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Hellraiser - Inferno

Hellraiser - Inferno

List Price: $14.99
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Rating: 3 stars
Summary: This is Not a Hellraiser Movie, but it is OK.
Review: OK first of all I read a couple of the other reviews for this film. I read how this is a new direction and how great it is and all of this garbage. This movie could have probably been written differently without Pinhead and it could have went over better. First of all, the box, the cenobites, Pinhead, really weren't focused on as they were in the other four. The gore factor was low, like a B-rated movie. Hellraiser is about pain and agony of the flesh and not about psychological aspects of our lives. This story really didn't deal with Hell in the sense of Clive Barker's Hellraiser. It dealt more with Dante's Inferno and the constant demons that haunt us. This has nothing to do with the box or the cenobites. It mostly deals with man, his vices, and his demons. This movie wasn't necessarily a horrible movie, but it was bad in the sense that it had nothing to do with the story of Hellraiser. I would recommend seeing this movie but I wouldn't say it is a traditional Hellraiser movie.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I'll keep it short...
Review: This was a pleasant surprise. Less of a horror movie and more of a suspense/drama (you still get some gore, and weird stuff...dont worry) Hellraiser: Inferno manages to take the series in an entirely new direction. Centering around a corrupt detective who gets sent through his own personal hell, you'll hardly notice that Pinhead is barely even in here.

Pinhead was never intended to be the main character and ended up being needlessly expoited. In this movie, a short cameo actually makes his character all the more powerful. If you are a diehard then this will require an open mind...if not, you should appreciate this. Either way...enjoy...and WELCOME TO HELL!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Best... direct-to-video film... ever!
Review: Wow! I saw this film a year ago and was floored by it!

While this film pissed off many purists due to the fact that Pinhead is not prominantly featured, this is by far the best Hellraiser film for a newbie to the franchise.

Intellectual, very atmospheric and haunting, with above-average acting and directing, this film actually SCARED me, something that rarely-if ever- happens with direct-to-video horror.

I wish I could write a more detailed review, but as I said it's been a year since I saw it. If you're in the mood to be scared, put down Children of the Corn 80: Terror in the Produce Aisle and rent this instead.

Also worth is peek is the good (although inferior) sequel, Hellraiser: Hellseeker.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Why I gave this movie 3 stars
Review: Ok, well first off before renting Inferno I read all the reveiws of it on this site. And might I say I was not expecting much. But after actually watching it,it wasn't as bad as I had expected,mind ,it wasn't that good either. I think this is because they tried to turn the Hellraiser series into a supernatural/thriller. It reminded me of the sixth sence, certainly not the first four Hellraisers. And next, there are no likeable characters, and yes I know fully well that this series never have vary many "likeable" characters, but honestly, what's up with Joseph? I mean look at this guy, he cheats on his wife with hookers, he does drugs, he frames his friend for murder just to name a few.
And now possibly the most important point: PINHEAD DOESN'T GET ENOUGH SCREEN TIME. He is my fave horror icon as well as Freddy. But that is not why he needs more screentime. He needs more screentime because Pinhead is the icon of the Hellraiser series and the only link (as well as the box) to the first four. But I'm not saying I don't like this movie, it's quite good in its own way. I mean it keeps one guessing until the end, but if I wanted to watch a supernatural/cop-thriller I would've rented something else. So, all in all it is a good movie on its own, but not as a Hellraiser movie. If that makes sence at all.And I'd end this reveiw with a quote from the movie, but I can't think of one.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: A not so great movie, and a really bad sequel
Review: Correct me if I am wrong, but Didn't pinhead die in the 4th hellraiser? If its one thing I can't stand is movie companies that try to capitalize on a bunch of popular movies by giving it the same title, (i.e. texas chainsaw massacre 3). Technically there shouldn't be another sequel in this series, but oh well. As for the Movie, it starts off pretty good actually, in fact I was actually saying to myself, "this isn't bad!", but then quickly the movie gets extremely lame after the first quarter of the movie. At that point you start to get so bored that you lose track of the confusing plot. I have to give some credit where it is due. The quality of the movie isn't that bad, the acting has its moments, but for the most part is kind of chessy and clique. It had decent direction, and the special effects were pretty good, but there was not enough scenes in the movie that would require it. Also, the brief appearence of pinhead kind of ticked me off. To put it in short, this is your typical B-movie, strait to video L.A. dectective spoof with some hellraiser stuff thrown in there and bearing the title as well. On its own, the movie would be decent, but since its bearing the hellraiser name and adding an uneccesary chapter to the hellraiser series, its a sequel which isn't much to write home about.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: One of the best Hellraisers!
Review: This is one of the best hellraiser movies, along side of the first and maybe second or third. Its different, not as much gore as you would expect from a Hellraiser, but the story and plot draws you in. (yes it actually has a plot!)

