Status
Available
Call number
Series
Publication
New York : Harper, 2007.
Description
Frank Cotton's insatiable appetite for the dark pleasures of pain led him to the puzzle of Lemarchand's box, and from there, to a death only a sick-minded soul could invent. But his brother's love-crazed wife, Julia, has discovered a way to bring Frank back-though the price will be bloody and terrible . . . and there will certainly be hell to pay.
User reviews
LibraryThing member Longcluse
This story commands some respect for the committed trashiness of the writing. The Lovecraftian italics, the sadomasochistic bodice-ripping! And for shameless use of Hollywood horror tropes: The tinkle of a music box in the opening scene. The walking back into The House of Horrors alone, unarmed,
It also has me re-evaluating the most elemental conviction of my existence as a sentient being: that the book is always better than the movie unless Stephen King. I give two more stars for the identity crisis it triggered. The characters are mere empty husks (lol!) and it was impossible not to contrast the ways the lead actresses made this story real for me, in film version.
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and without a plan. The characters with soap opera relations and no backstories. The classic “Come out come out wherever you are” structure of the denouement.It also has me re-evaluating the most elemental conviction of my existence as a sentient being: that the book is always better than the movie unless Stephen King. I give two more stars for the identity crisis it triggered. The characters are mere empty husks (lol!) and it was impossible not to contrast the ways the lead actresses made this story real for me, in film version.
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LibraryThing member Mrs_McGreevy
The fiction that came out of the Splatterpunk era is often dismissed as being violent or gory strictly because it can. The Hellbound Heart is an example of a story that gets it just right.
Gross? Yes. Visceral? Yes. But also redemtive and even bizarrely touching.
My book group read this for
Gross? Yes. Visceral? Yes. But also redemtive and even bizarrely touching.
My book group read this for
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Valentines Day one year, and it was an oddly appropriate choice. Show Less
LibraryThing member Bridgey
The Hellbound Heart - Clive Barker ***
I don’t know if many people realise that the 80’s film Hellraiser was based on a short novella by Clive Barker?
The Hellbound Heart is quick read. The basic plotline is that Frank has come into possession of a box. This box has a number of secret switches
The book was ok. At around 128 pages it wasn’t as good as I had anticipated but it was still worth a read. For those that are a lover of horror they may find something here to keep them occupied. Although I always enjoy a scary book, this wasn’t the suspenseful type and relied on the shock and gore factor to keep the reader satisfied. I wish that the ideas behind the Cenobites and their world had been explored more rather than just the fleeting glimpses. All in all, not a bad novella, it hasn’t made me want to pick up any more of Barker’s works, but hasn’t put me off him either.
I don’t know if many people realise that the 80’s film Hellraiser was based on a short novella by Clive Barker?
The Hellbound Heart is quick read. The basic plotline is that Frank has come into possession of a box. This box has a number of secret switches
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and slides that when pressed in the correct sequence allow it to be opened. This then acts as a sort of portal that allows mystical beings of Hell called the Cenobites to enter into our world. Their mission is to deliver extremes of torture to the person that has summoned them, some intentionally, some on accident. For Frank this means endlessly having all his flesh torn off by hooks for an eternity, not what he had planned.... he was just looking for the ultimate pleasue. He opens the box in a bedroom of his deceased grandparents house, the property which has been left to both him and his brother Rory. Throw into the mix that Frank was having an affair with his brother’s wife Julia and things get a little more complicated. After Frank has been missing several weeks, Rory and Julia move into the property, but there is always something odd about that one bedroom. An accident sees a bit of blood spilled and this appears to be enough to drag Frank back from the bowels of hell, however he is stripped of flesh. The only way that he can become human again is by Julia luring victims to the house so he can repair himself using their bodies and blood. The book was ok. At around 128 pages it wasn’t as good as I had anticipated but it was still worth a read. For those that are a lover of horror they may find something here to keep them occupied. Although I always enjoy a scary book, this wasn’t the suspenseful type and relied on the shock and gore factor to keep the reader satisfied. I wish that the ideas behind the Cenobites and their world had been explored more rather than just the fleeting glimpses. All in all, not a bad novella, it hasn’t made me want to pick up any more of Barker’s works, but hasn’t put me off him either.
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LibraryThing member bookwormteri
Not my favorite of Clive Barker's and he is such a great author. If you have seen the movie, you have read the book. They are practically one and the same, minor, minor, minor differences. Okay book, but I expect more from such a master.
LibraryThing member Daniel_Davis
Pretty good, if a little slight. It's totally ridiculous how the publisher has tried to stretch this out to be a novel by increasing the font size and line spacing to absurd amounts.
It's a rather simpler tale. The character are entirely uninteresting, their relationships meaningless, and are given
The stuff with the Cenobites is interesting, if fleeting, and over all it's a bit creepy but it doesn't haunt for long because nothing ever really feels at stake.
