Hell in popular culture
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Hell is a common setting found in art,
literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...
, and
popular culture Popular culture (also called mass culture or pop culture) is generally recognized by members of a society as a set of practices, beliefs, artistic output (also known as, popular art or mass art) and objects that are dominant or prevalent in a ...
(especially the horror and
fantasy genre Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and dra ...
s).


Art

* Perhaps the most famous depictions of Hell in art can be viewed in many paintings by
medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...
painter
Hieronymus Bosch Hieronymus Bosch (, ; born Jheronimus van Aken ;  – 9 August 1516) was a Dutch/ Netherlandish painter from Brabant. He is one of the most notable representatives of the Early Netherlandish painting school. His work, generally oil on o ...
; ''
The Garden of Earthly Delights ''The Garden of Earthly Delights'' is the modern title given to a triptych oil painting on oak panel painted by the Early Netherlandish master Hieronymus Bosch, between 1490 and 1510, when Bosch was between 40 and 60 years old. It has b ...
'' is probably the most famous. *
Gustave Doré Paul Gustave Louis Christophe Doré ( , , ; 6 January 1832 – 23 January 1883) was a French artist, as a printmaker, illustrator, painter, comics artist, caricaturist, and sculptor. He is best known for his prolific output of wood-engravin ...
drew illustrations for
Dante Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian people, Italian Italian poetry, poet, writer and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', origin ...
's ''
The Divine Comedy The ''Divine Comedy'' ( it, Divina Commedia ) is an Italian narrative poem by Dante Alighieri, begun 1308 and completed in around 1321, shortly before the author's death. It is widely considered the pre-eminent work in Italian literature an ...
'', including Dante's visit to Hell. * Auguste Rodin's sculpture, ''
The Gates of Hell ''The Gates of Hell'' (french: La Porte de l'Enfer) is a monumental bronze sculptural group work by French artist Auguste Rodin that depicts a scene from the '' Inferno'', the first section of Dante Alighieri's ''Divine Comedy''. It stands at ...
'', is based on Hell depicted in
Dante Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian people, Italian Italian poetry, poet, writer and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', origin ...
's ''
The Divine Comedy The ''Divine Comedy'' ( it, Divina Commedia ) is an Italian narrative poem by Dante Alighieri, begun 1308 and completed in around 1321, shortly before the author's death. It is widely considered the pre-eminent work in Italian literature an ...
''.


Literature

*
Dante Alighieri Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian poet, writer and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called (modern Italian: '' ...
's famous epic poem ''
Divine Comedy The ''Divine Comedy'' ( it, Divina Commedia ) is an Italian narrative poem by Dante Alighieri, begun 1308 and completed in around 1321, shortly before the author's death. It is widely considered the pre-eminent work in Italian literature ...
'' tells how he visits Heaven and Hell. His visit to Hell is probably the most famous literary depiction of the concept. Hell has its entrance in the Northern hemisphere, the other side of the world to Purgatory, and the bottom of Hell is at the Centre of the Earth. Hell is systematically divided in thematical tortures for crimes of the same nature in its Nine Circles, for example people who were violent against others are trapped in the Seventh Circle of Hell in a boiling river of blood with centaurs firing arrows to keep them in their place. The people are judged by the serpentine Minos. Hell was created by Lucifer's fall; he is now trapped in the final level for Traitors. Hell is surrounded by the river Acheron, the neutral sit on the banks chased by swarms of insects and running after a banner. Dante claims to have seen several famous people being tortured in hell: biblical characters (
Judas Judas Iscariot (; grc-x-biblical, Ἰούδας Ἰσκαριώτης; syc, ܝܗܘܕܐ ܣܟܪܝܘܛܐ; died AD) was a disciple and one of the original Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. According to all four canonical gospels, Judas betr ...
, Cain, ...), mythological characters (
Medusa In Greek mythology, Medusa (; Ancient Greek: Μέδουσα "guardian, protectress"), also called Gorgo, was one of the three monstrous Gorgons, generally described as winged human females with living venomous snakes in place of hair. Those ...
, the Minotaur,...), historical characters (
Nero Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus ( ; born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus; 15 December AD 37 – 9 June AD 68), was the fifth Roman emperor and final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 unti ...
,
Brutus Marcus Junius Brutus (; ; 85 BC – 23 October 42 BC), often referred to simply as Brutus, was a Roman politician, orator, and the most famous of the assassins of Julius Caesar. After being adopted by a relative, he used the name Quintus Serv ...
, Attila the Hun,...) and people of his own lifetime. His journey is described with many imaginative details. * In Milton's '' Paradise Lost'', Lucifer and the other
fallen angel In the Abrahamic religions, fallen angels are angels who were expelled from heaven. The literal term "fallen angel" never appears in any Abrahamic religious texts, but is used to describe angels cast out of heaven"Mehdi Azaiez, Gabriel Said ...
s (such as
Beelzebub Beelzebub ( ; he, ''Baʿal-zəḇūḇ'') or Beelzebul is a name derived from a Philistine god, formerly worshipped in Ekron, and later adopted by some Abrahamic religions as a major demon. The name ''Beelzebub'' is associated with the Can ...
,
Belial Belial ( he, , ''Bəlīyyaʿal'') is a term occurring in the Hebrew Bible/ Old Testament which later became personified as the devilSee the reference to "Beliar" in ''The Ascension of Isaiah'', at EarlyChristianWritings.com', specifically at ...
, and
Molech Moloch (; ''Mōleḵ'' or הַמֹּלֶךְ‎ ''hamMōleḵ''; grc, Μόλοχ, la, Moloch; also Molech or Molek) is a name or a term which appears in the Hebrew Bible several times, primarily in the book of Leviticus. The Bible strongly co ...
) are imprisoned in Hell for rebelling against God after the birth of Christ. Hell is Nine days' fall from Heaven and three times further than Earth. Between it and the Universe are Chaos and Night. In Hell, the fallen angels build Pandemonium. Hell's gate is guarded by Sin, Satan's daughter. In Book 10 a bridge is built from Hell to Earth by Sin and Death after the Fall of Man, which has been caused by Lucifer, while the fallen angels are turned into snakes. * Christian theologian, scientist, philosopher and mystic
Emanuel Swedenborg Emanuel Swedenborg (, ; born Emanuel Swedberg; 29 March 1772) was a Swedish pluralistic-Christian theologian, scientist, philosopher and mystic. He became best known for his book on the afterlife, ''Heaven and Hell'' (1758). Swedenborg had a ...
wrote '' Heaven and Hell'' in which he claimed to have visited Hell. * In
Piers Anthony Piers Anthony Dillingham Jacob (born 6 August 1934) is an American author in the science fiction and Fantasy (genre), fantasy genres, publishing under the name Piers Anthony. He is best known for his :Xanth books, long-running novel series set in ...
's series
Incarnations of Immortality ''Incarnations of Immortality'' is the name of an eight-book fantasy series by Piers Anthony. The books each focus on one of eight supernatural "offices" (Death, Time, Fate, War, Nature, Evil, Good, and Night) in a fictional reality and history p ...
, Hell, Heaven and
Purgatory Purgatory (, borrowed into English via Anglo-Norman and Old French) is, according to the belief of some Christian denominations (mostly Catholic), an intermediate state after physical death for expiatory purification. The process of purgatory ...
are actual locations populated by the main characters and souls of the dead. *
Wayne Barlowe Wayne Douglas Barlowe is an American science fiction and fantasy writer, painter, and concept artist. Barlowe's work focuses on esoteric landscapes and creatures such as citizens of hell and alien worlds. He has painted over 300 book and magazi ...
's book, '' God's Demon'', is set in Hell and follows the endeavors of a powerful Demon, Sargatanas, to achieve redemption. The hell depicted is in many ways the classical Christian perception of burning cities and desolate wastelands with souls being routinely tortured. * In the novel '' City Infernal'' by Edward Lee, as well as its sequels '' Infernal Angel'' and '' House Infernal'', Hell is depicted as a modern metropolis (the Mephistopolis), albeit where electricity is provided by tapping the bio-electricity of tortured souls, chaos and suffering is systematically enforced, organic materials (bones, blood, et al.) are used for everything from food and building materials and everything in-between, and vicious horrors, both born and manufactured, run rampant, all of which serves as an affront to
God In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...
. It's also said to exist in a version of Earth in a separate plane of existence, and that its dimensions are based on those of Heaven. *In Terry Pratchett's novel ''
Eric The given name Eric, Erich, Erikk, Erik, Erick, or Eirik is derived from the Old Norse name ''Eiríkr'' (or ''Eríkr'' in Old East Norse due to monophthongization). The first element, ''ei-'' may be derived from the older Proto-Norse ''* ain ...
'' (which is a parody of the
Faust legend Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust ( 1480–1540). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a pact with the Devil at a crossroad ...
), Rincewind and Eric travel to hell, where they discover it has become steeped in bureaucracy, the Demon King Astfgl having decided that boredom might be the ultimate form of torture.


