Nicholas Vince | Chatterer

What do you attribute to Chatterer’s lasting impact and legacy, considering it’s almost forty-years since your original on-screen appearance?

Good question! I’ve spoken to a few fans over the years about this and there are a number of themes which repeat: his look and the sound of the chattering teeth; the fact he’s the only Cenobite to touch anyone and lastly, he’s relentless. Pinhead you can have a conversation with. Chatterer, no. He’s just going to fuck you up and there’s nothing you can say which will dissuade him.

What are your favourite on-set and on-screen memories across Hellraiser and Hellbound: Hellraiser II?

Too many to mention, as despite the real hardships and occasional trauma – like the time a 12″ rusty hook went into my mouth on Hellhound, I really just remember the laughter. Other moments are when Clive first saw a tattoo of Pinhead and that time. Also, during Hellraiser, the head of the makeup department persuaded Clive to put some of the Dentugrip (a pink gunge) used by Simon and I to keep our teeth in, into his mouth. It caused him to salivate hilariously.

I also enjoyed dressing up as Chatterer for a makeup demonstration when the first film was released. I was told to stand very still so people assumed I was a dummy and then, when they got too close, I’d move. The sound of screams followed by laughter is so delightful!

With your own canon or insight, what do you see Chatterer’s role as in Pinhead’s ‘Gash’ and his relationship with the other Cenobites?

I’ll go back to my original conversation with Clive when we were discussing Chatterer. He described him as ‘the family dog’, I’d be leaping around set attacking people. When we got me into the makeup and costume, as my sight was so limited and the costume so restricting, Chatterer became something else. I suppose you might liken him to Pinhead’s really terrifying body-guard, if Pinhead were a gang boss.

If it was possible for Chatterer to speak and deliver dialogue, what kind of voice do you think he would’ve had and are there any particular lines of dialogue you’d have liked him to deliver?

The closest I’ve got to his voice, which must be that of someone who looks like a child, is in my short story Prayers of Desire.

What would he say in the movies? I think he’s the strong silent type. Physically, he can’t move his lips. Was that his choice? Probably. One of the things we learned in Hellbound, when he gained eyes, that him running actually diminishes his power. If he appears, it’s going to be near whoever opened the box, likely with nowhere for them to run. I think him having lines would again diminish him. Pinhead is the wonderful words guy.

A transformative ‘Hell’s equivalent of a beauty salon’ scene was filmed to explain Chatterer’s new look in Hellraiser II, but it was cut. Can you tell us what that scene was like to shoot and what the scene was comprised of?

It was very simple. Just a couple of metal rods with claws on the end, which reminded me of back scratchers, which peeled back two pieces of latex covering my eyes

From your perspective, did giving Chatterer eyes and a more humanoid appearance change the way audiences perceived him?

I think the way it was presented, without explanation was really effective. You have the moment where he’s coming round the ‘torture pillar’ and you hear the sound of the chattering teeth, expecting old chatterer and then bam, “What the fuck! He’s got eyes!”

So, I hope the audience are left wondering what that means for his future.

In hindsight, would you have kept Chatterer as he was in the original, or still stuck with the new ‘makeover’?

I’d stick with the makeover. Being stuck in a mask where I really couldn’t hear much, speak much and see much was deeply unpleasant after a few hours. And it does give the audience room to speculate as to why, how and what next.

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

Honestly, everyone is lovely, but the most memorable, and I think it’s on YouTube somewhere: is the gentleman who asked me to sign his dead Dad’s dentures. He did ask his Mum, who approved as she thought his Dad would appreciate it.

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

Yeah, there are a couple. I hugely admire anyone who wears the costume and mask for hours at a convention. There are also a couple of tutorials on YouTube which show huge imagination. I also like the game where people put a thing in their mouths which pull their lips apart.

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

Chatterer wins against all comers. (I may be biased.) Mind you, he probably wouldn’t want to cross Pinhead.

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

I haven’t. Too many movies, too little time. Keep meaning to watch HR3 as I believe Chatterer appears as a corpse in that one. Which I’ve been told is the reason the Funko Pop says Hellraiser III on it. Also, the one with Henry Cavill. I’d like to watch a young Cavill in a Hellraiser movie.

Is there a particular form or medium you would love to see Chatterer finally materialise in?

Let’s see now. Versions of Chatterer are, I believe, in all the films? He’s a Funko and a character in an online game, there are NECA small figures of both versions and an 18″ animatronic and there’s a gallery of Chatterer art on my website, including tattoos. It would be good to see him in a TV series, a plushy toy and a dog chew toy. The latter idea makes me smile.

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 see the series continue to thrive, and how does it feel to know you are part of such an enduring and fascinating legacy?

I feel really, really grateful. It’s brings me great joy to meet fans who weren’t born when we made the film. They’ve often come to it through parents or aunts and uncles, or simply because Clive created such an intelligent, insightful and downright sexy film.

Would you ever don the Chatterer costuming again if ever presented with the opportunity? Bonus points for you if the costuming and application-process is the exact same as it was in 1987/88.

Well I’ve been going to the gym for the last couple of months and I’ve dropped down to a 36″ waist, aiming for 34″. I somehow doubt I’ll get to the 32″ I was when we made the films. Perhaps a ‘Chunky Chatterer’?

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

The original costumes and mask are in the hands of private collectors. The mask is now too fragile to move, so I doubt we’ll see that in public again, but it’s being well looked after. There was a convention, probably fifteen to twenty years ago where they displayed the original costumes. I remember being really moved by seeing them again.

I do have a couple of pieces of leather which were wrapped round my hands in Hellhound.

I always wanted the Chatterer jacket so it could be remade to create a normal leather jacket with a hell of a lot of style.

Were you asked to consult on the character for Hellraiser: Revival, such as his poise, presence and physicality?

Nope.

What kind of contributions would you like to have given the development team in the featuring of Chatterer?

Difficult for me to say as I’ve not seen Revival, but one of the things which Clive mentioned and I spotted in the reboot, was the sound of the chattering teeth. That’s so much of what makes him Chatterer.

Are there any particular scenes or set-pieces you’d love to see Chatterer perform or be involved in in-game? He seems to have a moment where he pursues the player through the Labyrinth so far.

Working blind here, but does he put his fingers in anyone’s mouth? That would be cool.

The game is set twenty years after Hellraiser and Hellbound: Hellraiser II. How do you expect they will explain away his ‘death’ at the hands of Dr. Channard?

As a friend of mine said, “No-one really dies in horror films. They can always come back.” And we don’t actually know he died at the end of Hellbound. It’s never explained as to what happens to the bodies of the three Cenobites…

How does it feel to essentially be immortalised in video-game form now as well as screen?

I think it’s really cool this happened. Earlier this year I met a young couple who’d played the game, which has inspired them to watch the film.

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

I’m not a gamer. At some point I’ll find a play through online, but at the moment, as I’m secretary of our local Green Party, that has been taking up a lot of my time as we’ve more than doubled the size of our membership

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

Pass.

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

As I type this, I’m on my way to Scotland for Horror Con Scotland, but this is a quiet year, which I’m grateful for as last year was sooo busy. With the publication of the next volume of short stories, Prayers of Desire, there may be some book signings somewhere.