This article contains HEAVY SPOILERS for Clive Barker’s Hellraiser Revival.
One of my favorite cult classics finally received a video game adaptation. Although I only mildly enjoyed it, Hellraiser Revival by Saber Interactive has garnered overwhelmingly positive reviews on Steam. Clive Barker’s Hellraiser Revival features original characters we hadn’t seen in the series before; Aidan Lynch, the protagonist and his girlfriend, Sunny. The game showcases the complexity of each character in their toxic relationship.
TLDR: Largely considered to be to be an unlikable character; a narcissistic person in a relationship with a codependent Aidan. Sunny is brutally killed in the intro of the game. She later betrays Aidan, makes a deal with the Cenobites, and joins them. This happens regardless of which ending you pick. I will further discuss her fate in the game and how her decision affects Aidan and the ending.
Go to:
Who Is Sunny in Hellraiser Revival?
Aidan’s partner, who’s the catalyst of the game’s main events. In the prologue, she is dubbed the solver of Genesis Configuration (different from Lament Configuration in the movies) and ends up summoning Pinhead and the other Cenobites. In the opening, we see her accept some sort of offer from the Cenobites. At this point, I assumed it had something to do with pain and pleasure. Then she gets torn apart by them using hooks and chains, but Aidan is still determined to save her.
She is portrayed as an equally unhealthy and abusive partner, often yelling at Aidan and labeling him a passive man. I recognized a pattern of her triggering Aidan so he would harm her, and then carrying that anger and pain into their “bedroom activities” because she enjoyed it.
Sunny is voiced by Leader Looi, whose performance brings out the character’s manipulative personality, especially during her arguments with Aidan. I found her performance to be among the better ones from the game’s voice actors cast.
Does Sunny Become a Cenobite?
Sunny becomes a Cenobite, but keeps her human form. She transforms into the “Revenant Mother” after undergoing the rebirth ritual and giving birth to the Ascendant Pinhead (Hell Priest). Despite this, her physical appearance only slightly changes, looking more worn-out and exhausted.
One thing’s for sure, Sunny becomes a Cenobite at the end. She eagerly accepts Pinhead’s offer and joins his Gash.
Hellraiser Revival Sunny Ending Explained
When Aidan collects the three hearts required to “save” Sunny, it is revealed that both she and the Cenobites manipulated Aidan into assisting them accomplish the Rebirth Ritual. This ritual helps Pinhead be reborn as Ascendant. Regardless of whether you choose the Bad Ending (Aidan becoming a Cenobite) or the Good Ending (Aidan staying human), Sunny will always join the Cenobites. In fact, it is the entire centeral point of the story. It is a canon event.
The reason why Sunny decides to make a deal with the Cenobites is that she simply wanted to experience a form of pleasure and enlightenment beyond what ordinary human life could offer, beyond BDSM, beyond human intimacy. Her fascination with extreme sensations existed before she encountered Pinhead, and the Cenobites promised her the ultimate fulfillment of that desire. I guess she had no issue leaving Aidan to achieve that.
The reason the Cenobites made the offer at the start is revealed at the end when Ascendant Pinhead is reborn from a pile of flesh connected to Sunny’s womb. The Hell Priest actively looked for Sunny’s vulnerability and exploited it, so he could use her to become more powerful, to experience even more pain and pleasure as evidenced by his dialogue, “the very air upon my skin is a storm of razor blades, sensation supreme.”
Sunny and Aidan both had vulnerabilities and intimacy issues despite the physical closeness they provided for each other. In my opinion, and backed by the collectibles and flashbacks we see throughout the game, Aidan was stuck in an unhealthy, abusive relationship, while Sunny just wanted to experience more and more sensations. Naturally the players find it hard to sympathize with Sunny. I find it difficult to sympathize with Aidan as well, since he sacrifices so much despite knowing Sunny is not the type of person who deserves such devotion.
Can You Save Sunny?
You can only save her soul in the earlier quest. We spend the entire duration of the game trying to save Sunny, bring her back to life.
First, you must go to the Field of Souls to solve a Genesis Configuration puzzle at Sunny’s pillar in order to set her soul free. After leaving the labyrinth, Aidan manages only to resurrect Sunny’s skeleton. At this point we need to collect three hearts to fully “revive” Sunny. Those hearts belong to Charlotte Strauss, the Sister of Mercy, and Colin Marlowe.
But once you deliver all hearts, we realize we only helped Sunny reach her own goal. She never even wanted to be saved. Truly saving her remains impossible.
Does Sunny Transform Into a Cenobite On-screen?
No. We never see her transform into the iconic Cenobite form, though we see it happen to Aidan in the Bad Ending. She simply joins the Cenobites in her human form.
Is Sunny the Reason the Puzzle Box is Called Genesis Configuration?
This is only my opinion, but yes. Genesis refers to birth and Sunny is directly involved in Pinhead’s Rebirth Ritual so I think there is a link there.