It's a rather simpler tale. The character are entirely uninteresting, their relationships meaningless, and are given
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zero context outside of the immediate plot.The stuff with the Cenobites is interesting, if fleeting, and over all it's a bit creepy but it doesn't haunt for long because nothing ever really feels at stake.
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LibraryThing member 26kathryn
I finished this book very quickly as it was very fast paced. There is a lot of action and gory scenes in the story. But because the book is short I didn't get to learn much about the characters which meant that I didn't really care whether they lived or died.
The plot of the story is very
The plot of the story is very
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imaginative, I just wish there had been a bit more background about the cenobites and their world. Show Less
LibraryThing member TheAmpersand
"The Hellbound Heart" has a lot of surprises in it. The first, of course, is that everyone's favorite cenboite, Pinhead, makes only a cameo appearance. I'd been warned about that one, but it also surprised me how much like a regular literary novel "The Hellbound Heart"can sometimes seem. Sure, it
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involves bloodthirsty unspeakable ghouls from another dimension who have disfigured their bodies beyond recognition, but it's also the story of an upwardly mobile Thatcher-era British couple called Rory and Kristy whose marriage is falling apart. It's kind of surprising how much of "The Hellbound Heart" doesn't involve people getting torn limb from limb. "The Hellbound Heart" could even be mistaken for a stealth critique of boring yuppiedom. Yes, Frank's a monster, but it's clear that he's got much more ambition than his brother, and Barker seems to kind of admire him for it. To be perfectly honest, Barker's not at his best in that part of the book: the characters aren't particularly memorable, and there's a lot of stock language to be found in the book's quieter scenes. The horror stuff is, of course, a fair sight better. I'm a sucker for art about bodily difference and transformation, and that seems to be one of Clive's major obsessions, too. The cenobites aren't, after all, anyone's victims, and they weren't born looking that way. They're the weird products of their own out-of-control desires. In fact, despite the fact that the Hellraiser movies are notorious for their references to S and M and fetish sex, there's less of that sort of thing here than I expected: the cenobites aren't much for talking, and they keep things pretty understated when referring to the bizarre pleasures that they've experienced. It is, in a way, wonderfully British of them. Lastly, I also wondered how much "The Hellbound Heart" prefigured the modern vogue for all things steampunk: Barker's "hooks, chains and pulleys" fixation seems more industrial age than Gothic, and we meet a cenobite called "The Engineer" as the book closes. I'm not really a horror fan, and don't know if I'll read any more of the Hellraiser books, but this brief, gory little novella was still worth my time. Show Less
LibraryThing member librarianbryan
I noticed flashes of the literary touches on which Barker's seems to have made his reputation. Being saturated with Hellraiser fandom (the film is based on this novella) since adolescence, the story wasn't all that much of a revelation.
LibraryThing member Gregorio_Roth
One can see how clearly Clive Barker sees his movies before he even scripts them, as this book was the basis for Hell Raiser. I can picture the movie and scenes and how they were portrayed word for word at times. It is a great read though.
LibraryThing member revslick
human depravity meets the human condition aka Hellraiser along with the adorable Cenobites
LibraryThing member matthew254
I somehow got through the 80s without watching "Hellraiser". I like the horror genre so I thought I'd check out the novella that the film was based on. It's not a bad premise and it certainly does have some merit; I can see why it might have broke the mold at the time. For me, though, it felt
After I finished the story I watched the movie and ended up preferring the book. Pinhead is overrated.
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mostly gratuitous for the sake of trying (and failing) to be gratuitous. For better or for worse, I was not grossed out or offended by the content. It just seemed like an attempt to shock the reader which is kind of insulting. After I finished the story I watched the movie and ended up preferring the book. Pinhead is overrated.
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LibraryThing member ItsMySailboat
Short novella by Clive Barker. Concise and to the point. So, so good.
LibraryThing member thioviolight
I thoroughly enjoyed this macabre and disturbing novella from Clive Barker! It was a quick read -- too quick for me! -- but it kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time I was reading it. I read this in bits during my lunch break, and it kept me looking forward to my break everyday. I almost
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wish I could forget it all, then read it again for the first time. Excellent! A new favorite! Show Less
LibraryThing member shob.dw
Ah, the book that spawned Hellraiser. Forget the movie, the book is beter. This is Barker at his prime ... dark, imaginative and utterly freaky. The pace is quick and twisted. The result – one of the most original horror tales in a long time.