Film


Feature and short films

* Hell appears in ''
Häxan ''Häxan'' (, "The Witch"; Danish: ''Heksen''; English: ''The Witches''; released in the US in 1968 as ''Witchcraft Through the Ages'') is a 1922 silent horror essay film written and directed by Benjamin Christensen. Consisting partly of d ...
'' (1922). * Mortimer Judd goes there in ''
Dante's Inferno ''Inferno'' (; Italian for "Hell") is the first part of Italian writer Dante Alighieri's 14th-century epic poem ''Divine Comedy''. It is followed by ''Purgatorio'' and '' Paradiso''. The ''Inferno'' describes Dante's journey through Hell, gui ...
''. * Hell appears in ''
Faust Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust ( 1480–1540). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a pact with the Devil at a crossroa ...
'' (1926). * Little Joe goes there in '' Cabin in the Sky''. * Hell appears in the "
Night on Bald Mountain ''Night on Bald Mountain'' (russian: Ночь на лысой горе, translit=Noch′ na lysoy gore, links=no), also known as ''Night on the Bare Mountain'', is a series of compositions by Modest Mussorgsky (1839–1881). Inspired by Russian ...
" segment of '' Fantasia'' (1940). * The Three Stooges see a vision of themselves there in ''
I'll Never Heil Again ''I'll Never Heil Again'' is a 1941 short subject directed by Jules White starring American slapstick comedy team The Three Stooges ( Moe Howard, Larry Fine and Curly Howard). It is the 56th entry in the series released by Columbia Pictures s ...
'' (1941). * Hell appears in the 1942 short film ''
The Devil with Hitler ''The Devil with Hitler'' (released in Great Britain as ''The Devil Checks Up'') is a black-and-white 1942 comedy short propaganda film that was one of Hal Roach's Streamliners short film series. When the board of directors of Hell want Adolf Hitl ...
''. * Henry Van Cleve goes there in '' Heaven Can Wait''. * Eddie Kagle goes there in '' Angel on My Shoulder''. * Hell appears in ''
Damn Yankees ''Damn Yankees'' is a 1955 musical comedy with a book by George Abbott and Douglass Wallop, music and lyrics by Richard Adler and Jerry Ross. The story is a modern retelling of the Faust legend set during the 1950s in Washington, D.C., dur ...
''. * Hell appears in '' Santa Claus'' (1959). * Hell appears in '' The Devil's Messenger'' (1963). * Ebenezer Scrooge goes there in '' Scrooge'' (1970). * Hell appears in ''
Tales from the Crypt Tales from the Crypt may refer to: * ''Tales from the Crypt'' (album), by American rapper C-Bo * ''Tales from the Crypt'' (comics), published by EC Comics during the 1950s ** ''Tales from the Crypt'' (film), a 1972 Amicus film starring Ralph Ric ...
'' (1972). * Hell appears in
Pasolini Pier Paolo Pasolini (; 5 March 1922 – 2 November 1975) was an Italian poet, filmmaker, writer and intellectual who also distinguished himself as a journalist, novelist, translator, playwright, visual artist and actor. He is considered one of ...
's film The Canterbury Tales. A corrupt parishioner is taken to Hell where he is shown the Devil violently
defecating Defecation (or defaecation) follows digestion, and is a necessary process by which organisms eliminate a solid, semisolid, or liquid waste material known as feces from the digestive tract via the anus. The act has a variety of names ranging f ...
hundreds of other corrupt clergymen out of his anus. The scenes were shot at Mt. Etna in
Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...
. *In the 1973 Adult Film ''
The Devil in Miss Jones ''The Devil in Miss Jones'' is a 1973 pornographic film, written, directed and produced by Gerard Damiano and starring Georgina Spelvin and Harry Reems. It is widely regarded as a classic adult film, released during the Golden Age of Porn (19 ...
'', The main character Justine Jones (who just killed herself by slitting her wrists) begs Mr. Abaca to let her "earn" her place in Hell by being allowed to return to Earth and become the embodiment of
Lust Lust is a psychological force producing intense desire for something, or circumstance while already having a significant amount of the desired object. Lust can take any form such as the lust for sexuality (see libido), money, or power. It c ...
. At the end of the film Justine Jones somehow finds herself trapped in her own private Hell. * Hell is subjective in the ''
Hellraiser ''Hellraiser'' is a 1987 British supernatural horror film written and directed by Clive Barker, and produced by Christopher Figg, based on Barker's 1986 novella ''The Hellbound Heart''. The film marked Barker's directorial debut. Its plot invol ...
'' film series, as well as
Clive Barker Clive Barker (born 5 October 1952) is an English novelist, playwright, author, film director, and visual artist who came to prominence in the mid-1980s with a series of short stories, the ''Books of Blood'', which established him as a leading h ...
's novella. Upon solving the
Lament Configuration A lament or lamentation is a passionate expression of grief, often in music, poetry, or song form. The grief is most often born of regret, or mourning. Laments can also be expressed in a verbal manner in which participants lament about somethin ...
, the sinner, or victim experiences a hell which they themselves defined by their own actions. * Hell appears in ''
The Devil and Max Devlin ''The Devil and Max Devlin'' is a 1981 American fantasy–comedy film produced by Walt Disney Productions, directed by Steven Hilliard Stern and starring Elliott Gould, Bill Cosby and Susan Anspach. The film was considered to be controversial ...
'' (1981). * In '' Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey'' (1991), the title characters go to Hell. * Hell is used as a plot subject in '' Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday'' (1993). * In ''
Event Horizon In astrophysics, an event horizon is a boundary beyond which events cannot affect an observer. Wolfgang Rindler coined the term in the 1950s. In 1784, John Michell proposed that gravity can be strong enough in the vicinity of massive compact ob ...
'' (1997), the ship's gravity drive opened a gateway to a hellish dimension outside the known universe. * In ''
Deconstructing Harry ''Deconstructing Harry'' is a 1997 American black comedy film written, directed by, and co-starring Woody Allen, alongside Caroline Aaron, Kirstie Alley, Bob Balaban, Richard Benjamin, Eric Bogosian, Billy Crystal, Judy Davis and others. The fil ...
'' (1997) by
Woody Allen Heywood "Woody" Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American film director, writer, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades and multiple Academy Award-winning films. He began his career writing ...
, the protagonist descends into Hell where he has a chance to learn from the
Devil A devil is the personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conceptions of ...
himself (played by
Billy Crystal William Edward Crystal (born March 14, 1948)On page 17 of his book ''700 Sundays'', Crystal displays his birth announcement, which gives his first two names as "William Edward", not "William Jacob" is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. ...
