Supernatural villain Pinhead finds himself on the wrong side of the law in this, the fifth film in the Hellraiser franchise. Joseph (Craig Sheffer) is a detective with the LAPD who one morning discovers he's no longer living in California -- he's been exiled to Hades, and the only way to escape is by solving the mystery of the all-powerful puzzle box. The box is now in the hands of the fearsome demon Pinhead (Doug Bradley), and Joseph finds himself in a life-and-death struggle with the demon for control of the puzzle box. Hellraiser: Inferno also stars Nicholas Turturro as Tony, Sasha Barrese as Daphne, Noelle Evans as Melanie, and James Remar as Dr. Paul Gregory. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Inferno is unique in the Hellraiser series in that it underplays the high level of gore of the earlier films. Many scenes cut away before the moment of violence.
Plot
Hellraiser: Inferno is a psychological thriller take on the Hellraiser series. The plot follows the descent into obsession and madness of a detective who discovers the Lament Configuration while working on a series of ritualistic murders.
Craig Sheffer, who plays the Detective Joseph Thorne also starred in the lead role of Clive Barker's 1990 horror Nightbreed. The straight to DVD/video release suffered mixed reviews from both critics and fans alike, with Barker claiming non involvement with the picture. Others praised the movie for relying on physcological terror and not relying overtly on consistent gore and the presence of Pinhead [Doug Bradley], instead the character acting as a demonic morale judge and his screen time cut back to even less of that of the original picture as opposed to it's subsequent sequels. This part of the series will baffle you through the movie as to how it fits in to the story.Towards the end of the movie you will realize its just like always.Joseph opened the box and is therefore living in his own personal hell
