Hellraiser: Inferno

This is maybe one of the most impactful psychological horror/thrillers you can watch. The noir-like cinematography and lighting combined with pure psychological terror (watching your parents die painfully before your eyes/ breaking the frozen hand of your own daughter) is a psychological horror you cannot really experience anywhere else. This movie will have a lasting impact on you. It's one of those movies where when you watch them, stays with you into the following days. Don't listen to the critics, trust me on this one.

The movie didnt´s seemed like a Hellraiser franchise movie, it didn´t used Cenobites very often and most of the time i was asking myself "WTF?". But the last few minutes brought a wonderful twist, which changed the whole movie and actually started to make sence. It´s a shame that this movie isn´t appreciated as it should, because it´s a good film. And much more complex than it seems.

Scott Derrickson had a huge task ahead of him when he took on the project of Hellraiser: Inferno. It had the lowest budget of the series since the original, Clive Barker was no longer involved, Ashley Laurence hadn’t had a major role since the second film, Doug Bradley didn’t want Pinhead to be the main villain anymore and there were no returning Cenobite actors. But Derrickson managed to make this into one of the best movies in the Hellraiser series. The grey characters, interesting story and suspense make this a great film to watch, diehard Hellraiser fan or not. The twist is also brilliantly executed, and will leave chills running down your spine. Doug Bradley’s Pinhead barely appears but when he does he is great. But the film is plagued with shoddy acting, and it doesn’t quite live up to the standard of creativity set by the earlier films. The special effects are lacking, they’re fine when they’re there, but they’re oftentimes not. These factors make Hellraiser: Inferno an entertaining horror film, but a somewhat subpar Hellraiser movie.

This feels very different to the first four films, almost like it is not related. The dreams and hallucinations and reality bending moments are a big departure in tone. There is a surprising amount of character and engagement though. The cenobites are more like Freddy Krueger in this. It’s a perfectly adequate film and not much more but it certainly held my attention throughout, one of the better part 5 in any franchise. It doesn't add anything new to the lore but it is very different and I didn’t mind that. At least it felt like a good quality film and they put effort into it. It’s a better Max Payne film than Max Payne (2008). I didn’t like the jittery camera in the climax.

Sloppy Hellraiser: Inferno is basically a completely bland and empty horror film.

Plot is completely lost here, a random and misplaced detective flick that has the lightest hellraiser links. The lame uncle actor from One Tree Hill could not of been more unequipped to play a hard boiled detective. Also, Inferno?!?? Where?? What was the decision process for this name?

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]