), among other things, about the significance of having
air conditioning Air conditioning, often abbreviated as A/C or AC, is the process of removing heat from an enclosed space to achieve a more comfortable interior environment (sometimes referred to as 'comfort cooling') and in some cases also strictly controlling ...
in Hell, and then proceeds to discover his own father. * '' What Dreams May Come'', a 1998 film that won an Academy Award for its depiction of heaven and hell as the subjective creations of the individual, was an essentially mystical interpretation of heaven, hell and reincarnation. Aided by his personal angel ( Cuba Gooding, Jr.), an accidentally killed man (
Robin Williams Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951August 11, 2014) was an American actor and comedian. Known for his improvisational skills and the wide variety of characters he created on the spur of the moment and portrayed on film, in dramas and come ...
) leaves his personal Heaven home and searches the depths of many and varied Hells to find and rescue his wife, who is in her own damnation because the loss of her family drove her to suicide. It was based on the eponymous novel by
Richard Matheson Richard Burton Matheson (February 20, 1926 – June 23, 2013) was an American author and screenwriter, primarily in the fantasy, horror, and science fiction genres. He is best known as the author of '' I Am Legend'', a 1954 science fictio ...
. * ''
Little Nicky ''Little Nicky'' is a 2000 American fantasy comedy film directed by Steven Brill, written by Brill, Adam Sandler, and Tim Herlihy, and starring Sandler in the title role, Patricia Arquette, Harvey Keitel, Rhys Ifans, Tommy "Tiny" Lister Jr., ...
'' (2000) depicts Hell as a kingdom where monsters, giant fire birds, flying jellyfish and a large castle named the Castle of The Underworld belong. Satan (
Harvey Keitel Harvey Keitel ( ; born May 13, 1939) is an American actor. He is known for his portrayal of morally ambiguous and "tough guy" characters. He first rose to prominence during the New Hollywood movement, and has held a long-running association with ...
) performs tasks such as shoving a
pineapple The pineapple (''Ananas comosus'') is a tropical plant with an edible fruit; it is the most economically significant plant in the family Bromeliaceae. The pineapple is indigenous to South America, where it has been cultivated for many centuri ...
up Hitler's posterior. * In '' Freddy vs Jason'',
Freddy Krueger Freddy Krueger () is a fictional character and the primary antagonist in the ''A Nightmare on Elm Street'' film series. He was created by Wes Craven and made his debut in Craven's '' A Nightmare on Elm Street'' (1984) as the malevolent spirit ...
is rendered powerless in Hell with Springwood forgetting him. Impersonating
Jason Voorhees Jason Voorhees () is a character from the ''Friday the 13th'' series. He first appeared in '' Friday the 13th'' (1980) as the young son of camp-cook-turned-killer Mrs. Voorhees, in which he was portrayed by Ari Lehman. Created by Victor Mi ...
's mother, Freddy resurrects Jason from Hell and sends him to Springwood to cause panic and fear. * ''
Constantine Constantine most often refers to: * Constantine the Great, Roman emperor from 306 to 337, also known as Constantine I *Constantine, Algeria, a city in Algeria Constantine may also refer to: People * Constantine (name), a masculine given name ...
'' (2005) depicts as graphic a version of the traditional Christian version of Hell as can be found in cinema: it shows a parallel plane with many of the same buildings and structures as the normal world, but twisted, ruined and perpetually seared as if eternally hit by the
blast wave In fluid dynamics, a blast wave is the increased pressure and flow resulting from the deposition of a large amount of energy in a small, very localised volume. The flow field can be approximated as a lead shock wave, followed by a self-similar sub ...
of a nuclear bomb. This film is based on the DC/Vertigo comic series
Hellblazer ''John Constantine, Hellblazer'' is an American contemporary horror comic-book series published by DC Comics since January 1988, and subsequently by its Vertigo imprint since March 1993, when the imprint was introduced. Its central character is ...
. * '' Inuyasha the Movie: Swords of an Honorable Ruler'' (2005) depicts Hell near the end of film. Hell is summoned and opened by the Great Dog Demon's third sword, Sō'unga the sword of the
underworld The underworld, also known as the netherworld or hell, is the supernatural world of the dead in various religious traditions and myths, located below the world of the living. Chthonic is the technical adjective for things of the underwor ...
, which means that Hell is also the
Sengoku period The was a period in History of Japan, Japanese history of near-constant civil war and social upheaval from 1467 to 1615. The Sengoku period was initiated by the Ōnin War in 1467 which collapsed the Feudalism, feudal system of Japan under the ...
. * ''
Silent Hill is a horror anthology media franchise centered on a series of survival horror games created by Keiichiro Toyama and published by Konami. The first four video games in the series, '' Silent Hill'', ''Silent Hill 2'', ''Silent Hill 3'' and '' ...
'' (2006) depicts Hell numerous times throughout the film. Hell is depicted as a modern world, but decayed and rusted, populated by strange and horrific creatures. * ''
Drag Me to Hell ''Drag Me to Hell'' is a 2009 American supernatural horror film directed and co-written by Sam Raimi. It stars Alison Lohman, Justin Long, Lorna Raver, Dileep Rao, David Paymer, and Adriana Barraza. The plot, written with his older brother Ivan, ...
'' tells the story of a woman cursed by an evil gypsy. The curse will send her to Hell unless she can get rid of it. * ''
Inferno Inferno may refer to: * Hell, an afterlife place of suffering * Conflagration, a large uncontrolled fire Film * ''L'Inferno'', a 1911 Italian film * Inferno (1953 film), ''Inferno'' (1953 film), a film noir by Roy Ward Baker * Inferno (1973 fi ...
'' (2016), based on the novel by
Dan Brown Daniel Gerhard Brown (born June 22, 1964) is an American author best known for his thriller novels, including the Robert Langdon novels ''Angels & Demons'' (2000), '' The Da Vinci Code'' (2003), ''The Lost Symbol'' (2009), '' Inferno'' (2013), ...
and directed by
Ron Howard Ronald William Howard (born March 1, 1954) is an American director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He first came to prominence as a child actor, guest-starring in several television series, including an episode of ''The Twilight Zone''. He ...
, depicts Dante's Hell in popular culture. * The House That Jack Built (2018) The main character, Jack (a serial killer) was lead into Hell by Verge, the philosopher who interviewed Jack throughout the duration of the film. Jack had the choice between staying in Hell or attempting to climb along a wall that led to Hell’s exit. Jack attempts the climb, and, ultimately, fails, causing him to fall even deeper into Hell.


