Wizarding World in Film:Ā Triwizard Tournament - Inferno
Critics from academic institutions and the Ministry of Magic have regarded Inferno as a spectacle of public controversy for its cinematic portrayal of themes deemed to cruel for interscholastic competition.
In 2076, the Ministry of Magic collaborated with the three largest wizarding schools in Europe to reform the Triwizard Tournament. The contest focuses on several simulations of different realities within Inferno, the first part of muggle poet Dante Alighieriās La Divina Commedia. Each task pertains to one or more circles of the nine divisions of Hell; a trial of psychological resilience and magical ability.Ā
Champions are placed in an arena simulated to their own personal form of heaven, may it be the resurrection of a loved one or an alternate life of extreme wealth. These realities are constructed as obstacles of temptation ā for every offer they accept, a different champion in their own reality will be punished. The first checkpoint is specific to the competitor, in many cases this may be a projection of a cherished memory. It is at this checkpoint where the champion will be transported to the next part of the task. Students must race against a Dementor in putrid rain to retrieve something that has been stolen from them. Stolen hostages are suspended in their air until they are rescued by the champion or are taken by the Dementor.
Three designated tombs are sealed at different locations throughout the school grounds. Each crypt is connected via air supply, sufficient to support three champions for one hour. Students have the ability to choose to work with their opponents by sharing the air supply equally or maximize their oxygen intake and escape the tomb first. Champions may reach the next checkpoint by solving a series of riddles. They are met with an Antropophagus, a cannibal humanoid creature rotting in decay. To finish this event, each Triwizard competitor must successfully duel the Antropophagus to retrieve a map for the final task. The map is a modified version of Sandro Botticelliās Mappa dellāInferno, a bewitched painting of the ten layers of the Malebolge ā the eighth circle of Hell. Ā
Inferno is populated by both deadly beasts and the people in a competitorās life. The Final Task is a psychological simulation of the Malebolge and is known to last for several days. It is composed of ten extremely dark levels to enslave the guilty for eternity. Champions must navigate their way through various arenas but are given different choices in each level. A competitor has the opportunity to save a loved one from damnation and risk enslavement or continue and minimize danger. Every simulation is characterized by different properties according to geographic location. The first layer conducts punishments through an eternal march, constantly lashed by horned ogres. Students who have made their way to the second layer must swim through a river of boiling blood and avoid being captured by the sullen who lurk beneath the surface. Layers three, four and five involve projections of an alternate reality where citizens of magical society suffer in deep, rank pits with their heads twisted around, forced to walk backwards. Competitors can choose to sacrifice a loved one in exchange for their escape or attempt to make their way through bewitched flames that cannot be extinguished by enchanted water. The sixth and seventh layers are guarded by an Amphisbaena, a two-headed venomous serpent. Entrance to the ninth and tenth levels is granted through the eighth division, a circle of punishment whereby the champion is inflicted with wounds mirroring a nature of selfishness if they had committed such an act during the competition. If a student accepted an offer during the first task and impaired another champion, a wound will be inflicted to compensate for their wrongdoing. Hidden within the ninth and tenth divisions is the cure for a consumptive disease, known as the Red Plague. If the competitor is infected, he or she may decide to find the cure or pursue the triwizard cup.
