Review - Hellraiser pt 2: The Hellbound Heart (SPOILERS) | ryuuzaki's Blog

"Oh the pleasures we will show you." - Pinhead, Hellraiser.

Hello, and welcome to the first part of my Halloween special review of all things Hellraiser.  This review will give a brief introduction to the key components of the series as well as looking at the novella on which the films are based (The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker).  As always, there will be SPOILERS so you may not want to read this review.  It's okay, I fully understand.

Anyhow, The Hellbound Heart is a short work that was first published in 1986.  It's a fairly disturbing horror story that centres around a cult of otherworldly beings called the Cenobites, and a musical puzzle box called the Lamarchand Configuration which can be used to summon them into our world.

I find the Lamarchand Configuration incredibly difficult to describe to people.  Imagine a solid wooden cube that looks as though it has been seamlessly carved from one piece of wood.  As you examine the box, you notice small etchings on its surface and after a lot of experimentation you realize that it can be dismantled.  With each piece of the box that is removed a tune plays which is at first simple but intensifies as you dismantle the box.  When the last piece of the box is removed, you hear a mournful gong and the box begins to remake itself.  This is when the Cenobites come.

The Cenobites are creatures from another dimension.  They are also described as theologians of the Order of the Gash.  Clive Barker once said in an interview that the Cenobites were inspired by what he saw at an S&M club.  Although humanoid, they have self-mutilated themselves to the point of monstrosity.  For example, the Cenobite that was made most popular by the films is the one that the fan base call "Pinhead".  A square grid is carved (or tattooed in the novella) into the skin of his bald head and where each line intersects a long pin is driven into the bone.  If one summons the Cenobites, it is said that they will assist you in achieving the ultimate pleasure.  There is just a small problem.  Perhaps because they are higher beings than us, or perhaps because our values differ from theirs, but to a Cenobite the experiences of pleasure and pain are largely the same.

The novella really focuses on three main characters.  The first of these is Frank, the latest unfortunate to solve the Lamarchand Configuration.  The novella begins with him being left to the mercy of the Cenobites.  After his disappearance a woman named Julia moves into the house where Frank once lived.  Julia's husband is Frank's brother Rory, and it is revealed that Julia once had a wild affair with Frank and now seems to regret that she's stuck with his less exciting brother.

After Rory cuts himself and bleeds onto the floor where Frank had previously been taken from, Frank some how manages to break free of the realm where the Cenobites are keeping him and appears before Julia in the real world.  However, he has been tortured so brutally that he is barely recognizable.  He claims that he needs human blood in order to restore his human appearance and convinces Julia to begin to seduce men and lead them to the house where Frank can eat them.

This goes on for a while until Rory's daughter, Kirsty, also discovers Frank.  He attacks her, but Kirsty manages to escape with the Lemarchand Configuration.  Later, she manages to dismantle the box and summon the Cenobites who express their desire to drag Kirsty to their realm.  Kirsty, however, manages to bargain with them by offering to give them Frank's soul in place of her own.  The Cenobites except and Kirsty is forced to return to the house knowing that if she fails to give Frank to the Cenobites, she will be the next person that they 'pleasure'...

I first read The Hellbound Heart when I was in high school and I there is very little that I can find to criticize in it.  I think it's a brilliant and enthralling work of modern horror.  Even though it is very short (my copy is a whole 128 pages long) the characters seem to be rounded enough to be believable and when reading it even the premise of "magical box opens gateway to Hell" which could be incredibly lame is actually a really original and interesting idea.

The thing that I really love about this book, however, is the Cenobites themselves.  I've always attributed this to the fact that they're completely different to most other horror creatures.  They're eloquent without resorting to one-liners.  They're not completely evil as they will only ever take the person who opens the box and are amiable to being reasoned with.  They're mysterious, but we can still understand their motivation as we do all at least have some experience of people who find harming themselves to be pleasurable.  Though the fact that they won't come for anyone who hasn't solved the box (with a few exceptions, as you will see when I review the movies) does tone down the scariness of the story as it renders them completely non-threatening, it's still unsettling due to the fact that their agenda is not entirely revealed to the reader.

As I said, I would advise everyone to sit down and read the book before subjecting yourself to Hellraiser and it's plethora of sequels.  Although you'll find that the first film is relatively faithful, you'll come to realize what a masterpiece the original story it is by the time you're twenty minutes into Hellraiser VII: Deader.  Believe me.

Anyhow, next time I'll bring you reviews of the first four movies.  That's Hellraiser, Hellraiser II: Hellbound, Hellraiser III:  Hell on Earth and Hellraiser IV:  Bloodline.  These were the only films in the franchise that received a cinematic release and fit together quite nicely as they form their own little story arc.  So I'd advise you to be wary of all Chinese puzzle boxes (especially those given to you by homeless people) until I get around to writing this review.