Animated short films

* The Walt Disney Studios depicted Hell in the ''
Silly Symphony ''Silly Symphony'' is an American animated series of 75 musical short films produced by Walt Disney Productions from 1929 to 1939. As the series name implies, the ''Silly Symphonies'' were originally intended as whimsical accompaniments to pieces ...
'' short "
Hell's Bells Hell's Bells or Hells Bells may refer to: Music * "Hells Bells" (song), a 1980 song by AC/DC * ''Hells Bells'' (album), a 1980 album by John Hicks * "Hell's Bells", a piece of music written by Art Kassel and recorded in 1932 * "Hell's Bells", ...
" (1929). * Adolf Wolf was blasted to Hell at the conclusion of
MGM Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc., also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures and abbreviated as MGM, is an American film, television production, distribution and media company owned by Amazon through MGM Holdings, founded on April 17, 1924 a ...
's ''
Blitz Wolf ''Blitz Wolf'' is a 1942 American animated propaganda short film produced and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. A parody of the Three Little Pigs told via a World War II perspective, the short was directed by Tex Avery (in his first cartoon fo ...
'' (1942). * After being crushed by a piano and denied entrance into Heaven, Tom is shown Hell and his eternal punishment there unless he can get Jerry's signed forgiveness in the Hanna-Barbera/MGM ''
Tom and Jerry ''Tom and Jerry'' is an American Animated cartoon, animated media franchise and series of comedy short films created in 1940 by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. Best known for its 161 theatrical short films by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the series c ...
'' cartoon "Heavenly Puss" (1949). * Warner Brother's Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoon shorts depicted Hell in ''
Satan's Waitin' ''Satan's Waitin'' is a 1954 Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on August 7, 1954, and stars Tweety and Sylvester. A later short, ''Devil's Feud Cake'' (1963), was re-titled ''Satan's Waitin'' ...
'' (1954) starring Sylvester the Cat and
Tweety Tweety is a yellow canary in the Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of animated cartoons. The name "Tweety" is a play on words, as it originally meant "sweetie", along with "tweet" being an English onomatopoeia for t ...
and '' Devil's Feud Cake'' (1964) with
Yosemite Sam Yosemite Sam ( /joʊˈsɛmɪti/ ''yoh-SEM-ih-tee'') is a cartoon character in the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of short films produced by Warner Bros. His name is taken from Yosemite National Park. He is an adversary of Bugs ...
and
Bugs Bunny Bugs Bunny is an animated cartoon character created in the late 1930s by Warner Bros. Cartoons, Leon Schlesinger Productions (later Warner Bros. Cartoons) and Voice acting, voiced originally by Mel Blanc. Bugs is best known for his starring role ...
.


Live action film

* After Master Gracey's butler Ramsley has been betrayed since he tried to protect him and since Ramsley killed Gracey's fiancée Elizabeth Henshaw, Ramsley said, "Well, damn you. Damn you all to HELL!" in ''The Haunted Mansion''. He summons the evil spirits that leads to the gateway of the underworld from the fireplace where the fiery dragon is as he senses Ramsley's punishment he grabbed him and dragged to the underworld.


Television


Live action series

* In the
Buffyverse The Buffyverse or Slayerverse is a media franchise created by Joss Whedon. The term also refers to the shared fictional universe in which the TV series '' Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' and ''Angel'' are set. This term, originally coined by fans ...
, there are several places in the world that are natural gateways between the underworld and the world of mortals. One of these "Hellmouths" is located directly under the library of the Sunnydale High School. However, instead of there being one hell, there are hundreds of hell dimensions, in which demons are the dominant lifeform and non-demonic life is subject to great torture. Precise details of Hell are unrevealed, but
Angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles inclu ...
was sent to a Hell dimension for around four months on Earth and is said to have experienced five hundred years of torment in that time, leaving him temporarily regressed to a feral mentality before he begins to recover. When Buffy returns from death in Season 6, her friends believe her shocked and unengaging behavior is due to her being in a Hell dimension. * In '' Doctor Who'', the
Tenth Doctor The Tenth Doctor is an incarnation of the Doctor, the main protagonist of the BBC science fiction television franchise ''Doctor Who''. He is played by David Tennant in three series as well as nine specials. As with previous incarnations of ...
comes across a being which identifies itself as 'the Beast', resembles popular interpretations of the Devil, and makes numerous references to Hell. In a later episode, "Hell" is said to be a synonym for The Void between dimensions, the coordinates of which are all sixes. The Void is nothingness, the place between Universes. * In the science fiction series ''
Lexx ''Lexx'' (also known as ''LEXX: The Dark Zone Stories'' and ''Tales from a Parallel Universe'') is a science fiction television series created by Lex Gigeroff and brothers Paul Donovan (writer), Paul and Michael Donovan (producer), Michael Dono ...
'', Heaven and Hell are depicted as two joined planets situated in the darkest part of the Dark Zone. The hell planet is known as Planet Fire to its inhabitants. When a human who has made bad choices dies in the Lexx universe, their life essence is taken to the Core of Fire. They are eternally reincarnated to suffer on the planet's surface. Hell is depicted as an endless burning desert, with distant towers dedicated to various types of punishment. The inhabitants have no memories of their resurrections or past lives, and exist in an ongoing cycle of suffering and death. * The television series '' Supernatural'' mentions Hell many times as the place that demons originated- demons in this world being human souls broken by their torture in Hell- and shows the place in a couple of episodes.
Dean Winchester Dean Winchester is one of the two protagonists from the American drama television series '' Supernatural'', along with his younger brother Sam. He is portrayed primarily by Jensen Ackles. Other versions of the character having been portrayed b ...
was sent to Hell after a demon deal where he experienced forty years of torture in four months, and his brother Sam was trapped in a deeper part of Hell under the personal attention of Lucifer for over a year on Earth before his soul was rescued by Death; their father-figure,
Bobby Singer Robert Steven Singer is a fictional character in The CW Television Network's horror-drama television series '' Supernatural'' portrayed by Jim Beaver. Named after the show's executive producer, Bobby first appears in the first season finale " D ...
, experienced his own Hell where he was tormented by demonic versions of Sam and Dean until he was rescued by the real Sam. * The television series ''
Reaper A reaper is a farm implement or person that reaps (cuts and often also gathers) crops at harvest when they are ripe. Usually the crop involved is a cereal grass. The first documented reaping machines were Gallic reapers that were used in Roma ...
'' has the main character Sam as a bounty hunter for the devil who must send escaped souls back to hell. Entrances to hell are places that are considered hell on Earth, such as the Department of Motor Vehicles and a storage center where multiple murder victims are hidden. * Hell appears in some episodes of ''
The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, sup ...
'', most notability in " A Nice Place to Visit" and " The Hunt". * In the American television supernatural drama '' Ghost Whisperer'', "Hell" is depicted as the place where ghosts go if they do not cross over into the light and instead go to the Dark Side. * In the British science fiction sitcom '' Red Dwarf'' several characters make reference to "Silicon Hell", the presumed alternative to the concept of " Silicon Heaven" programmed into most artificially intelligent devices in order to preserve their loyalty to humanity. * Hell appears in the superhero television series ''
Legends of Tomorrow ''DC's Legends of Tomorrow'', or simply ''Legends of Tomorrow'', is an American time travel superhero television series developed by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg, and Phil Klemmer, who are also executive producers a ...
'', portrayed as a slum. It is ruled by a triumvirate made up of Belial, Beelzebub and Satan. * Hell also appears in ''
Good Omens ''Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch'' is a 1990 novel written as a collaboration between the English authors Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. The book is a comedy about the birth of the son of Satan and the c ...
''. * Hell appears in Part 3 of ''
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina ''Chilling Adventures of Sabrina'' is an American comic book series published by Archie Horror, an imprint of Archie Comics, beginning in 2014. The series is a darker take on the characters and setting of ''Sabrina the Teenage Witch''. It is writ ...
'' * The Bad Place is one of the main afterlife realms in ''
The Good Place ''The Good Place'' is an American fantasy comedy television series created by Michael Schur. It premiered on NBC on September 19, 2016, and concluded on January 30, 2020, after four seasons and 53 episodes. Although the plot evolves signific ...
''. Based of off the concept of hell, it is inhabited by demons whose job is to eternally torture humans who failed to get enough 'good person' points on Earth to enter the Good Place. * Hell appears in the TV series ''
Lucifer Lucifer is one of various figures in folklore associated with the planet Venus. The entity's name was subsequently absorbed into Christianity as a name for the devil. Modern scholarship generally translates the term in the relevant Bible passa ...
'' based on the Vertigo comic series. In this version, Hell is not seen as a fiery pit of damnation, but instead is an everlasting plane of cloud and ash where each damned soul is subject to an individual torment of their own making, which Lucifer refers to as a "Hell loop".


