Themes of religion have often been used in cinema in inventive ways. For instance, a character might have a crisis of faith in their personal lives, or directors may even go one further and give clues as to what might be in store for us when our lives come to an end. While many will be hoping for the pearly gates of heaven, it’s invariably true that a much hotter eternity awaits the most cruel and immoral members of humanity.
Heaven has been shown many times in the movies, but for every brilliant vision of God’s paradise, there is an equally impressive yet terrifying portrayal of hell. Whether tapping into classic Christian notions of hell with fire, brimstone and burning rivers of lava or more philosophical considerations of the underworld, cinema has always been a suitable medium for a journey into the realm of evil.
Hell can be used to explore the nature of guilt and sin and show the punishment that one may face for living a life of avarice and wickedness. In turn, such narrative facets of a movie can have a character seek redemption and avoid the horrors that await the most malicious in the burning chambers of the below.
We’ve compiled a list of the most remarkable depictions of hell to be committed to film. So, from interdimensional portrayals of endless suffering to journeys through the many layers of the underworld via a satirical take on eternal damnation, it’s time to climb down into the depths of Satan’s realm once and for all.
The five best visions of hell:
Event Horizon (Paul W.S. Anderson, 1997)
If hell was ever perfectly captured in a science fiction movie, it definitely arrived in Paul W.S. Anderson’s Even Horizon. The film tells of a rescue crew investigating the titular spaceship, which has suddenly returned to orbit after going missing. However, the crew eventually discovers that the Event Horizon has travelled to a dimension of pure evil and brought hell back along with it.
Rather than showing that hell is a fiery underworld, as in most movies or literary descriptions, Event Horizon depicts it as an abstract dimension filled with unimaginable suffering that comes in waves of violence and nightmares. The spaceship itself becomes the antagonist of Anderson’s film, showing the audience one of the most imaginative visions of hell of all time.
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (Trey Parker and Matt Stone, 1999)
Of course, hell need not always depict fire and brimstone, certainly not when it’s in the hands of master satirists Trey Parker and Matt Stone. When the pair delivered the South Park movie in 1999, they included a version of hell that departs from its usual malevolence into a place of comedic genius instead, with Satan being involved in a co-dependent relationship with Saddam Hussein.
Only the South Park creators could come up with something outrageous yet still make it work. The scary qualities of hell give way to a platform for the duo to discuss the themes of censorship, free will and morality. Of course, it is delivered in a genuinely bizarre and satirical manner that certainly befits wearing the South Park title.
The House That Jack Built (Lars von Trier, 2018)
If Parker and Stone are two of comedy’s most controversial pairings, then Lars von Trier is certainly one of the most controversial dramatic figures in cinema. In his 2018 art horror film The House That Jack Built, von Trier delivered an aesthetically beautiful and intellectually stimulating vision of hell that Matt Dillon’s serial killer protagonist is led through by a Virgil-like figure voiced by Bruno Ganz.
Highly reminiscent of Dante’s Inferno, each layer of hell that Jack is taken through represents a new consequence of the actions his awful and violent deeds have caused. Though there is indeed a grotesque and scary quality to von Trier’s depiction of hell, it’s equally beautiful and poetic, possessing all the controversial artistry his films typically detail.
Hellbound: Hellraiser II (Tony Randel, 1988)
The only film on this list to have the word “hell” in the title is the sequel to Clive Barker’s Hellraiser, and thankfully, the film’s version of hell does not disappoint. Expanding on the world of the Cenobites, director Tony Randel creates a horrifying, ever-shifted labyrinth of evil ruled by a god-like figure named Leviathan.
Hell is not necessarily a fiery underworld in Hellbound: Hellraiser II, but is instead a complex dimension beyond the ordinary comprehension of human beings, a twisting maze of human suffering, horrible physical manifestations and endless malice. Of course, Hellraiser II has the kind of sadomasochistic tone of the original movie, which leads to a version of hell that teeters on the boundaries of pleasure and pain.
Jigoku (Nobuo Nakagawa, 1960)
Away from Western cinema, hell has also been given a striking visual and cinematic treatment in Japan, most notably in Nobuo Nakagawa’s 1960 film Jigoku. After a series of tragic and unethical events, theology student Shiro endures a nightmarish journey through hell. Nakagawa taps into Buddhist mythology while dousing the film with a surreal horror aesthetic.
Jigoku is one of the most striking visual movies ever made. The hell scenes, comprised of visions of rivers made of blood, evil demons dishing out pain to those in eternal suffering, and desolate landscapes, are easily some of the best ever committed to film. In addition, Jigoku might be the best philosophical examination of hell, particularly through its meditative Buddhist lens.