And the new Cinobites were pretty scarey as well, plus the special effects has been the best out of all of them from previous versions. Bottom line, if you love the others you must at least rent this one!

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: This is Bloody Terrible
Review: What a perthetic downright embarressment just forget this movie even exists.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Excellent!
Review: I understand why some people didn't like the movie. I however LOVED it. It starts off slow; after the first five or ten minutes I was ready to play a video game or something, but I figured that I paid to rent it and dammit I was going to watch it even if it killed me. I wasn't disappointed! The movie keeps you guessing, wondering what's going to happen next up until the very last minute. Then you realize that what happens next doesn't matter when you're in HELL! I was glued to the screen after the first death.

I agree that this movie could have been done completely separate from the Hellraiser storyline. Fans of Pinhead are going to be disappointed since His appearance is rather brief. He also is identified as the Engineer (one of many names, he implies). It's been a while since I watched the first movies, but weren't Pinhead and the Engineer identified as two separate characters somewhere along the line?

I would consider this movie one of the best in the series. It's something new, not just a rehash of the same stuff we've already seen/heard. And incidentally, the inDUHvidual who whined about it being subtitled 'Inferno' but it was snowing all the time needs to get hirself to a library and read (as in a book) some Dante!

There were a few weaknesses, which keep me from giving it 5 stars. The first few scenes, though necessary to set it up, dragged. The voice overs by the main character at the beginning and end weren't top quality; they sounded like he was reading them from a script. (I mean, I know he *was*, but it shouldn't sound like it.) Pinhead's appearance was briefer than I liked.

Other than that though, fantastic movie, I hope #6 is as good!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: It's a Wonderful Death.
Review: Jaw-droppingly good in comparison to every film to come since the original HELLRAISER, it was with great trepidation that I dropped this one into the DVD player. Just having suffered through Part 4: BLOODLINE a few weeks back, my expectations for INFERNO were about as low as they could be.

An inspired, twisted take on films like IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, HELLRAISER: INFERNO brings quality back to the franchise. It also brings decent acting, impressive direction, great effects, and, believe it or not, genuine chills and scares. Consistently maintaining the sense of dread created in films like JACOB'S LADDER or LOST HIGHWAY, INFERNO abandons previous sequels' use of Pinhead as little more than a soundbite-spouting slasher and focuses on the sins of man, in particular a dirty detective impressively played by Craig Sheffer. Fear not, fans - there are cenobites a'plenty, and they're far scarier than any of the sad, sad jokes found in Parts 3 or 4. Director Scott Derrickson wisely follows the "less is more" school of scares and the nightmarish glimpses of hell as it seeps into our world are far more frightening than anything dished up since Clive Barker was at the reins.

A straight-to-video film with a $2 million budget, INFERNO looks and plays better than any other big horror franchise sequel in years. Newcomers to the series may be the most delighted as it doesn't require a deep understanding of the mythology of the Cenobites or Lament Configuration to enjoy this film - nor does it lean on Pinhead popping up, shouting "I am emptiness," and creating new Cenobites in place of plot.