Animated series

* In the television series '' Futurama'', the characters go to
Robot Hell The animated science fiction television program ''Futurama'' makes a number of satirical and humorous references to religion, including inventing several fictional religions which are explored in certain episodes of the series. Fictional religion ...
on occasion, where the Robot Devil and other evil robots reside. The entrance is located in New Jersey. * Hell appears in many episodes of the television series '' South Park'', especially in "
Do the Handicapped Go to Hell? "Do the Handicapped Go to Hell?" is the ninth episode of the fourth season of the animated television series ''South Park'', and 57th episode of the series overall. Going by production order, it would be 10th episode of Season 4. "Do the Handicapp ...
" and " Probably". * The musical
black comedy Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discu ...
web series A web series (also known as a web show) is a series of scripted or non-scripted online videos, generally in episodic form, released on the Internet, which first emerged in the late 1990s and became more prominent in the early 2000s. A single in ...
''
Hazbin Hotel ''Hazbin Hotel'' is an American adult animated musical series created by Vivienne "VivziePop" Medrano. The series revolves around Charlie Morningstar, princess of Hell, on her quest to find a way for demons to be "rehabilitated" and allowed in ...
'' is set in Hell. Hell is nominally ruled by
Lucifer Lucifer is one of various figures in folklore associated with the planet Venus. The entity's name was subsequently absorbed into Christianity as a name for the devil. Modern scholarship generally translates the term in the relevant Bible passa ...
although residents seem to live in a de facto anarchist system, with no authority, allowing powerful demons and
gangs A gang is a group or society of associates, friends or members of a family with a defined leadership and internal organization that identifies with or claims control over territory in a community and engages, either individually or collectivel ...
to exert their own influence. The spin-off series, ''
Helluva Boss ''Helluva Boss'' is an American adult animated web series created by Vivienne "VivziePop" Medrano. It revolves around the misadventures of the employees of I.M.P., an assassination company in Hell. The pilot was released on November 25, 2019 ...
'' is also set in Hell, which follows the employees of I.M.P. (Immediate Murder Professionals), an
imp IMP or imp may refer to: * Imp, a fantasy creature Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Imp (She-Ra), a character in ''She-Ra: Princess of Power'' * Imp a character in '' Artemis Fowl: The Lost Colony'' * Imp, a character in the '' Cl ...
-run assassination company in Hell, on their many different jobs. * The Netflix series '' Castlevania'', shows depictions of hell. After Dracula is killed he is later seen in hell with his wife. * In the show '' Dragon Ball Z'' the characters go to hell several times. When first translated to English, "Hell" was changed to "HFIL" to not offend American audiences and the majority of the episodes that take place in Hell were not aired in America. * In '' The Great Jahy Will Not Be Defeated!'', Jahy, former aide to the Demon King, tries to aims to find parts of the mana crystal and restore her home world, the Dark Realm. * ''
The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer Simpson, Homer, Marge ...
'' depicts Hell occasionally. On "
Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment "Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment" is the thirteenth episode of the second season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. The 26th episode of the series overall, it originally aired on the Fox network in the United Stat ...
",
Lisa Lisa or LISA may refer to: People People with the mononym * Lisa Lisa (born 1967), American actress and lead singer of the Cult Jam * Lisa (Japanese musician, born 1974), stylized "LISA", Japanese singer and producer * Lisa Komine (born 1978), J ...
imagines her family getting sent to Hell for her dad's illegal cable hookup. On the "
Treehouse of Horror IV "Treehouse of Horror IV" is the fifth episode of the fifth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons'' and the fourth episode in the ''Treehouse of Horror'' series of Halloween specials. It originally aired on the Fox net ...
" segment "The Devil and Homer Simpson", the Devil (who looks exactly like
Ned Flanders Nedward "Ned" Flanders Jr. is a fictional character in the animated television series ''The Simpsons'', voiced by Harry Shearer and first appearing in the series premiere episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire." He is the good-natured, ch ...
) sends Homer to Hell for a day while awaiting
trial In law, a trial is a coming together of parties to a dispute, to present information (in the form of evidence) in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court. The tribunal ...
to determine ownership of his soul. On the "
Treehouse of Horror XI "Treehouse of Horror XI" is the first episode of the twelfth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons'', the 249th episode overall, and the eleventh Halloween episode. The episode features "G-G-Ghost D-D-Dad", "Scary Tales ...
" segment "G-g-ghost D-d-dad", Homer's spirit fails to perform a good deed required for entry to Heaven, and gets sent to Hell, where Satan promises him an eternity of torture. *In ''
Disenchantment In social science, disenchantment (german: Entzauberung) is the cultural rationalization and devaluation of religion apparent in modern society. The term was borrowed from Friedrich Schiller by Max Weber to describe the character of a modern ...
'', Luci is a demon from hell, and leads Bean to hell in the episode "Stairway to Hell" so they can retrieve their friend Elfo's soul (he had been sent to heaven, but Luci told him to go to hell, since he and Bean could not enter heaven). *In episode 12 of ''
Inuyasha is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi. It was serialized in Shogakukan's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' from November 1996 to June 2008, with its chapters collected in fifty-six '' ...
'', as what the spirit of Mayu Ikeda was trying to kill her brother Satoru at the hospital, the yōkai called Soul Piper's eyes are starting to open, it causes to pull her to same place (which is her burned apartment) that will straight to hell. *In episode 9 of '' Inuyasha: The Final Act'', Sesshōmaru has entered the underworld to save Kohaku and Rin, and since he survived because of the shard of the Shikon Jewel, and for Rin she does not have which means she dies the second time. Even where the Guardian of the Underworld is.


