Hellraiser: Inferno

Hellraiser: Inferno
Home video poster for Hellraiser: Inferno
Directed by	Scott Derrickson
Written by	Paul Harris Boardman Scott Derrickson
Based on	characters by Clive Barker
Starring	Craig Sheffer Nicholas Turturro James Remar Doug Bradley
Music by	Walter Werzowa
Cinematography	Nathan Hope
Editing by	Kirk M. Morri
Distributed by	Dimension Home Video Miramax Films
Release date(s)	October 3, 2000 (2000-10-03)
Running time	99 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

Hellraiser: Inferno is the fifth installment in the Hellraiser series and the first Hellraiser film to go straight-to-DVD. It was directed by Scott Derrickson and released on October 3, 2000.

Hellraiser: Inferno is a unique psychological thriller take on the Hellraiser series, as it underplays the high level of gore of the earlier films, and instead focuses on the struggles of the protagonist. Many scenes cut away before the moment of violence.

Plot

Joseph Thorne is an intelligent, yet shady Denver police detective. One day, he comes across a series of bizarre, brutal, and ritualistic murders and is driven into obsession with the puzzle box associated with the crimes, known as the Lament Configuration, eventually solving the puzzle. Upon solving the box, he becomes obsessed with unmasking the mysterious figure connected to the crimes, known only as "The Engineer". When discovering that "The Engineer" has kidnapped a child, he begins hunting for the figure, who in turn taunts him, killing off many of his friends, leaving one of the child's fingers at every crime scene.

Eventually, he is driven into insanity while working on the case, and is subjected to various psychological torments for much of the film, such as brutal hallucinations, and soon discovers that this is only the beginning of his punishments for the cruel life he led. The Cenobites, a race of mutilated demons, eventually appear to him, and the lead Cenobite, "Pinhead" reveals that all of the events have happened because he has been in The Labyrinth ever since solving the box. It is also revealed that "The Engineer" is a personification of his cruelty. Pinhead proceeds to wrap chains and hooks around Joseph's face and informs him that this is only the beginning, and that he will have to repeat the events for all eternity, as a consequence of the cruel life he led.

Cast

• Craig Sheffer as Detective Joseph Thorne
• Nicholas Turturro as Detective Tony Nenonen
• James Remar as Dr. Paul Gregory
• Doug Bradley as Pinhead
• Nicholas Sadler as Bernie
• Noelle Evans as Melanie Thorne
• Lindsay Taylor as Chloe
• Matt George as Leon Gaultier
• Michael Shamus Wiles as Mr. Parmagi
• Sasha Barrese as Daphne Sharp
• Kathryn Joosten as Mother
• Jessica Elliot as Young Joseph's Mother
• Carmen Argenziano as Captain
• J B Gaynor as Young Joseph

Craig Sheffer, who plays Detective Joseph Thorne, also starred in the lead role of Clive Barker's 1990 horror film Nightbreed.

Reception

The straight-to-DVD/video release suffered from mixed reviews from critics. The film also has the distinction of having given the iconic "Pinhead" character the least amount of screen time of all the movies in the series. This is similar in vein to A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge, as it focuses more on the struggles of the main character, rather than the main villain, who is seldom seen.

Fans of the series have had a more gentle response, however, and some praise the film for introducing the idea that the Cenobites not only focus on torturing people through physical pain, but also tormenting them mentally.

External links

• Hellraiser: Inferno at the Internet Movie Database
• Hellraiser: Inferno at AllRovi
• Hellraiser: Inferno at Rotten Tomatoes