Two college friends unwittingly release Pinhead and his minions.
The film begins with two boys, Nico Bradley and Steve Craven, explaining in a video journal of their journey to the Mexican border. They plan to party, get high, get drunk and get laid. However, they run into trouble when their car gets jacked. Despite that, they are then shown solving the puzzle box, thus summoning Pin-Head. The screen cuts and we are revealed that Steve Craven's mother, Sarah Craven, is watching the video on a camera. Emma, Steve's younger sister questions if Steve is dead. The two families of the missing boys gather in a house to discuss what has become of their sons. Emma sneaks away and watches the video camera to see what happened. As it turned out, Nico had sex with a Mexican prostitute and killed her for an unanswered reason. Steve had caught it on camera and Nico swore him to secrecy. Back in the present, Emma finds the puzzle box and is met by Steve who appears weary and disillusioned. The families take him in and argue with each other. It is revealed that Nico and Steve met with a mysterious homeless man who gave them the puzzle box for free saying that it brought undisclosed pleasure. Nico opened the box, only to be destroyed by Pinhead. Steve went out and had sex with a prostitute only to kill her for an unanswered reason, bringing to life a skinless Nico who ordered him to kill more people for him to absorb their essence and become whole.
After a bout of infanticide, Steve refused to help Nico any more, only for Nico to kill him and skin him, wearing his skin. Nico in Steve's skin seduces Emma just before the homeless man appears and kills Nico's father by cutting his face off. Nico appears, revealing himself to the family and holds them all at gunpoint after wounding Steve's father. He then forces Emma to open the puzzle box to summon the Cenobites who then appear and impale him with hooked chains after killing Nico's mother. However, Steve's father shoots Nico with a shotgun, only to have Sarah get dragged off by the Cenobites in replacement along with Steve who is now a Pinhead Jr. Cenobite. Emma and her dying father are transported back to the present with him dying right after. Emma begins opening the puzzle box for an undisclosed reason before the film ends.
