[Update: After riling up fans with a teaser trailer, Behaviour Interactive hasconfirmedthe identity of the next killer inDead by Daylight: it’s Pinhead fromHellraiser.

Known in-game as The Cenobite, he’s playable as ofpatch 5.2.0on the PTB (Public Test Build). The hooksare back, but they’re decidedly less flesh-exploding than in the movies.

Dead by Daylight Hellraiser Memento Mori

Pinhead can use the Lament Configuration “to torture every survivor at once,” andhis perks— Deadlock, Hex: Plaything, and Scourge Hook: Gift of Pain — “allow him to slow generator progress and continue to torment survivors who have experienced his sweet suffering.” Yeah,sounds about right. He’s just doing what we asked of him!]

Even if I have no real desire to get intoDead by Daylight, I’m entertained every time I poke my head in to see what this game and its players are up to — especially when there’s a new horror movie icon on the way. With today’s teaser trailer for Chapter 21, speculation ran wild about Pinhead fromHellraiserand Springtrap fromFive Nights at Freddy’s.

Wuyang OW2 ultimate

But before we get into it, what do you see? Aside from the “19.87” in the top right?

Paused at the right moment, you’ll catch a pop of color on the TV screen in between all of that noise. As pointed out by Reddit user SpaceMagicBunny, this imageryechoes a sceneinHellraiserin which Kirsty encounters the Cenobites after waking up in the hospital.

Football Manager 26 promo art

Can’t get more clear than that, right?byu/SpaceMagicBunnyindeadbydaylight

Pinhead makes total sense forDead by Daylight, and he’s in good company.

Cover for Max Payne

But earlier this week, before the Chapter 21 teaser trailer, the community was getting riled upwith lettersin tweeted images (that eventually spelled “RAISE”) and audio files shared on Discord (that ultimatelyspelled out“HELL” with a spectrogram).

Amid that open-ended chaos, some speculators believed that Springtrap, the rotting rabbit fromFive Nights at Freddy’s 3, was a distinct possibility.

Black Ops 7 key art work

cmon manbyu/Radicaltasticindeadbydaylight

Other fans simply wanted to will Candyman into existence, which, I don’t blame them —Candymanis in my top ten. In fact, I’d put it andHellraiserup there as the movies that will always get under my skin no matter how old I get or how many times I’ve seen them.

PEAK mesa biome text

I hope thenew movie— or should I saymovies— can live up to their full potential.

After stepping into theDead by Daylight Hellraisertease midway through, it has been a trip to go back and see everyone’s guesses (and jokes). Again, even if I’m not actively playing, as someone who adores horror, it’s fun just to watch this all unfold from the sidelines.

Article image

Currently the new killer looks pretty likely to be Pinhead, but I’ve seen some firm Springtrap believers and even some that think it’ll be neither. So since it’s probably gonna be revealed soon, what’s your final prediction on who it will be? I’ll give gold to a random person that gets it right.byu/idkdudejustkillmeindeadbydaylight

Guys. I figured it outbyu/doubleoeck1234indeadbydaylight

CoD BO7 The Guild robot

[Header image credit:Bruther_Bear]

Drag x Drive passing

A ruined police station in Raccoon City in Resident Evil Requiem.