Genre : Horror Format : E-book Pages : 176 Published : 1986

“Oh yes . Oh most certainly . Your most treasured depravity is child’s play beside the experiences we offer .”

Summary : Imagine this , you’re such a filthy , degenerate , immoral , son of a bitch that this world can no longer give you pleasure . Well Frank Cotton doesn’t have to imagine it , at the beginning of the novella he’s already there . So he finds a legendary puzzle known as the Lemarchand box said to led to pleasures outside of this mortal plane . When he solves the puzzle , a gateway is opened to the realm of the Order of the Gash or the much quicker to say Cenobites and it turns out that ole Franky here is not ready for this as the cenobites take him to experience their definition of pleasure . Fast forward a few years and Frank enacts a plan to escape . Probably would be okay with that if it didn’t involve multiple murders and just a tad bit of psychological torture .

“No tears , please . It’s a waste of good suffering .”

Review : I read this the first time when I just started high school so it’s been a few years and I had forgotten a few details which made this feel like catching up with an old friend . For those of you who don’t know this is the novella which “Hellraiser” is based on and I would highly recommend both . The novella has one of the strongest openings I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading . Clive Barker is the master of body horror so this may not be the thing for you if you’re squeamish but this is a certified horror classic .

“But if it failed to show itself she would not grieve too deeply , for fear that the mending of broken hearts be a puzzle neither wit nor time had the skill to solve .”

Recommendations : Books

1. Hellraiser : The Toll by Mark Alan Miller
2. Hellraiser : Bloodline by Peter Atkins
3. The Damnation Game by Clive Barker
4. Cursed by Leigh Kenny
5. Demon Seed by Dean Koontz
6. Invader Summer by Hideyuki Kikuchi
7. Carnaki , the Ghost Finder by William Hope Hodgson
8. Black Ambrosia by Elizabeth Engstrom
9. Elsewhere by William Peter Blatty
10. Falling Angel by William Hjortsberg

Songs

1. Pain Redefined – Disturbed
2. Hellraiser – Ozzy Osbourne
3. Walpurgis – Black Sabbath
4. The Chain – Fleetwood Mac
5. Hurt so good – John Mellencamp
6. Poker Face – Lady Gaga
7. Relax – Frankie Goes To Hollywood
8. Widowmaker – W.A.S.P.
9. Tear Away – Drowning Pool
10. Drinking With Jesus – Fozzy

Movies

1. Hellraiser (1987)
2. Hellraiser 2 (1988)
3. Event Horizon (1997)
4. Saw (2004)
5. Nightbreed (1990)
6. 9 1/2 Weeks (1986)
7. Tie Me Up ! Tie Me Down ! (1989)
8. Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992)
9. Wishmaster (1997)
10. Orgy of the Dead (1965)

Lesson : Instead of playing around with cursed objects , maybe just read a book . Though this guy would probably end up reading the necronomicon .