Clive Barker

Clive Barker is widely acknowledged as the master of nerve-shattering horror. The Hellbound Heart is one of his best, one of the most dead-frightening stories you are likely to ever read, a story of the human heart and all the great terrors and ecstasies within. It was also the book behind the cult horror film, Hellraiser.

The Hellbound Heart

love love love hellraiser, stoked to have finally read the origin story! perfect start to the year 

༺ kat ༻

A Novel

Geoffrey Froggatt

I became interested in this novella when I realized it was the basis for the horror movie Hellraiser. The Hellbound Heart is an amazingly concise, efficient, nasty little piece of horror that is just amazingly effective at what it's trying to do. The story starts off with a sociopathic hedonist named Frank, who, having become bored of worldly pleasures, has managed to acquire a puzzle box that supposedly leads to a realm occupied by the Cenobites, a quasi-religious order dedicated to "higher pleasures", whatever that might mean. Frank summons some Cenobites, with whom he enters into a classic devil's bargain, in which he gets what he asks for but with a catch. It turns out that the Cenobites, covered in scars and chains and other disfigurements (including one with pins in their head) are sort of S&M demons, for whom pleasure and pain are somewhat interchangeable. After subjecting Frank to sensory overload, they pull him into another dimension for endless suffering. When Frank's brother Rory, and Rory's wife Julia move into the house where Frank summoned the Cenobites, Julia discovers signs of Frank trying to communicate from the other dimension, and learns that she may be able to return him to Earth and resurrect him - for a price. 

As I said, this novella is extremely economical - it could easily be read in a single sitting if you were so inclined, and it's very hard to put down. Barker somehow manages to write quality prose without wasting words, which is quite the trick. Virtually nothing is in the book that isn't important for the story Barker is trying to tell. No fat. It's quite trim and extremely well paced and disturbing and suspenseful, and original. Unusual. Memorable. While containing plenty of gore and disturbing imagery (both violent and sexual), it doesn't generally linger on them or describe them in overly detailed fashion. The story's main flaw for most readers, or at least potential flaw depending on your perspective, is that the two main characters, Frank and Julia, are extraordinarily dislikeable. Frank is flat out psychopathic, and Julia starts as mildly unpleasant and quickly slides into evil at Frank's behest (how much of that is inherent to her character and how much is the malign influence of Frank is somewhat ambiguous). However, the story wouldn't really work otherwise - as in much of Stephen King's work, Barker is as interested in exploring the evil that men (and women) do as he is exploring supernatural evil. I loved the depiction of these characters as I love the exploration of evil characters, and I recommend this book to anyone who wants to get started in the horror genre.

Elizabeth Nolan

Cheri Fuller

Always loved the Hellraiser movie and wanted to see how the book compared. It's pretty close with the major difference being the relationships (ie the daughter in the movie is a friend in the book) but I would absolutely read this novella again. It's dark and bloody and good.

Slow burn the first half of the book but then it’s gets gruesome. I feel like the movie is very closed to the book 

Seth

Sarahi Flores

A gory thriller that left me with chills.

I’ve watched the movie before reading the book. I didn’t know there was a book so I took a chance and read it.

It was a good as the movie! if you got to compare it, it was the same and nothing really changed. You know some movies tend to change a few scenes, well I didn’t see any changes. Well, maybe the hospital scenes lol.

Tons of gory descriptions that it was easy to picture. Crazy and just mind blowing. It was a short novel but it was indeed a good one. Really enjoyed it. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

The Hellbound Heart

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