Hellraiser: Inferno Reviews

An inferno that doesn't really explode

Posted : 1 year, 9 months ago on 16 July 2022 07:43

Despite appreciating horror very much (with a lot of classic ones out there, such as 'Halloween', 'Nightmare on Elm Street', 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre', 'Night of the Living Dead' and 'The Exorcist', plus the best of Hammer House of Horror), even if not my favourite genre, it took me a while to get round to watching the 'Hellraiser' franchise. Due to having so much to watch and review, and the list keeps getting longer and longer.

The film that started the franchise off is not only for me by far the best of the 'Hellraiser' films it also for me, and quite a few others it seems, is one of the stronger horror films of the 80s, though not quite of all time. What is meant by being by far the best of the 'Hellraiser' films is that it is the only one to be above very good, the nine sequels were very variable (leaning towards the disappointing) and the latter films particularly are suggestive of the franchise having run its course.

Found the second film to be by far the best of the sequels and tthird and fourth films to be watchable if problematic. It was with 'Hellraiser: Inferno' when the franchise took a turn for the worse, though much worse followed this. 'Hellraiser: Inferno' is actually one of the better post-'Hellraiser: Bloodline'.

'Hellraiser: Inferno' does have good things. If there is anything that is quite a bit better than 'Hell on Earth' and especially 'Bloodline' it is the acting in crucial roles, which by 'Hellraiser' sequels standards was not bad. Craig Sheffer was a decent lead and James Remar is solid in his role too. Cannot say anything bad about Doug Bradley who is still genuinely frightening in the little screen time he has.

It also doesn't look too awful, some atmospheric scenery, above average effects, unsettling enough photography. The film begins very well, being suitably creepy. It at least makes sense too and there is a nice unnerving atmosphere.

On the other hand, like others have said, one of the biggest problems is that it doesn't feel like a 'Hellraiser' film. Feeling more like a psychological/mystery/thriller with Pinhead and the Cenobites being thrown in in an afterthought fashion. This is further accentuated by that they are in the film far too little, they do work very well (as proven in the original) when mysterious and like catalysts rather than heavily focused on, and have next to nothing to do when they do appear. Pinhead's contribution is very memorable and he is still deserving of his horror icon status but the Cenobites have lost their creepiness and come over as goofy instead.

As a film judged as a standalone, 'Hellraiser: Inferno' is problematic. The editing is a bit all over the place and the direction doesn't seem assured or in control or at ease with the material. The characters are underdeveloped clichés with unclear and sometimes frustrating motivations and the writing continues to be laughably bad and too heavily reliant on goofiness and camp that juxtaposes too much. The story does lack tension, suspense and any surprises, while there is far too much focus on the hallucinatory sequences which looked good but slowed down the film and that ambition, intelligence and creativity had disappeared almost completely by this point of the franchise and replaced by camp, predictability and schlock. What had potential to be a dark and unsettling film is let down by the above, lacking energy and that while not overusing the gore or horror elements it feels somewhat toned down. The ending is not an incoherent parody or anything but it did feel rushed to me and the music does not fit in either placement or tone.

To conclude, didn't do much for me but far from the worst of the series. 4/10 Bethany Cox

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