Review of Hellraiser: Inferno (2000) by Hobie P — 17 Mar 2012

Being the first direct to video sequel in the Hellraiser franchise, Hellraiser Inferno is actually pretty good. The film plays out as a cop film, but with horror elements etched into the overall plot. Hey you got to put Pinhead somewhere, right? Inferno is a departure from the traditional Hellraiser films that came before it.

The film tries to break new ground, and it does work for the most part. However at times, it doesn't. Inferno is a very interesting story, and the first hour of the film steadily builds to a decent enough climax with Pinhead and the rest of the Cenobites.

Not a flawless sequel, but good considering the awful ones that came after it, Hellseeker, Deader and Deadworld, Hellraiser Inferno is a refreshing new take, and it really is interesting to see. A shady detective solves the puzzle box, and he summons Pinhead and his Cenobites.

While he's trying to escape Pinhead wrath, there's a killer named The Engineer and he must hunt down the killer and try to escape the wrath of Pinhead. Hellraiser Inferno is one of the better direct to video sequels that I've seen, and unfortunately for this series, it's also the last good sequel.

The acting is standard for direct to video film, and it's pretty decent considering. I am pretty impressed overall, and I thought this film would have been a good end to the Hellraiser franchise, however three bad sequels later, there seems to be no end in sight.

Many people have claimed that this retains the essence of the first two films, and it does somewhat, but nothing will ever top Clive Barker's original masterpiece of horror. Still, this is a worthy direct to video sequel worth checking out.