Matrixston Wow! Such a good movie.

Acensbart Excellent but underrated film

StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Roxie The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Stephen Abell This is a good idea but a badly structured story... and it's this which lets the film down, greatly.Detective Joseph Thorne (Sheffer) is not a good man. On the first case, we see him investigate a dead man he bullied in high school, he steals the deadman's drugs and later the cash from his wallet, which he uses to procure a prostitute for the night. The following morning he leaves her in the motel room... alive. Later that day, he receives a distressing call from her. When he and his partner, Tony Nenonen (Turturro), turn up at the motel they find she's been slaughtered. Thorne takes it upon himself to frame his partner for the crime... should he decide not to help him find the killer. A man they later believe to be called "The Engineer".It's not until the end of the film, when all the twists have unravelled, that you fully understand and realise just how good this story is. However, you have to suffer some really bad scene construction to get there. For the most part, this is basically a thriller with gore, which isn't even up to the standard of the original series. Another thing that isn't on par with the originals is the imagination or atmosphere. There's a couple of dream sequences which are badly directed and acted, There's no tension, which should have been oozing out of the screen at these points, and there's definitely no fear. Even, when the Cenobites appear (for a Hellraiser film you don't get many Cenobites for your dollar), we are not in awe of them... we are not in fear of them... These should, at least, have a presence about them, as they did in the first four films, for these are Daemons to some and Angels to others. Beings to be worshipped and feared. It's a good thing that Bradley brings his own persona with him as Pinhead is the only eerily creepy daemon on screen. If it weren't for Pinhead this would be a massive flop. However, this is down to the straightforward, nothing new, basic direction. I do believe that the better horror films are the ones where the director tries to create something new. It's like Derrickson, didn't want to scare anybody.Sheffer is okay as the bad cop but his acting skills show their flaws every now and again, especially in the dream sequences (as mentioned before). It's Turturro and Remar that add strength to the cast, along with Bradley. It's actually nice to see Remar in a more subtle role as the Psychiatrist-come-Reverend. Though I couldn't help believing, he would have been a much better choice for the lead, It may even have been good to see Turturro stretch his acting wings in the role, as he's been a solid actor in everything I've seen him in.What this film needed was to clean up the story, add a better structural skeleton to the story and film, more Cenobites, more atmosphere, more Cenobites, more tension, more Cenobites, more fear, oh, and did I mention more Cenobites.I would recommend re-watching the original four movies rather than sitting down with this... though if you really want to... it's worth one watch... just!

trashgang The first Hellraiser that moved completely away from the story so far. The only thing that returns is of course Doug Bradley as pinhead. What we do have is Craig Sheffer of Nightbreed (1990) fame as the investigating copper. The flick itself isn't that bad after all if you don't see it as a Hellraiser flick. If pinhead should be replaced with another demon it would be great but for a Hellraiser flick it didn't satisfy. Why, because it's all about Det. Joseph Thorne (Sheffer) going berserk in his mind due a crime he didn't commit but it all looks like he is the killer. The box he found naturally made him go mad because he resurrect the cenobites. here in inferno they aren't called cenobites and pinhead isn't called pinhead.On part of the gore, there isn't really any and it's low on hell too, so pinhead do appears in the beginning for a few seconds but it almost is waiting until the end before he returns. And it's also the ending that is worth seeing because it's a dream in a dream in a dream until you even don't know what you see. Pinhead do s his one-liners at the end and the cenobites did look fine.But it's a whole different thing that we were used to see in the franchise. Still worth seeing and above mediocre.Gore 0,5/5 Nudity 0/5 Effects 2/5 Story 2,5/5 Comedy 0/5

tomgillespie2002 The previous instalment of Clive Barker's Hellraiser franchise (although by this point I doubt he wants his name anywhere near the credits), Bloodline, whisked the Cenobites, the puzzle box and all of its desperate-for-a-pay-cheque actors into space. Since this is a sure-fire sign that a horror franchise is doomed and out of any fresh ideas, it was no surprise that number 5, Inferno, found itself heading straight to VHS. With Dimension Films hoping to keep the rights to a series they hope could someday be 're-booted' and back in the cinemas, they began picking up unrelated horror scripts and shoe-horning Pinhead and his minions into the story, slapping the 'Hellraiser' title on the cover to at least attract the hardcore fanbase.Joseph Thorne (Craig Sheffer) is a good detective with a bad attitude. Although he is highly intelligent with a gift for solving puzzles and, er, amateur magic tricks, he snorts cocaine, beats on innocents who won't answer his questions, and sleeps with prostitutes who apparently kiss on the lips. Along with his partner Tony (Nicholas Turturro), he discovers the Lament Configuration box at the murder scene of an old school friend who has been torn apart by hooked chains. The murder puts him on the path to 'The Engineer', a mysterious man who leaves the severed finger of a child at each of the murder scenes. Yet once Thorne solves the puzzle, he starts to hallucinate, having visions of strange, deformed creatures who torment him.As a direct-to-video effort and an entry into the atrocious, never- ending set of Hellraiser sequels, Inferno isn't all that bad. As an actual film, it's a cliché-ridden bore that neglects to give a substantial role to the franchise's (no pun intended) pin-up boy, Pinhead (Doug Bradley). Nobody picks up a DVD box with a picture of a demon with nails hammered into its head wanting to see a slow- paced detective story that plays out like Bad Lieutenant (1992) directed by Uwe Boll. The make-up budget can't be blamed either, as we are given a few scenes with lesser, ineffective Cenobites including, I think, two that know kung-fu and wear cowboy hats in the film's most random scene. Directed by an up-and-coming Scott Derrickson, let's hope he's now experienced enough to deliver a coherent Doctor Strange due later this year.

jackvictore Its no secret that this franchise has become somewhat mistreated as of late. Some of them better than others. This is one that I would consider to be on the better side of the line. Being made in the year 2000 puts this movie in danger of having too much computer generated imagery. Surprisingly, the CGI in this movie is done more tastefully than many modern movies and works well with the nightmarish story. This movie feels authentic with the appearance of original Pinhead actor Doug Bradley. Though his appearances are few in this rendition his presence is looming, sophisticated, and frightening as ever. The plot of this movie works well and follows the lore of the more respectable Hellraiser stories. I give this film 5 bags of popcorn! For a truly captivating experience try watching this film in your childhood home.