LibraryThing member titania86
Morally bankrupt and nihilistic Frank Cotton has found this world and the pleasures it has to offer lacking, boring, and predictable. After hearing about Lemarchand’s Configuration, a puzzle box that if solved opened up a realm of unimaginable pleasure, he finds it and spends hours trying to
I recently saw the film Hellraiser, so I had to read the novella it was based on. There is very little difference in plot and characters between the two works. However, both have their own strengths and weaknesses. The strength of the film is the horrific visuals it provides. The Cenobites look so much more disfigured and fetishistic than I ever would have imagined. The audience is also shown some of the horrors in the other world and I was shocked by how twisted and horrifying the images were, considering it was made in the 80’s. I was riveted to the screen (with my mouth gaping open) and literally couldn’t look away. The book only describes the Cenobites, but not in a great amount of detail. The other world’s sights aren’t described at all, but the novel excels in ways the film did not.
The novel is incredibly well written. Even though the character development is a little lacking, I really didn’t notice too much because the writing is so fluid and rich with dark imagery. The relationship between Frank and Julia seemed to happen spontaneously, but their evil tendencies that were exhibited later made them a fitting couple. Their sick relationship is an interesting comparison to the false, empty one between Julia and Rory. However, Frank’s interest in her is only to be restored to human form and nothing more, showing Julia in the role of her husband: adoring and unaware of the others indifference. Both relationships are exposed to be hollow and devoid of anything remotely resembling love. Julia is portrayed as much more malicious than in the film. She has nothing but disdain for her husband and would like nothing more than to kill him. Frank and Julia represent the need for man to seek more and more empty, fruitless sensory experience and where this road will lead if gone to extremes. This view may be depressing, but makes for an entertaining and horrifying read.
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solve. He succeeds, but instead of hoards of nude women, like he was expecting, the Cenobites emerge instead. They are horribly scarred and mutilated beings that perceive extreme pain as not different from extreme pleasure. They take him to their extradimensional plane to suffer for eternity. Meanwhile, Rory, Frank’s brother, and his wife Julia have moved into the house passed down from their grandparents. When Rory is injured during the moving in process, Frank uses his blood to communicate with our world. He demands more blood from Julia, who has been infatuated with him ever since their affair shortly before her marriage to Rory, to become whole again. She complies and feeds him several men. Kirsty, Rory’s friend, suspects Julia is having an affair and discovers Frank and Julia’s horrible plot. Will she be able to return Frank to the dimension he escaped from or would the Cenobites rather have her instead?I recently saw the film Hellraiser, so I had to read the novella it was based on. There is very little difference in plot and characters between the two works. However, both have their own strengths and weaknesses. The strength of the film is the horrific visuals it provides. The Cenobites look so much more disfigured and fetishistic than I ever would have imagined. The audience is also shown some of the horrors in the other world and I was shocked by how twisted and horrifying the images were, considering it was made in the 80’s. I was riveted to the screen (with my mouth gaping open) and literally couldn’t look away. The book only describes the Cenobites, but not in a great amount of detail. The other world’s sights aren’t described at all, but the novel excels in ways the film did not.
The novel is incredibly well written. Even though the character development is a little lacking, I really didn’t notice too much because the writing is so fluid and rich with dark imagery. The relationship between Frank and Julia seemed to happen spontaneously, but their evil tendencies that were exhibited later made them a fitting couple. Their sick relationship is an interesting comparison to the false, empty one between Julia and Rory. However, Frank’s interest in her is only to be restored to human form and nothing more, showing Julia in the role of her husband: adoring and unaware of the others indifference. Both relationships are exposed to be hollow and devoid of anything remotely resembling love. Julia is portrayed as much more malicious than in the film. She has nothing but disdain for her husband and would like nothing more than to kill him. Frank and Julia represent the need for man to seek more and more empty, fruitless sensory experience and where this road will lead if gone to extremes. This view may be depressing, but makes for an entertaining and horrifying read.
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LibraryThing member avalon_today
“Come to Daddy” it said.
“Frank, go to Hell! And take your wannabe bride with you!” I said.
“Frank, go to Hell! And take your wannabe bride with you!” I said.
LibraryThing member tsnake
I enjoyed this book, but read it years AFTER seeing Hellraiser. As a first, i my experience, the movie was much better than the book, but I could probably re-read it to see if my opinion changes.
LibraryThing member magooles
Although I’m glad that I read this book, it was not one of my favorites. Clive Barker is hit or miss for me and I think that I enjoy his fantasy a bit more than his straight-up horror. Thinking back on the book, I remember more gory details than actual story line. I have yet to see the movie and
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this didn’t really push me toward wanting to. Show Less
LibraryThing member morbidromantic
Gross, scary and disturbing. I’ve always wanted to read this particular novel for the fact that I am a fan of Hellraiser and a fan of anything with S&M elements, especially horror. I wanted the literary experience of the Cenobites. Rather than pictures on a screen, I wanted my own imagination.