Radio

* ''Bleak Expectations''
BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...
series spoofs ''Dante's Inferno'' in the 2nd episode of the fourth series. The underworld is a place for all souls before they are assigned to their respective heavens or hells. * The
BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...
comedy series '' Old Harry's Game'', written by
Andy Hamilton Andrew Neil Hamilton (born 28 May 1954) is a British comedian, game show panellist, television director, comedy screenwriter, radio dramatist, novelist and actor. Early life and education Hamilton was born in Fulham, southwest London. He ...
(who also stars as Satan), is set in Hell. This version of Hell is described by Satan as "a worst-thing-that-can-possibly-happen-to-you theme park", but because of the constant massive intake of damned souls is perpetually overcrowded, In Episode 1 of Series 4, God refuses Satan's plea to expand Hell in order to accommodate the overcrowding and even makes it half a size smaller.


Print cartoons and comics

* In the
DC Universe The DC Universe (DCU) is the fictional shared universe where most stories in American comic book titles published by DC Comics take place. Superheroes such as Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Robin, Martian Manhunter, The Flash, Green Lant ...
, the character '' Lobo'' was banned from Hell, as he caused too many problems there, thus achieving immortality, as he was also banned from Heaven for much the same reason. Hell in the Sandman Series is run by a triumvirate of Lucifer Morningstar, Azazel, and Beelzebub. However demons like Belial and the Rhymer Etrigan scheme to get into the triumvirate. When the Fire of Hell is extinguished, an act of evil is required to reignite it. This is done by Eclipso slitting Enchantresse's throat. Hell is divided into Nine provinces. The Nine Provinces included Pandemonia, The Odium, The Gull, Praetori, Internecia, Ament, Labyrinth, Err, and Purgatory. Everything there is made from the damned. The rulers of Purgatory, Blaze and Satanus, lead a rebellion by offering hope to the hopeless, and finally Blaze betrays her brother and becomes Hell's ruler. *In '' The Sandman'', Dream visits Lucifer, the ruler of Hell, who resigns and orders it emptied, giving the keys to Hell to Dream. Dream later decides to give the keys to angels from Heaven, who essentially return Hell to the same way it was before, only under their control. The aftermath of this is explored in greater depth in the spinoff series ''
Lucifer Lucifer is one of various figures in folklore associated with the planet Venus. The entity's name was subsequently absorbed into Christianity as a name for the devil. Modern scholarship generally translates the term in the relevant Bible passa ...
''. * In the comic strip ''
Dilbert ''Dilbert'' is an American comic strip written and illustrated by Scott Adams, first published on April 16, 1989. It is known for its satirical office humor about a white-collar, micromanaged office with engineer Dilbert as the title charact ...
'' (created by
Scott Adams Scott Raymond Adams (born June 8, 1957) is an American author and cartoonist. He is the creator of the syndicated '' Dilbert'' comic strip, and the author of several nonfiction works of satire, commentary, and business. ''Dilbert'' gained natio ...
) "heck" is a lesser version of hell reserved for people who have done misdeeds that are not evil enough to warrant hell. Heck is ruled by Phil, the Prince of Insufficient Light who carries a giant spoon instead of a pitchfork. * In the one-panel comic ''
The Far Side ''The Far Side'' is a single-panel comic created by Gary Larson and syndicated by Chronicle Features and then Universal Press Syndicate, which ran from December 31, 1979, to January 1, 1995 (when Larson retired as a cartoonist). Its surreali ...
'' (created by
Gary Larson Gary Larson (born August 14, 1950) is an American cartoonist, environmentalist, and former musician. He is the creator of ''The Far Side'', a single-panel cartoon series that was syndicated internationally to more than 1,900 newspapers for fif ...
in the 1980s) Hell is featured among other recurring themes, depicting Satan and his minions as grim-looking figures in robes with horns and
pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...
s, running the place in a business-like manner: in one instance, the bespectacled
secretary A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a ...
behind the
typewriter A typewriter is a mechanical or electromechanical machine for typing characters. Typically, a typewriter has an array of keys, and each one causes a different single character to be produced on paper by striking an inked ribbon selectivel ...
asks her boss seen as a
silhouette A silhouette ( , ) is the image of a person, animal, object or scene represented as a solid shape of a single colour, usually black, with its edges matching the outline of the subject. The interior of a silhouette is featureless, and the silhou ...
behind the
office An office is a space where an organization's employees perform administrative work in order to support and realize objects and goals of the organization. The word "office" may also denote a position within an organization with specific du ...
door: ''There is an
insurance Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to hedge ...
salesman Sales are activities related to selling or the number of goods sold in a given targeted time period. The delivery of a service for a cost is also considered a sale. The seller, or the provider of the goods or services, completes a sale in r ...
here. Should I admit him in or tell to go to Heaven?'' * In the
comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...
series ''
Ghost Rider Ghost Rider is the name of multiple antiheroes and superheroes appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Marvel had previously used the name for a Western character whose name was later changed to Phantom Rider. The first s ...
'', Johnny Blaze sold his soul to the demon
Mephisto Mephisto or Mephistopheles is one of the chief demons of German literary tradition. Mephisto or Mephistopheles may also refer to: Film and television * ''Méphisto'', a 1931 French film * Mephisto (1981 film), ''Mephisto'' (1981 film), a German- ...
to cure his adoptive father from dying of cancer. In the recent revival of the series the Ghost Rider is seen residing in Hell to pay up his end of the bargain. Hell is depicted as a red desert with cannons and pools of lava. We see the devil as a powerful political leader residing in a grand palace with many servants and advisors. * In the
comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...
series ''
Hellboy Hellboy is a fictional superhero created by writer-artist Mike Mignola. The character first appeared in ''San Diego Comic-Con Comics'' #2 (August 1993), and has since appeared in various eponymous miniseries, one-shots and intercompany crossover ...
'' by award-winning artist
Mike Mignola Mike Mignola (; born September 16, 1960) is an American comics artist and writer best known for creating ''Hellboy'' for Dark Horse Comics, part of a shared universe of titles including ''B.P.R.D.'', '' Abe Sapien'', '' Lobster Johnson'', '' Wit ...
, Hell is a dark, alternate dimension filled with flames and demons and where the infernal capital city of Pandemonium resides. In issue one "Seed of Destruction" the
Nazis Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in N ...
with aid of the mad monk
Rasputin Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin (; rus, links=no, Григорий Ефимович Распутин ; – ) was a Russian mystic and self-proclaimed holy man who befriended the family of Nicholas II, the last Emperor of Russia, thus ga ...
successfully breach the boundary of Hell via magic and call forth the infant Hellboy so that he may bring about the end of the world. They are stopped, however, by the Allied Forces, who rescue Hellboy and raise him. * The comic book ''
Spawn Spawn or spawning may refer to: * Spawn (biology), the eggs and sperm of aquatic animals Arts, entertainment, and media * Spawn (character), a fictional character in the comic series of the same name and in the associated franchise ** '' Spawn: ...
'' sees Hell and its demons as an important plot element. Mercenary Al Simmons gets betrayed by his own employers, dies, and goes to Hell. He then makes a deal with the devil
Malebolgia Malebolgia (also referred to at times as the Malebolgia ) is a supervillain appearing as the original main antagonist in comic books featuring the superhero Spawn and reprised the role in the later issues. Created by writer/artist Todd McFarl ...
(Guardian of Hell) that if he agrees to fight with Malebolgia's army, he would get to return to Earth and see his wife again. * In the manga and anime series
Yu-Gi-Oh! is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kazuki Takahashi. It was serialized in Shueisha's ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' magazine between September 1996 and March 2004. The plot follows the story of a boy named Yugi Mutou, w ...
, there is a place where those who lose in so called "Shadow Duels" are forced to lose their souls and be banished to a realm of eternal night and torment, a realm simply called the "Shadow Realm". This is a pejorative replacement for the actual name of Hell, as English dubbers deemed it would be too inappropriate for the target audience they were aiming for. *The manga series ''
Love in Hell is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Reiji Suzumaru. A spinoff, titled , began in 2015. Both series are published in English by Seven Seas Entertainment. Characters ; :A normal man in his mid-twenties who finds himself in ...
'' focuses on a human in hell and the devil assigned to torture him.


