ating ▁human ▁be ings ▁whole , ▁har p ies ▁e ating ▁the ▁corps es ▁of ▁suic ides , ▁an ▁evil ▁man ▁forced ▁to ▁carry ▁his ▁own ▁sever ed ▁head ▁for ▁et ern ity , ▁people ▁half ▁buried ▁in ▁fl aming ▁la va , ▁etc . ▁▁ ▁There ▁follows ▁a ▁series ▁of ▁enc oun ters ▁in ▁which ▁the ▁two ▁meet ▁up ▁with ▁a ▁number ▁of ▁formerly ▁famous ▁historical ▁figures ▁whose ▁sou ls ▁were ▁denied ▁by ▁both ▁Heaven ▁and ▁Hell , ▁and ▁they ▁listen ▁to ▁some ▁of ▁their ▁tales ▁told ▁in ▁flash back . ▁ ▁These ▁characters ▁include ▁H omer , ▁Hor ace , ▁O vid , ▁Luc anus , ▁Cle op atra , ▁D ido , ▁the ▁Queen ▁of ▁Car th age , ▁the ▁tra itor ▁C ai ph us , ▁Count ▁U gal ino , ▁Peter ▁of ▁V ign a , ▁Frances ca ▁Da ▁R im ini ▁and ▁her ▁lo ver ▁Paulo , ▁Br ut us ▁and ▁Cass ius , ▁Moh ammed ▁and ▁Helen ▁of ▁T roy . ▁The ▁main ▁att raction ▁of ▁the ▁film ▁are ▁the ▁fant astic ▁set ▁designs ▁dep ict ing ▁the ▁horror s ▁of ▁Hell , ▁with ▁excess ive ▁violence ▁and ▁g ore , ▁designed ▁to ▁fright en ▁the ▁audience ▁into ▁becoming ▁p ious ▁and ▁God - f ear ing . ▁ ▁Cast ▁ ▁Salv atore ▁Papa ▁as ▁D ante ▁Al igh ieri ▁▁ ▁Art uro ▁P iro vano ▁as ▁Vir g ilio ▁▁ ▁Giuseppe ▁de ▁L igu oro ▁as ▁Il ▁conte ▁U g ol ino ▁ ▁August o