Hellraiser: Inferno (Video 2000)

Hellraiser: Inferno: Directed by Scott Derrickson. With Craig Sheffer, Nicholas Turturro, James Remar, Doug Bradley. A shady police detective becomes embroiled in a strange world of murder, sadism and madness after being assigned a murder investigation against a madman known only as “The Engineer”.

“Hellraiser: Inferno marks the first juncture in the franchise where ideas deviated beyond the formula set in place by the first borderline surreal, masochist piece.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eGone is the dreamy, sordid aesthetic used back then, the Cenobites who were front and centre are reduced to limited appearances and the story is less otherworldly and something decidedly more noirish and down to earth. Whether thatu0026#39;s accepted by franchise die-hards and horror hounds alike is subjective, but I didnu0026#39;t mind itu0026#39;s slow burn approach or sidewinding tone. Craig Sheffer, the closest thing youu0026#39;ll get to Josh Brolin without breaking the bank, plays a crooked Detective who finds himself dragged down a rabbit hole of creepy, murderous goings-on when heu0026#39;s assigned to hunt a serial killer known as u0026#39;The Engineeru0026#39;. Of course the murders always seem one step ahead of his grasp, and naturally dark secrets from his sketchy past are brought to light as he gradually begins to lose his mind. Doug Bradley does eventually return as the iconic Pinhead, with a few members of the Cenobite posse, but their presence is kept mostly on the back burner for quite a while. Taking antagonist duties for a while instead is Shefferu0026#39;s eerie psychiatrist, played with sinister charm and knowing charisma by James Remar, a dubious fellow with a few tricks up his own sleeve. This is the one entry that sticks out from the franchise in itu0026#39;s diversion from the usual path of distinct, abstract psychosexual horror and mutes the whole icy nightmare down to rebuild a story in itu0026#39;s own image. Youu0026#39;ll either appreciate the initiative, or youu0026#39;ll miss the good olu0026#39; freakshow of the original film. Up to you.”