The Hellbound Heart

by Clive Barker

Book Overview

"Barker's the best thing to happen to horror fiction for many moons. . . he] never fails to deliver the compelling prose and relentless horror his readers expect." --Chicago Tribune

The classic tale of supernatural obsession from the critically acclaimed master of darkness--and the inspiration for the cult classic film Hellraiser

From his scores of short stories, bestselling...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0061452882
• ISBN13: 9780061452888
• Release Date: October 2007
• Publisher: Harper Perennial
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.4" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Heart racing energy

If you love horror and a good suspense story, you've got to read this book. The Hellbound Heart is short, quick, and to the point. The movie, I feel, did not do the book justice. I read it cover to cover in just under 4 hrs. I could not put it down. Clive Barker's writing style grips the reader by the throat and doesn't let go until the final word. Brilliant!

Horrific, Quick, and Terrific

This is a quick read but certainly an exhilarating one! If you haven’t read any Clive Barker this is a great place to start. A must read for horror fans.

beautiful

I just loved it.When I first opened it, it wasn't very apelling to me, and I took several days to start reading.The first story I found a little lame, but the art was beautiful.And then I started reading all the others stories.Man, I couln't stop felling that thrill, the stories are so great, especially the last one about the actress.It just gives you that chill in the spine combined with pleasure that Hellraiser gives.That thing about "you shouldn't open the box, but you HAVE TO open it" I gave it to a friend for birthday, but I'm definelly getting another one for me to keep. (sorry bad english, not the first language)

Well, it is, after all, the Hellraiser mythology...

Clive Barker's Hellraiser Collected Best I has some contributions that are just much, much better than others, but also some that are much, much worse. Fortunately none of the comics are completely worthless; when it comes to the storyline they're all well thought-out and some of them quite original, but quite frankly, style-wise some of the contributions don't seem to go very well with a story from the world of Hellraiser. Not that they're not great artists, because they're all highly skilled. But I just cannot see them as suitable for the realm of the Cenobites. But on the other hand, few things are as subjective as one's perception of art... And speaking of being subjective; the story entitled "Life Flies to Wanton Boys" from 1990, written by Bunny Hampton-Macks and illustrated by Scott Hampton, is a stunning story, perhaps one of the best ones I've ever read. Lemarchand's puzzle box is present in no more than two frames, and not Pinhead nor any of his fellow Cenobites make a single appearance. But that's perfectly fine, because it's such a great story, immensely beautiful and highly original. Easily the highlight of the book! Almost exclusively throughout the book, the theme of choice is punishment in Hell, resulting from earthly desires, and that's not very surprisingly when it's all about gnarly Cenobites and their funky torture-talents. However, believe it or not, but in one of the stories, not one single human being is killed! Not only that, this particular story even has a happy ending! (Well, actually, one more story has what can be considered a "happy" ending, but at least that one got some good old fashioned pain and suffering, too.) I've rarely, if ever, been disappointed with anything related to Clive Barker. Still, if you don't think horror is the sweetest thing in the world, then you'll probably not be too excited about Clive Barker's Hellraiser Collected Best I, either.

Tsanger Banger's Answers

This collects 12 stories (if you count Harrowing as two), though some early prepublication materials said there would be 13. The complete list can be seen by hitting the Table of Contents link on the upper left of this page. The Vault is not here, nor is Lips. Not sure on actual issue numbers, but years of publication are Dead Man's Hand (1989), Harrowing I and II (1992), For My Son (1992), Like Flies to Wanton Boys (1990), The Girl in the Peephole (1992), Wordsworth (1992), Mazes of the Mind (1990), Dead Things Rot (1992), Dear Diary (1992), Death Where Is Thy Sting? (1992), Losing Herself in the Part (1991). Hope this helps.

If you never read the hellraiser comics, read this.

I have collected about 15 Hellraiser comics over the years, but there were many stories here I had not read. Though not written by Barker, they are well researched and keep the myth alive. We would not have hellraiser 3,4 and 5 without the comics and whether thats good or bad they are still worth the indulgance (and Franchise). Alot of the artists used were fresh talent at the time, so there are some interesting spins on the traditional cenobites. Still v. bloody and sadistic. Created for all die hard fans.

Excellent Book on Man's Depravity and the Human Heart

I first came across this book hesitant and unsure of what to expect. I had already seen the Hellraiser movie and I thought I might have been disappointed because I already knew the storyline. However, after reading this book I realized that Clive Barker tells things better on ink and paper than on a movie screen. Even with all the guts and gore in the book the reason why the book captures me so much is the fact that Barker tries to show us what is inside the hearts of people. The actual theme of the book is what makes this book fascinating not the blood and suspense. This is a true horror story if there ever was one. The Cenobites also add to the intrigue and horror to the book. The Cenobites are demons who offer limitless pleasure to all the senses only to realize afterwards that they are only interested in pain and suffering. The introduction of the book gets the mood going and afterwards it will want to make you want to read more. The interaction between Frank and Julia also adds to the fascination of the story. Frank's character you could say depicts the restless and ceaseless anguish of mankind looking for something "beyond" what this world offers. Frank shows us that human beings are beings that are driven for the need for lust, pleasure, and sensory satisfaction. That people will even go beyond moral imperatives to satisfy their carnal passions and live life as if it was one sensory experience. Though this view of man presented by Barker seems dismal and discouraging, he does teach us the unfortunate condition of man on earth. Barker does a good job showing us the horrors contained within man's heart and where it can lead us if our desires are not contained.