Music


Albums

*
GWAR Gwar, often stylized as GWAR, is an American heavy metal band formed in Richmond, Virginia in 1984, composed of and operated by a frequently rotating line-up of musicians, artists and filmmakers collectively known as Slave Pit Inc. After th ...
uses the word "hell" and related concepts in the albums titled '' Beyond Hell'' (2006) and ''
Hell-O ''Hell-O!'' is the debut album by Gwar. The album was released on September 11, 1988, on Shimmy Disc Records. Gwar's angle on the album is that of a morbid punk band (a la The Mentors, The Misfits, Butthole Surfers) obsessed with debauche ...
!'' (1988). * Slayer's second studio album is titled '' Hell Awaits''. Many of the band's other songs also have Hellish lyrical themes. * The 2004 Insane Clown Posse album, '' Hell's Pit'' is a concept album about Hell. *
Bring Me the Horizon Bring Me the Horizon (often abbreviated as BMTH) are a British Rock music, rock band formed in Sheffield in 2004. The group consists of lead vocalist Oliver Sykes, guitarist Lee Malia, bassist Matt Kean, drummer Matt Nicholls and keyboardis ...
's third studio album, ''
There Is a Hell Believe Me I've Seen It. There Is a Heaven Let's Keep It a Secret ''There Is a Hell Believe Me I've Seen It. There Is a Heaven Let's Keep It a Secret.'' (sometimes abbreviated to ''There Is a Hell''...) is the third studio album by British rock band Bring Me the Horizon. It was released on 4 October 2010 by V ...
'' revolves around the themes of Heaven and Hell. * The
Venom Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a st ...
album titled ''
Welcome to Hell ''Welcome to Hell'' is the debut studio album by English extreme metal band Venom. It was released in December 1981, through Neat Records, at the culmination of the new wave of British heavy metal movement. The album was re-released by Sanctua ...
'' was released in 1981. * Gary Numan released the album '' Exile'' in 1997, which has very strong anti-Christian views on God and the acts which God seems to 'permit' to happen on earth. Also contains lyrics claiming Numan's personal dismissal of co-operating with God i.e. from the song 'The Angel Wars' - "I won't pray here or bow my head. I won't praise your name, I won't kneel down..." His newer albums, ''Pure'' (2000) and '' Jagged'' (2006) also put across songs with similar 'bases' but are not directly aimed at religion (specifically Christianity) and do not contain lyrics of personal 'conversations' with God or a similar nature. * Dark Ambient project ''BlackWeald'' released an 11 hours-long concept album about hell, titled ''666 Minutes in Hell'' in 2021


Gaming


Roleplaying games

* In the
Dungeons & Dragons ''Dungeons & Dragons'' (commonly abbreviated as ''D&D'' or ''DnD'') is a fantasy tabletop role-playing game (RPG) originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The game was first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. (TS ...
role-playing game, there are seven hellish planes, usually called the ''Lower Planes''. The Plane most often referred to as 'Hell' is the
Outer Plane In the fantasy role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons'', an Outer Plane is one of a number of general types of planes of existence. They can also be referred to as ''godly planes'', ''spiritual planes'' or ''divine planes''. The Outer Planes ar ...
Baator and comprises nine levels, sometimes called the Nine Hells or the Nine Hells of Baator. The other planes are Pandemonium, an endless underground network filled with howling winds that cause madness; the Abyss, a collection of countless places of evil and chaos, each one worse than the one before; Carceri, the prison of the multiverse; Hades, place of grey and bleak plains; the four peaks of the vulcans of Gehenna; and Archeron, a place of broken weapons and engines of war from all battlefields. * In '' In Nomine'', the forces of Heaven and Hell fight each other in a modern setting. Hell, the home location of all demons, is separated into several subdivisions called principalities, each ruled by one or more Demon Princes. All of Hell's principalities is named after a cultural version of hell (i.e., Hades, Sheol, Tartaurus, etc.) An additional area, known as lower hell, is where
Lucifer Lucifer is one of various figures in folklore associated with the planet Venus. The entity's name was subsequently absorbed into Christianity as a name for the devil. Modern scholarship generally translates the term in the relevant Bible passa ...
resides.


