Hellriser 2017

In the dark and eerie city of Belgrade, Serbia, a complex and haunting story unfolds around a mysterious puzzle known as the Leviathan Configuration, which draws characters into a terrifying world of pain, desire, and supernatural forces. The story begins with Serena Menaker (Hiam Abbass), a lawyer who encounters a mysterious man, Lorenz (Predrag Bjelac), on a park bench on behalf of her employer, the wealthy and enigmatic Roland Voight (Goran Visnjic). Serena receives a strange package, one that seemingly hints at hidden dark secrets, before attending a lavish party hosted by Voight in The Berkshires. There, she crosses paths with a sex worker named Joey (Kit Clarke), whom she instructs to enter a room with double doors, unknowingly setting off a chain of sinister events.

Joey’s discovery of a mysterious artifact inside that room reveals it to be a complex puzzle. Voight, revealing himself as the master behind the artifact, describes it as a deadly puzzle that can grant intense desires—at a terrible cost. When Joey attempts to solve it, the puzzle unleashes a blade that violently impales his hand, followed by hooks that pierce through his knee and flesh, causing him agony. Voight’s obsession with the puzzle grows as he demands an audience with the Leviathan, a demonic entity connected to the artifact. The scene underscores the terrifying power the puzzle holds, hinting at a supernatural influence far beyond human understanding.

Six years later, the narrative shifts focus to Riley McKendry (Odessa A’zion), a recovering addict whose life has been marked by trauma and loss. Riley is shown in an intimate moment with her boyfriend Trevor (Drew Starkey), while her brother Matt (Brandon Flynn), his partner Colin (Adam Faison), and roommate Nora (Aoife Hinds) gather for a dinner. Tensions rise after Trevor leaves, revealing underlying distrust from Matt concerning Riley’s relationship and her vulnerability.

Curiosity and desperation lead Riley to break into Trevor’s warehouse, where she uncovers the puzzle box—an artifact with ominous implications. This object is more than just a puzzle; it is a conduit to an otherworldly realm. Her happening with the box triggers a series of chilling events: visions, violence, and the awakening of the Cenobites, a nightmarish group of demonic enforcers led by the feared Pinhead, played by Jamie Clayton (here). When Riley’s hands are wounded on the curse’s artifact, a curses that also inflicts her loved ones, she delves deeper into the dark history behind Voight and the puzzle’s true purpose.

As Riley researches Voight’s past, she discovers the mansion where he sought to harness the box’s power for personal gain. Inside, she comes across pages describing the different configurations of the puzzle, each promising to fulfill desires but at a horrific price. The puzzle’s healing power is a deception; instead, it twists and torments those who try to manipulate it. When Riley learns about Voight’s obsession with resurrection, she begins to understand that the puzzle was originally used to transform and torment its users, not grant their wishes.

The story takes a harrowing turn when other characters become victims, such as Nora, who gets trapped in a secret room, only to be taken by the Cenobites after being stabbed with the puzzle. Her screams echo as the Chatterer, another Cenobite, inflicts unimaginable pain, her fate sealed by the cursed artifact. Riley’s group suffers further losses: Trevor is attacked by a Cenobite called Gasp and dragged into a nightmarish realm, while Riley herself is slowly pushed to her limits. The Cenobites demand more souls to complete the configuration, and Pinhead warns Riley that her choices will come at a steep price.

Riley’s plan to stop the Cenobites involves sacrificing one of their own—using the puzzle box to trap or kill the creatures—hoping to prevent further chaos. Yet, as Voight’s obsession with the box’s power culminates in his own destruction, the suffering reaches its peak. Voight, having transformed into a Cenobite through the pain inflicted by the puzzle, is ultimately consumed by the very mechanism that once tormented him, pulled into a whitish light as a symbol of his failed search for peace.

In the climax, Riley faces the ultimate decision, refusing to resurrect Matt or submit to the torment promised by the Cenobites. Her choice to reject the dark allure leaves her with a heavy burden—living with the guilt of her actions and the understanding that tampering with forbidden forces always comes with a price. The story closes with Riley and Colin leaving the mansion, both pondering whether her sacrifices and decisions were truly worth the suffering endured.

Voight, in a cruel twist, ends up in Hell, strapped to a painful, cross-like device, his flesh torn apart—an irreversible punishment for his sins—marking his final descent into eternal torment. The film explores themes of desire, guilt, and the thin line separating pleasure from pain, illustrating how greed and obsession can unleash horrors beyond human comprehension.