PinheadLead Cenobite, or the Hell Priest, is the recurring antagonist of the Hellraiser franchise, first appearing as an unnamed figure in the 1986 Clive Barker novella The Hellbound Heart.[2] When Clive Barker adapted the novella into the 1987 film Hellraiser, he referred to the character in early drafts as "the Priest" but the final film gave no name. The production and make-up crew nicknamed the character "Pinhead" and fans accepted the sobriquet, which was then used in press materials, tie-in media, and on-screen in some of the sequel films. Clive Barker himself did not care for the nickname.[6] In the 2011 comic book series Hellraiser published by Boom! Studios, Barker refers to the character as "the Priest." In that comic book series and the subsequent series Hellraiser: The Dark Watch, Cenobites refer to him as holding the title of "the Hell Priest"[7] or "the Pontifex",[8] making him "Hell's Pope." Nearly thirty years after The Hellbound Heart was published, Barker's 2015 novel The Scarlet Gospels cements the character's official title and rank is "the Hell Priest" and that he hates the nickname "Pinhead." In a later novella, Hellraiser: The Toll (which acts as a bridge between The Hellbound Heart and The Scarlet Gospels), it is said the character is also known to some as the Cold Man.

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Pinhead is one of the leaders of the Cenobites, said to be humans who were later transformed into demonic creatures blindly devoted to the practice of experimental sadomasochism. They exist in an extra-dimensional realm that is Hell or one of many versions of Hell that co-exist. Cenobites are usually only summoned to Earth through puzzle boxes, such as one called the Lemarchand Configuration (known as the Lament Configuration in the movies). The film series reveals Pinhead was once British soldier Captain Elliott Spencer who became disillusioned with life and humanity during his experiences during World War I, leading him to summon the Cenobites and join their ranks. Barker's Boom! Studios comics imply that Spencer was not the first Hell Priest or Pontifex and indicate that others will be recruited to fill the role if he ever leaves or is destroyed.[7] Barker's novel The Scarlet Gospels indicate there is debate on whether there has always been one Hell Priest existing for many millennia ago or if the title and nature of the Hell Priest has been adopted by many different humans-turned-Cenobite across the centuries.

The Hell Priest's nature, and the motivations of the Cenobites, vary depending on the story. The character's appearance in 1987's Hellraiser marked a significant departure from the standard 1980s depiction of horror film villains, who tended to either be completely mute, or provide glib commentary while killing their victims. Instead, Pinhead was depicted as articulate and intelligent, speaking only when he deemed necessary, capable of great evil but also bound by a personal code of honor (such as sparing the life of a young girl who summons him to Earth in Hellbound: Hellraiser II because he realizes she acted as the pawn of another person). Barker drew influence from classical cinematic depictions of Count Dracula, in particular as portrayed by Christopher Lee.[9]