I have a lot of admiration for Hellraiser: Inferno. While cliched and dull at times, the film is essentially a David Fincher-style detective thriller with some Hellraiser thrown in, resulting in a combination that works surprisingly well.

The first of the series to be released direct to video, Inferno tracks the efforts of Detective Joseph Thorne (Craig Sheffer of Nightbreed fame) in identifying the perpetrator of several grizzly murders. At one point in his investigation, Thorne discovers a lament configuration and when he obliviously solves it, a series of disturbing and inexplicable events take place.

What I Remember

I viewed Inferno once as a teenager and the main thing that stuck in my memory was how well-made it looked. I didn’t really have any specific expectations going in but I assumed the film was going to appear, in some way, cheap. Hence I was surprised by Inferno’s almost cinematic quality.

I recall the new cenobite designs that debuted in the film, which I thought looked cool, and I’m pretty sure Pinhead was barely in it. There were some good bits but I do remember being quite bored for the majority of Inferno as it seemed to be just a long, dark police procedural.

What I Saw

Just like Bloodline, Inferno is better than I remembered. It has its dull bits but it also has its good bits where it’s quite engaging. Now this isn’t to say that Inferno is a forgotten classic, some of its scathing reviews are not completely undeserved.

Joseph Thorne is every corrupt cop you’ve ever seen. He drinks, takes drugs, hires sex workers and is distant from his wife and daughter. He’s a stereotype but his arc is actually rather interesting. Like a lot of cop characters, he has a strong moral stance. He doesn’t believe in monogamy but he does believe in the sanctity of children, hence when he learns that the killer is leaving a child’s severed finger with each of his victims’ bodies, Thorne becomes obsessed with tracking him down and retrieving the child from his captivity. He knows he’s an unholy man but he believes his police work, even when it involves unethical methods, outweigh his sins. It is this quality that the plot exploits and challenges, testing Thorne and his moral conduct.

You can tell that Inferno is trying something here, something dignified. I won’t get into spoilers but the first and second acts are teeming with neo-noir cliches. The third act however is where the supernatural element takes centre stage and all the questions that have amounted start getting answered. Whether or not the ending forgives the rest of the film is up to the viewer but in my opinion, it kind of does.

Inferno isn’t camp in the slightest. It’s an original tale that properly implements the Faustian themes of the original. Pinhead’s role is minor but it’s supposed to be. He’s not the big bad of the film. He is the final result of the protagonist’s indulgence, just as he and the other cenobites were in the first film.

It’s full of cliches but the story it’s trying to tell is way better than any of those of the last three sequels and for that I can’t help but applaud it.

I give Hellraiser: Inferno a rewarding 7 out of 10.

5 down. 5 to go. We’re half way there guys!