All in all, a great, great movie. Refreshing not only for longtime fans of the series but also for anyone looking for a stylish, effective, thoroughly well-made chiller.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Very good sequel
Review: The Hellraiser franchise holds a special place in my heart. I will never forget the first time I saw the opening chapter in the series of films inspired by Clive Barker's nightmarish visions. Watching the original "Hellraiser" now is a mixed bag-some of those special effects look a bit hokey, but others still come across as chillingly effective. Who can forget the glistening visage of Uncle Frank? The lascivious Julia? Or the first appearance of the ominous and verbose Pinhead? The second installment improved on the first, as the film whisked the viewer away to the abode of Pinhead and the Cenobites. A gruesome, perverse picture, "Hellbound: Hellraiser 2" raised the expectations about future entries to a fever pitch. Up next came "Hellraiser 3," a personal favorite of mine even though legions of fans have subsequently disowned it. The series moved into the latter stages of its career from this point forward, taking bold steps in an attempt to expand far beyond anything that viewers had come to expect. "Hellraiser: Bloodline" moved the action into the future while simultaneously looking at the past in an effort to tell the history of the Lament Configuration, the box that unleashes Pinhead and his infernal minions. Then came "Hellraiser: Inferno," a film that is now one of my favorite entries in the franchise.

"Inferno" is a cracking good tale about a cop, Detective Joseph Thorne (Craig Sheffer), and his descent into madness. While investigating a horrendous crime scene at the house of a man Thorne knew in high school, the cop discovers the Lament Configuration and wonders what it is. He also finds a finger left behind by someone called the Engineer. Then we learn more about Joseph. Although married to a beautiful woman who bore him a delightful child, Thorne spends most of his time away from the house shaking down criminals, using narcotics, and taking free favors from women of the night. His partner Tony Nenonen (Nicholas Turturro) has no idea what his partner is up to, which suits Thorne just fine. In fact, no one knows what this corrupt cop is doing except the people he leans on for personal gain when he should bring them up on charges. When Thorne heads to a local hotel with a woman who is not his wife, he inadvertently opens the box. What follows is at times confusing and gory, but it is easy to forget one simple thing in the unfolding madness: Thorne did open the Lament Configuration. Again, remember that Thorne DID open the Lament Configuration. Keeping this fact in the forefront of your memory will help you follow the story.

When Thorne later discovers the woman he went to the hotel with expired horribly in the shower, with another finger in attendance at the crime scene, he panics. He calls in his partner, partially lies about what happened, and then plants evidence that throws suspicion on Nenonen. He does this despicable deed in part to keep himself out of jail but also to allow him to get to the bottom of the Engineer's crimes. Things start to get weird, really, really weird, as Thorne begins seeing Cenobites, confabs with a department psychiatrist who seems to know a few things about the Lament Configuration, shakes down a tattoo and body piercing artist, discovers he knows things about murders before they happen, and finds a few more fingers. Is it real or is it Memorex? Whatever it is, none of these incidents endear Joseph Thorne with the department or his partner, but the determined detective pushes on despite the increasingly suspicious looks he gets from his fellow investigators. Pinhead turns up for a few minutes at the conclusion to explain what happened, and what a conclusion it is! I took to the end of this film like a duck to water. Thorne's dawning realization of just what he's done to himself is worth the price of the film alone. Think of the concept of a personal hell and you'll get an idea of what this movie is about.

Once again, fans of the first two films lament the decline of the series. Once again, I say that viewers need to give up on the idea that the franchise will ever return to its original roots. Barker was long gone by the time "Inferno" hit video store shelves, but that doesn't mean we can't find something to like here. Sure, the movie confuses until you hear Pinhead wax on the morality of man as he shows Thorne just what his destiny has become. But the new Cenobites were appropriately grotesque, the special effects looked good, and even the acting is an improvement over many movies in the series. Can any viewer convince himself or herself for a second that most of the performances in the first two films were anything other than complete drivel? Heck no! I've seen better acting in a kindergarten play than I did in the first few films. Here, Sheffer does an acceptable turn as the corrupt Joseph, as does Turturro in the role of concerned partner Nenonen. Doug Bradley is as fantastic as ever as Pinhead even though the script dramatically reduced his role to a walk on part.

Not enough Pinhead is the film's biggest downfall. As for the DVD version, it's better than you could hope from a straight to video release. A "Secrets of Hellraiser revealed" shows us how the techies make the box open and move. There's also a short interview with Doug Bradley about his Pinhead character. The next film, "Hellraiser: Hellseeker," has even better extras. Apparently, two more sequels in this series will come out within the next year and a half; here's to hoping they're as entertaining as this film.


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