HELLRAISER:
INFERNO
The fifth entry in this series follows an unethical police detective named Joseph Thorne in Colorado who finds a Lament Configuration box at a crime scene and (instead of cataloging it with the other evidence) takes it with him. He stops home briefly to visit with his wife and daughter, then heads to a motel to snort cocaine with a prostitute (who he has sex with). The next morning, Thorne messes with the puzzle box in the motel bathroom and has an experience in which he seemingly walks into another space (a house) and encounters Cenobites. He finds himself back in the motel bathroom and exits while the prostitute sleeps in the bed. The bulk of the plot finds him investigating assorted homicides with a child's severed finger left at each scene. He grows to believe that a criminal mastermind known as The Engineer is behind the murders. Throughout his investigation, he periodically glimpses Cenobites. The boundary between reality and visions/hallucinations blurs, and the viewer learns how and why in the project's final moments. Pinhead appears only briefly in this project.
Hellraiser: Inferno begins quite well as a singular and memorable protagonist (a coke-snorting cop who steals evidence and cheats on his wife) finds a Lament Configuration box and the mangled bloody remains of someone who likely encountered Cenobites (and their hooks) at a crime scene. The scenes in which the main character encounters Cenobites are visually striking and often chilling. I've read that Hellraiser creator Clive Barker (who was not creatively involved with this movie) loathes Inferno. I found it to be the best of the sequels thus far, though it's not nearly on par with the engrossing original film. Inferno's main flaw is in ignoring the Hellraiser conventions and rules that are set up earlier in the series. Inferno turns the Cenobites into moralistic judges of human sin, whereas in the original movie they were more or less neutral bringers of pleasure and pain. Inferno boasts the most cohesive plot of the Hellraiser sequels and features a flawed and unlikeable protagonist who somehow is sympathetic despite his unpleasant attributes. Of the Hellraiser sequels I've seen thus far, this is the first one I'd consider watching again. I imagine it's a different experience to sit through this movie once you've seen the ending and have an idea of what's “really” happening as the tale unfolds. Hellraiser: Inferno may offend Barker purists, but I found it to be an interesting take on the Cenobite mythos.
The fifth entry in this series follows an unethical police detective named Joseph Thorne in Colorado who finds a Lament Configuration box at a crime scene and (instead of cataloging it with the other evidence) takes it with him. He stops home briefly to visit with his wife and daughter, then heads to a motel to snort cocaine with a prostitute (who he has sex with). The next morning, Thorne messes with the puzzle box in the motel bathroom and has an experience in which he seemingly walks into another space (a house) and encounters Cenobites. He finds himself back in the motel bathroom and exits while the prostitute sleeps in the bed. The bulk of the plot finds him investigating assorted homicides with a child's severed finger left at each scene. He grows to believe that a criminal mastermind known as The Engineer is behind the murders. Throughout his investigation, he periodically glimpses Cenobites. The boundary between reality and visions/hallucinations blurs, and the viewer learns how and why in the project's final moments. Pinhead appears only briefly in this project.
Hellraiser: Inferno begins quite well as a singular and memorable protagonist (a coke-snorting cop who steals evidence and cheats on his wife) finds a Lament Configuration box and the mangled bloody remains of someone who likely encountered Cenobites (and their hooks) at a crime scene. The scenes in which the main character encounters Cenobites are visually striking and often chilling. I've read that Hellraiser creator Clive Barker (who was not creatively involved with this movie) loathes Inferno. I found it to be the best of the sequels thus far, though it's not nearly on par with the engrossing original film. Inferno's main flaw is in ignoring the Hellraiser conventions and rules that are set up earlier in the series. Inferno turns the Cenobites into moralistic judges of human sin, whereas in the original movie they were more or less neutral bringers of pleasure and pain. Inferno boasts the most cohesive plot of the Hellraiser sequels and features a flawed and unlikeable protagonist who somehow is sympathetic despite his unpleasant attributes. Of the Hellraiser sequels I've seen thus far, this is the first one I'd consider watching again. I imagine it's a different experience to sit through this movie once you've seen the ending and have an idea of what's “really” happening as the tale unfolds. Hellraiser: Inferno may offend Barker purists, but I found it to be an interesting take on the Cenobite mythos.
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