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This book was great. Gorey imagery, lots of horror, crazy people doing crazy things, and sadistic Cenobites promising a realm of sensation and pleasure beyond belief. It was chilling and I had nightmares when I went to bed after finishing… a sign of a good horror novel. Show Less
LibraryThing member BookBindingBobby
One of the final forays into the horror genre Barker made, The Hellbound Heart truly goes beyond all horror of it's time. Even with contemporary writers, this piece holds its place as one of the most imaginative, visceral, and smart horror novellas in years. There is no reason to pass this gory
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treat up. Show Less
LibraryThing member theWallflower
I think I've learned that it's impossible for me to be scared by the written word. Maybe it's the medication, maybe I'm older. I hear people who couldn't sleep after reading Salem's Lot or The Exorcist, and I just don't get it. This book is no exception for me.
It follows the movie quite well, so
Maybe it's scarier in concept and theme than the words on the page. One thing that happens to horror as it ages is that the scariness becomes campy. No one takes Freddy and Jason seriously anymore. When you grow up and look at it, it's just a Rubik's Cube and a guy who fell on a nail gun.
It follows the movie quite well, so
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if you've seen the film, I don't think you'll get much more out of this book. The Horror Guru had a lot of good things to say about both, but I believe that not all stories fit the medium. Horror, as good as the written word has been, just thrives better in cinema. It was very "meh" for me. Maybe it's too wordy to be scary.Maybe it's scarier in concept and theme than the words on the page. One thing that happens to horror as it ages is that the scariness becomes campy. No one takes Freddy and Jason seriously anymore. When you grow up and look at it, it's just a Rubik's Cube and a guy who fell on a nail gun.
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LibraryThing member LynnMPK
I really enjoyed this book. I do wonder if it would have been a bit creepier if I hadn't been familiar with the movie.
Also, now I will always feel slightly unsettled whenever I hear church bells.
Also, now I will always feel slightly unsettled whenever I hear church bells.
LibraryThing member sublunarie
I found myself surprised how true-to-the-story the film turned out to be. It also made me wish I’d read the book first, I think I would have enjoyed it a lot more.
I still don’t understand Kristy’s relationship to Rory, and it’s been like 30 years.
I still don’t understand Kristy’s relationship to Rory, and it’s been like 30 years.
LibraryThing member elvendido
Maybe I've been spoiled by Barker's long-ranging epics, but the Hellbound Heart felt way too short for me. I finished it in a day, between my commute and my lunch break. It felt like it should have taken days to immerse myself, not barely 2 hours. I haven't seen the movies yet, so I'm coming at
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this relatively unbiased, though like I said earlier, you can't really compare this slim volume to his other fiction. On its own, it's an amazing horror story, one that seems like it would indeed translate well, if not better, to the screen. Time for netflix... Show Less
LibraryThing member regularguy5mb
I've been a fan of the original Hellraiser film for years (the sequels being very hit or miss, mostly miss once you hit the third one) and have always wanted to read the original story it was based on. So, I finally got around to reading it, after owning a copy for a number of years but always
It was nice to see how faithful the film stayed to the source material, outside of making Kirsty Julia's stepdaughter instead of potential rival for Rory (Larry in the film, who becomes Kirsty's father, which makes Frank's "Come to Daddy" line all the more disturbing now that I think about it). Of course, considering how nebulous Kirsty's relationship with Rory is in the book (she's "a friend" who is apparently secretly in love with him, but it's never clear how he feels about her since he seems to keep her close), this change makes sense.
One thing that the novel does, as well as the first film, that the rest of the franchise doesn't, is downplay the Cenobites. They aren't the main focus of the story, which I enjoyed. They are more of a literal Deus ex Machina that propels the story of Frank and his desire for the ultimate pleasure. Frank and Julia are the important elements of "The Hellbound Heart," seeing to what ends these two will go for what they want. And that is what makes this such an interesting read.
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putting it off for one reason or another.It was nice to see how faithful the film stayed to the source material, outside of making Kirsty Julia's stepdaughter instead of potential rival for Rory (Larry in the film, who becomes Kirsty's father, which makes Frank's "Come to Daddy" line all the more disturbing now that I think about it). Of course, considering how nebulous Kirsty's relationship with Rory is in the book (she's "a friend" who is apparently secretly in love with him, but it's never clear how he feels about her since he seems to keep her close), this change makes sense.
One thing that the novel does, as well as the first film, that the rest of the franchise doesn't, is downplay the Cenobites. They aren't the main focus of the story, which I enjoyed. They are more of a literal Deus ex Machina that propels the story of Frank and his desire for the ultimate pleasure. Frank and Julia are the important elements of "The Hellbound Heart," seeing to what ends these two will go for what they want. And that is what makes this such an interesting read.
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Awards
World Fantasy Award (Nominee — Novella — 1987)
British Fantasy Award (Nominee — Short Fiction — 1987)
Language
Original publication date
1986
Physical description
164 p.; 21 cm
ISBN
9780061452888