I decided to watch "Hellraiser: Inferno" simply because it was the first film directed by Scott Derrickson, the same director behind hits like "The Exorcism of Emily Rose," "The Black Phone," "Sinister," and "Doctor Strange." At the time, Derrickson was still an inexperienced director, but it was interesting to see small details that were already part of his creative signature.
There's an urban myth surrounding the plot of this film. Several sources claim that the original script was written as an independent police thriller with no connection to the "Hellraiser" universe, but the producers decided to change various parts and insert it into that universe. However, the writers themselves deny this version. Personally, I believe the first hypothesis because I felt that Pinhead and the other cenobites (creatures from another dimension known for bringing extreme pleasure that is understood as pain and torture by humans) were forcefully inserted, and both concepts don't match. It seems like they cut pages from the original script and replaced them with pages from the "Hellraiser" saga.
"Hellraiser: Inferno" could have been an excellent investigative thriller, but it ultimately stands out as an incomplete work. It fails to create an atmospheric and intriguing piece, and it also fails to invoke and respect all the elements of the "Hellraiser" saga. Just to give you an idea: Pinhead, the main villain, only appears for about 1 minute in the entire film.
I consider it average. It's far from terrible. I mainly liked the concept of the cenobites, who appeared in less than half a dozen scenes, and sometimes, the plot managed to pique my interest, even though some plot twists and situations were predictable. Still, it was interesting to observe how Scott Derrickson has evolved since the beginning of his career.
There's an urban myth surrounding the plot of this film. Several sources claim that the original script was written as an independent police thriller with no connection to the "Hellraiser" universe, but the producers decided to change various parts and insert it into that universe. However, the writers themselves deny this version. Personally, I believe the first hypothesis because I felt that Pinhead and the other cenobites (creatures from another dimension known for bringing extreme pleasure that is understood as pain and torture by humans) were forcefully inserted, and both concepts don't match. It seems like they cut pages from the original script and replaced them with pages from the "Hellraiser" saga.
"Hellraiser: Inferno" could have been an excellent investigative thriller, but it ultimately stands out as an incomplete work. It fails to create an atmospheric and intriguing piece, and it also fails to invoke and respect all the elements of the "Hellraiser" saga. Just to give you an idea: Pinhead, the main villain, only appears for about 1 minute in the entire film.
I consider it average. It's far from terrible. I mainly liked the concept of the cenobites, who appeared in less than half a dozen scenes, and sometimes, the plot managed to pique my interest, even though some plot twists and situations were predictable. Still, it was interesting to observe how Scott Derrickson has evolved since the beginning of his career.
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