Video games

* In '' Mortal Kombat'', a version of Hell known as the Netherrealm exists, and is described as "the fiery depths of which are inhospitable to all but the most vile, a realm of demons and shadowy warriors" * In ''
Disgaea is a series of tactical role-playing video games created and developed by Nippon Ichi. The series debuted in Japan on January 30, 2003, with '' Disgaea: Hour of Darkness'', later re-released as ''Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness'' and ''Disgaea D ...
'', Netherworld takes place. * In ''
Agony Agony may refer to: Concepts *Pain, anguish, or struggle, especially precededing death *Suffering of intense degree, relating to physical or mental suffering *Passion (Christianity), also called the Agony of Christ *Agony in the Garden, Christ' ...
'' a Kickstarter-funded game, the player must survive in Hell. * The 1996 city-building
god game A god game is an artificial life game that casts the player in the position of controlling the game on a large scale, as an entity with divine and supernatural powers, as a great leader, or with no specified character (as in ''Spore''), and pla ...
'' Afterlife'' has the player build Heaven and Hell as cities. * In ''
Bayonetta is a series of action-adventure games created by Hideki Kamiya and developed by PlatinumGames. The franchise was introduced in 2009 with '' Bayonetta''. Two sequels were released, ''Bayonetta 2'' (2014) and ''Bayonetta 3'' (2022), as well as a ...
'', Hell takes the form of a demonic realm called Inferno, a world inhabited by demons. * The
fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...
horror video game ''
Dante's Inferno ''Inferno'' (; Italian for "Hell") is the first part of Italian writer Dante Alighieri's 14th-century epic poem ''Divine Comedy''. It is followed by ''Purgatorio'' and '' Paradiso''. The ''Inferno'' describes Dante's journey through Hell, gui ...
'', based on Dante's depiction of Hell in the ''
Divine Comedy The ''Divine Comedy'' ( it, Divina Commedia ) is an Italian narrative poem by Dante Alighieri, begun 1308 and completed in around 1321, shortly before the author's death. It is widely considered the pre-eminent work in Italian literature ...
'', is exclusively set in Hell, fully realized in its
medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...
conception as a physical and supernatural environment full of grotesque suffering and torture in correspondence with various
sin In a religious context, sin is a transgression against divine law. Each culture has its own interpretation of what it means to commit a sin. While sins are generally considered actions, any thought, word, or act considered immoral, selfish, s ...
s. * The video game series ''
Devil May Cry is a series of action-adventure games created by Hideki Kamiya. It is primarily developed and published by Capcom. The series centers on the demon hunter Dante and his efforts to thwart various demon invasions of Earth. Its gameplay consists o ...
'' features Hell as a location to battle through. The name of the main character Dante is a reference to ''
The Divine Comedy The ''Divine Comedy'' ( it, Divina Commedia ) is an Italian narrative poem by Dante Alighieri, begun 1308 and completed in around 1321, shortly before the author's death. It is widely considered the pre-eminent work in Italian literature an ...
'', as is his twin brother Vergil. * In the first of the '' Diablo'' series of games, a portion of hell is featured as a pit deep under the ground largely characterized as a place of suffering, as the bodies of hundreds of apparently tortured people reside there. The game manual refers to this place as actually part of the mortal realm whose barriers with the metaphysical Hell have weakened, causing it to take on hellish attributes combined with more worldly ones. * In the second game of the above series, ''
Diablo II ''Diablo II'' is an action role-playing hack-and-slash video game developed by Blizzard North and published by Blizzard Entertainment in 2000 for Microsoft Windows, Classic Mac OS, and macOS. The game, with its dark fantasy and horror the ...
'', the player character ventures into Hell in Act IV to finish off the game by killing the title antagonist again, in his own separate domain of the realm, the Chaos Sanctuary. * The famous ''
Doom Doom is another name for damnation. Doom may also refer to: People * Doom (professional wrestling), the tag team of Ron Simmons and Butch Reed * Daniel Doom (born 1934), Belgian cyclist * Debbie Doom (born 1963), American softball pitcher * ...
'' series also involves the concept of Hell, but with a science-fiction twist, as a future teleportation experiment accidentally opens a gate to Hell, releasing demons. Hell is treated in the Christian conception, replete with Satanic symbols and corporeal demons, as a parallel universe of crimson skies, black mountains and oceans of fire. At the end of the second game in the series Hell is wrecked, and the main character wonders where evil people will go when they die. In ''
Doom 3 ''Doom 3'' is a 2004 survival horror first-person shooter video game developed by id Software and published by Activision. ''Doom 3'' was originally released for Microsoft Windows on August 3, 2004, adapted for Linux later that year, and ported ...
'' the player must travel to Hell to obtain a powerful Martian artifact. * The first ''
Fear Effect ''Fear Effect'' is an action-adventure video game developed by Kronos Digital Entertainment and published by Eidos Interactive for the PlayStation. A prequel was released one year later entitled '' Fear Effect 2: Retro Helix''. A remake, ''Fear E ...
'' game deals extensively with the Chinese concept of hell, replete with its aforementioned political ramifications. Several of the later levels actually take place in the Chinese hell. * In '' Hellgate: London'', demonic armies have emerged from hell to reduce London to ruin and are slowly converting the world through a process called "Hellforming". The protagonist must fight back the demonic invaders. * Hell is portrayed as a battlefield frozen in time in the video game ''
Painkiller An analgesic drug, also called simply an analgesic (American English), analgaesic (British English), pain reliever, or painkiller, is any member of the group of drugs used to achieve relief from pain (that is, analgesia or pain management). It i ...
''. Everything from bullets to trenches to mushroom clouds are present in stark stasis, allowing the player to move about the vista to get a good look. The level culminates with a showdown with Satan himself. * In the game ''Tony Hawk's Underground 2'', there is an unlockable level (within 2 others) that depicts Hell. Little Demons, rural citizens, and a jazz dancing Satan are in the level. * In ''Minecraft'', players are able to create a portal to "The Nether", which is inspired by the classic "fire-and-brimstone" depiction of Hell. * In the ''Heroes of Might and Magic'' series, ''Sheogh'', the equivalent of Hell, is the home of the ''Inferno'' faction, a dark kingdom of demons. * In the game ''Dwarf Fortress'', Hell is blocked off from the overworld by semi-molted rock and the mythical Adamantine. Opening a pathway between the two unleashes a virtually endless amount of demons, effectively ending the game. * In ''Super Meat Boy'', Hell is the fourth chapter of the game. It is depicted as a dark reddish environment with much lava. * In ''Saints Row: Gat out of Hell'', The whole game takes place in a city set in hell. * ''Skullgirls'' has a stage called Gehenna, which is made entirely of flesh, teeth, eyes, and a lake of blood. It is said to be the domain of the shapeshifter Double. * ''Touhou'' has several appearances of Hell, mainly seen in ''Touhou ''Wily Beast and Weakest Creature. * In another popular fighting game series, Guilty Gear, the characters Testament and Eddie both have a stage based on Hell. Hell was Testament's stage in Guilty Gear X, while in Guilty Gear XX, it was Eddie's stage. Up until Guilty Gear XX Accent Core, it was despicted as the freezing kind of Hell in GGXX, but in GGXXAC, it is dispicted as a more fiery hell with buildings halfway sunken in what appears to be a whole ocean of blood. The GGXXAC Hell was also Venom's stage in that game. Guilty Gear Isuka also has two stages that reference to Hell; in any mode other than GG Boost mode, a stage owned by both Testament and Eddie is called Hell's Forest, which is also called Deep Forest in the American Release of GGI. The GG Boost mode stage that references to Hell is called Hell's Prison, and is the fourth and second-to-last stage of GG Boost mode. *In a cutscene of the Japanese and European versions of the 1999 rhythm game ''Um Jammer Lammy'', after the titular character slips on a banana peel and experiences head trauma, she dies and is sent to Hell. The Hell in the game isn't that fiery, unlike many other depictions of it, and no one appears to be tortured. This is likely based on the Japanese notion that only gods get to go to Heaven, while everyone else goes to Hell. In the Americas, this cutscene was changed to have Lammy catch her belt on a door and get slingshotted to a deserted island via a sequence reminiscent of a VHS tape rewinding. * In ''Call of Duty: Black Ops 4'' and ''Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War'', the Zombies mode features a version of Hell named the Dark Aether. Unlike popular depictions of Hell, it is depicted as a cold, desolate wasteland, with any being who wanders in becomes corrupted by the sheer evilness of the dimension. Along with the undead, many other monstrous creatures wander the dimension, such as ethereal jellyfish like creatures and beings known as "Elder Gods". * In ''Terraria'', the Underworld is a biome resembling common depictions of Hell, inhabited by demons and consisting of islands of ash floating in a sea of lava. It is also home to several Hell-themed items, namely Hellstone ore, explosive Hellfire arrows, and the Hel-Fire yo-yo.


References

{{Relphilpop Hell in popular culture,