Hellraiser: Inferno

20001 hour 40 minsREnglish

HorroRated verdict

Worth a Look

2000sPsychologicalOccultDemonsFranchise Horror

Directed by: Scott Derrickson
Written by: Scott Derrickson, Paul Harris Boardman
Produced by: W.K. Border, Joel Soisson, Bob Weinstein, Harvey Weinstein, Jesse Berdinka

Collections

Psychological Supernatural Lovecraftian Demons

Why it’s HorroRated

Hellraiser Inferno is the first direct-to-video entry in the franchise and the shift shows but the neo-noir framing is a real attempt to do something different. Craig Sheffer carries it well and the concept of Pinhead as a manifestation of a guilty conscience is a smart reimagining. Uneven but worth a look for Hellraiser fans willing to meet it on its own terms.

Synopsis

Joe Thorne picks up the Lament Configuration at a crime scene and works a case that seems to know him. The neo-noir framing is a real attempt to do something different with the franchise and it mostly succeeds as a standalone film. Craig Sheffer carries the unreliable narrator with enough conviction to make the Hellraiser elements feel like a logical extension rather than something grafted on.