It's a Wonderful Death.
Jaw-droppingly good in comparison to every film to come since the original HELLRAISER, it was with great trepidation that I dropped this one into the DVD player. Just having suffered through Part 4: BLOODLINE a few weeks back, my expectations for INFERNO were about as low as they could be.
An inspired, twisted take on films like IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, HELLRAISER: INFERNO brings quality back to the franchise. It also brings decent acting, impressive direction, great effects, and, believe it or not, genuine chills and scares. Consistently maintaining the sense of dread created in films like JACOB'S LADDER or LOST HIGHWAY, INFERNO abandons previous sequels' use of Pinhead as little more than a soundbite-spouting slasher and focuses on the sins of man, in particular a dirty detective impressively played by Craig Sheffer. Fear not, fans - there are cenobites a'plenty, and they're far scarier than any of the sad, sad jokes found in Parts 3 or 4. Director Scott Derrickson wisely follows...
Good horror thriller
After having watched all four Hellraiser movies, I think Hellraiser Inferno is completely different. Well, I have got the feeling that a lot of true Hellraiser fans won't like this chapter. The protagonist of this movie isn't very sympathic and friendly: he takes drugs, sleeps with hookers(even though he has got a beautiful wife) and denounces his partner at the police station. A lot of people will despise this character and turn off the tv. However I stayed with this broken character and it is quite interesting to see how he unleashes the horrors of the box. His evil character traits are essential for the end of movie. Another flaw is that Pinhead only appears for two or three minutes on the screen. Nonetheless the movie deals with the desperate search of the protagonist for a mysterious person called the Engineer, who is connected with the box. If you accept the fact that this Hellraiser movie is completely different from the other parts, you'll enjoy a great and dark horror...
Hercule Pinhead
If you pay close attention, you'll notice that the opening credits of HELLRAISER: INFERNO are missing the words "Clive Barker." In its place are a couple guys whose last names are Weinstein. That's a clue right there: this movie isn't interested in building on the Hellraiser mythos.
It IS interested in clues, though. Craig Sheffer (of One Tree Hill) narrates the film as Detective Joseph Thorne. Joe is a good cop ("I'm good with puzzles" he growls) but not a good man. He wishes he was good, but can't be bothered to do much more than wish. Not until people he knows start dying.
Along for the ride is Joe's hapless partner, Detective Nenonen (played by John Turturro's youngest brother, Nick). Together the two stumble onto a case involving sadistic deaths, a strange puzzle box, and a criminal mastermind known only as...
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