Summary

• A theory connects Edward Scissorhands to Hellraiser, suggesting that the inventor in the film "fixed" Edward to make him human.
• Edward Scissorhands can be seen as Tim Burton's own versions of Pinocchio and Frankenstein's creature, with parallels to their misunderstood and unloved nature.
• If the theory is true, Edward Scissorhands becomes a tragic horror movie, with the inventor being a sinister character and Edward experiencing changes that explain his anger bursts and lack of remorse.

Although Tim Burton’s movies live in their own, unique universes, a wild theory connects Edward Scissorhands to none other than Clive Barker’s horror classic Hellraiser. After making his directorial debut with Pee-wee’s Big Adventure in 1985, Tim Burton explored an original story in Beetlejuice before visiting Gotham City with Batman. After exploring the story of Bruce Wayne, Burton returned to original stories in 1990 with Edward Scissorhands, which also marked Burton’s first collaboration with Johnny Depp, who would go on to become his most frequent collaborator.

Edward Scissorhands introduced the audience to the title character, a young man with scissors and blades instead of hands, who lived all by himself in a decrepit Gothic mansion. After Peg Boggs (Dianne Wiest) found him at the mansion, she decided to bring him home, and though most of the neighbors were fascinated by Edward and his unique condition, others wanted to get rid of him. Edward Scissorhands included brief flashbacks to Edward’s past, showing that he wasn’t actually human and was instead created by a lonely inventor (played by Vincent Price), but a theory completely changes this by connecting Edward to Hellraiser and the Cenobites.

Edward Scissorhands Was Actually A Hellraiser Cenobite

The Inventor Tried To Fix Edward Scissorhands

In Edward Scissorhands, flashbacks show the different machines the inventor had at the mansion, as well as the first stages of Edward’s creation. The inventor homeschooled Edward and taught him about manners and more, and while he built him a pair of hands, he gave him scissors and blades. When the inventor was finally done with Edward’s hands and showed them to him, he had a heart attack and died right in front of his greatest creation. Edward was left completely alone, and as he wasn’t finished, he kept the scissors and blades and learned to use them as his hands.

While the story of Edward Scissorhands is quite tragic, a theory (posted on the Lament Configuration puzzle box.

The theory, then, suggests that the inventor in Edward Scissorhands didn’t create Edward, and instead, he “fixed” him. At some point before the events of Edward Scissorhands, the inventor got his hands on the Lament Configuration and solved the puzzle, thus letting Pinhead and the Cenobites in. The inventor somehow managed to subdue one of the Cenobites, and he decided to “fix” him to turn him into his son. Edward, then, is a Cenobite, which is why he has scissors instead of hands, he’s so pale, and he wears black leather clothes that look very similar to the ones the Cenobites usually wear. This also explains why Esmeralda, the very religious Boggs’ neighbor, insisted that Edward came from hell, as she was aware he was a Cenobite.

Edward Scissorhands Is Tim Burton’s Pinocchio & Frankenstein Creature

Edward Scissorhands Has Similarities To Other Famous Creations

The title character in Edward Scissorhands doesn’t really have a connection to Barker’s Hellraiser, and instead, he serves as Burton’s very own version of Pinocchio and Frankenstein’s creature. Edward Scissorhands is one of Burton’s most personal works, as the idea of the character came from a drawing he made when he was a teenager, which reflected his feelings of isolation and inability to communicate with those around him. When bringing Edward Scissorhands to life, Burton and writer Caroline Thompson took inspiration from horror classics like The Phantom of the Opera and Frankenstein, and the latter’s influence is quite evident.

The inventor creating a “human” is very reminiscent of Victor Frankenstein’s experiment that brought the creature to life, with both creations being misunderstood by society and lacking love from their creators (though for different reasons). Edward Scissorhands is also Burton’s very own Pinocchio, as both the inventor and Geppetto were so lonely that they created a companion for themselves, only that the inventor didn’t need the help of a fairy to bring his creation to life. While these interpretations are a lot less terrifying than Edward Scissorhands being a Cenobite, they also make his story a lot more tragic, as he was doomed to end up alone.

How Edward Scissorhands Being A Cenobite Changes The Movie

The theory turns Edward Scissorhands into a horror movie.

Supposing the theory is correct and the inventor did manage to subdue a Cenobite and attempted to fix him, then Edward Scissorhands would be a tragic horror movie rather than a gothic fairy tale. It would also mean that the inventor was actually a very sinister character, as he surely had some obscure reasons to solve the Lament Configuration. The theory also turns the inventor into a dangerous man, as he was able to subdue a Cenobite and keep him on Earth, but it also makes his story a lot more tragic as his loneliness took him to these extremes.

As for Edward Scissorhands, his experience on Earth and the experiments and changes he went through with the inventor could have given him a new perspective of life and what he does, but it also explains why he had those sudden anger bursts and why he didn’t even blink when he killed Jim.