and how would you describe her relationship with the other Cenobites?

What a question! Thank you. I see her as a kind of perverted Madonna, representing birth, pain, and creation through torment. If we look at Barker’s mythopoetic theology, the Gash is not only a group but a metaphor: the wound, the opening, the passage between pleasure and pain, flesh and spirit, creation and unmaking. Within that the “Mother” becomes the embodied principle of the Gash itself – the one who gives “birth” to transformation through suffering. So if Pinhead is the priest, the Mother is the matrix of that liturgy – the fleshly womb of transfiguration.
Her relationship to the others in the Gash is complex, not hierarchical in the human sense, but ritualistic and symbolic.

She is not a leader but the ground upon which they manifest, the primal wound from which their identities emanate. If Pinhead speaks the Law of the Gash, the Mother bleeds the Law.

Were you given a backstory for the Mother? Or have you created your own canon for how they came to be?

I was given a story of the birth, in a way- an idea. We played with it.

Were there any particular lines of dialogue you’d have liked her to deliver, or was there any that was cut from memory?

There were no lines, the Mother embodies what cannot be articulated: the union of pain and ecstasy. Words would probably limit her, silence is her dominion. We gave you a glimpse of her, to meet. If I was to embody her again I would let her almost speak. Let her mouth move, and the air tremble- but what comes out is not language. Pinhead should translate what she means (for example).

The artist Keith Thompson stated that the Mother’s desire as a Cenobite was to bare and carry children. How would you like to see this concept explored for the character in the future?

In her, creation and damnation are one act. She births revelation, not life. She is the one Cenobite that creates! I would love to see her becoming, her backstory. Maybe she was a woman unable to conceive, who found the Lament configuration and asked to bare life, and the Cenobites answered.

Her new “children” are not human but manifestations of her longing – beings of flesh geometry, pieces of her sorrow. Or, maybe, her “carrying” might not be physical but dimensional – she contains the Labyrinth itself, or a part of it, within her body. Those who open the box enter through her. Anyway, such a portrayal should aim for sacred unease, not gore.

What’s the most memorable fan encounter you’ve had related to Hellraiser?

Those related to Hellraiser usually come online. Most people in Serbia probably don’t know that this sequel was filmed in Serbia. But my favorite was when I got a link to the Mothers’ doll! I never imagined that that will happen. So thanks for bringing it to my attention.

Have you ever seen a cosplay or fan-art of the Mother that blew you away?

Actually no, I haven’t seen it, but I would love to.

The Mother is in a boxing-ring with all the other Cenobites, which ones does she defeat and are there any she would struggle against or lose to?

Fun experiment…I guess she could win almost everyone. I’m not sure about the Female Cenobite, sensuality versus fertility, that could be a long fight, but Pinhead would be the only true rival. His law versus her flesh. If Leviathan rules the ring, he wins; if raw creation reigns, she does. They are eternal opposites, each defining the other- the Word and the Flesh.

Have you yourself seen all eleven Hellraiser movies – If not, which ones have you not seen or actively avoided?

I have seen them all, but the first one is my favorite.

Is there a particular form or medium you would love to see the Mother materialise in?

Besides film, I would love to see the Mother in a comic book- a limited series or standalone graphic novella – The Mother of the Gash.

Hellraiser has been experiencing a real renaissance, with the 2022 reboot and the upcoming Hellraiser: Revival, introducing the franchise to a whole new generation of fans. Does it bring you joy to now be a part of such an enduring and fascinating legacy?

Hellraiser has always stood apart from other horror mythologies because it isn’t about survival or monsters; it’s about the sacred architecture of sensation — what happens when you strip away morality and see pain and pleasure as the same doorway. The recent revival and new interpretations refreshed it, showing that the myth still breathes, still tempts, still evolves. Just knowing that the Cenobites, and figures like the Mother, aren’t static monsters but living icons, ready to be reinterpreted again and again- brings me joy. So, to answer your question- it is an honor to be a part of Barkers truly fascinating legacy.

Would you ever pick up the Mother costuming again if ever presented with the opportunity?

Of course. I would love to.

A sequel to Hellraiser (2022) is a hot topic amongst the fandom. What do you know of a future sequel, and will you want to return?

Unfortunately, I have no information about the sequel, but I would really want to return. 2022 film set a strong foundation: new Cenobite designs, a fresh vision, deeper thematic threads (addiction, desire, transformation). There’s a lot of space to explore. Who doesn’t like that? 😉

Is there anything you’d like to be explored with the Mother in a future sequel? Any cool sequences or story moments for them?

Absolutely – the Mother is a goldmine for story and spectacle, and a sequel could use her to elevate Hellraiser beyond pure shock into something mythic and unforgettable. Her backstory, her desire to bear children could be central, she could literally be the gateway between worlds. A protagonist could be literally reborn through her. Oh, and exploring the dynamic between her and Pinhead would be fascinating. A quiet confrontation of law and order with primal creation.

What happened with all the prosthetic pieces and costume garb that comprised the Mother? Do you still have any items personally, or are there any pieces you wish you could have kept?

As far as I know the costume was auctioned off by Propstore in March 2024. While there’s no public record of the buyer, the costume’s sale suggests that the Mother Cenobite’s legacy continues to captivate fans and collectors. Such items often find new life in private collections, horror-themed exhibitions, or cosplay communities.

Are you a gamer yourself? If not, will you experience Hellraiser: Revival hands-on?

I’m not a gamer, but a lot of my close friends are, so I believe I would give it a go.

Which platform will you be playing the game on – Playstation, PC or Xbox?

Probably PC.

Where can fans look forward to seeing you next – whether on-screen, on stage, in-print or at upcoming conventions?

Fans could see me in ‘Next to us’ (Next to me, sequel), released in December last year. At the moment I am working on a few theater shows, two of which are a form of philosophical theater, one Brecht type. So, mostly Serbian audience will be able to see me. My band Roditelji (the Parents) is working on our first album and single, which should come out at the end of October and will be available on YouTube for everyone.

Thank you soooo much!

I hope this will shed some light on the Mothers’ dark.