Most people will be familiar with this short story from the popular film franchise "Hellraiser." The first in the film series premiered in 1987, but, on account of its rather unexpected success, a succession of sequels quickly followed. The original film follows the curious novella quite faithfully, with the exception of the location. Barker's admittedly unique concept spawned not only a whole host of additional films, but a comic series which provided much more detail about the characters in the short novel.
Both the original novella and the films feature an odd mixture of nightmarish elements, involving a troupe of inter-dimensional beings, most of whom were apparently once humans themselves. The films have an atmospheric, surrealist nature, which is a primary aspect of their appeal. These Cenobites, also known as the Order of the Gash, are summoned into the earthly realm by the solving of a puzzle box, called the LeMarchand (Lament) Configuration in the book.
In the comic series, Philip LeMarchand is described as a cruel and perverted mass murderer, who crafted an entire series of puzzle boxes, reportedly some 270 of them, with some utilizing human fat and bones. Another version suggests LeMarchand, a toymaker, was commissioned by a French aristocrat to craft a puzzle box, which involved killing a woman and using the box as a black magic conduit in order to enslave a demon, Angelique, which resulted in a curse being placed upon LeMarchand's entire bloodline to time indefinite.
Far from resulting in a reward, however, the solving of the puzzle box opens an inter-dimensional doorway, thereby unleashing the Cenobites, who then claim the flesh of the unwitting victim. If they determine that the individual has potential, they transform the person into one of their number. If not, the person is imprisoned in the nether realm of Hell, under the auspices of a being known as "Leviathan."
The seeming leader of the troupe - it's unclear whether the entities are demons in the traditional sense, or otherworldly beings from an unknown realm - is "Pinhead," who, like many of the others, was once human. His backstory features prominently in the second film, where it is revealed that he was once Captain Elliot Spencer, a former British Army officer, who, in 1921, likewise solved one of the LeMarchand puzzle boxes and is subsequently transformed into the "Hell Priest" by Leviathan. It appears that, despite his capability for compassion and mercy as a human being, possesses the necessary qualifications for cruelty and depravity, due to his horrific experiences and resulting PTSD from his time in combat during WWI.
Despite their popularity, the Cenobites are little seen in the initial offerings. Both the first novel and the movie feature the Cenobites as little other than bookends, but they become more important in the subsequent films. Instead, as faithfully reproduced in the film, the novel recounts the story of a fractured family: Rory (later known as Larry), a hapless husband, his wife, Julia, Rory's daughter, Kirstie, and his brother Frank Cotton, who has had a tryst with Julia, who has become bored with her vanilla life and unsatisfying relationship with his brother, Rory.
It appears that Frank purchased one of the LeMarchand puzzle boxes at a flea market, and, upon opening it, was consumed by the Cenobites, but was considered unworthy of joining their ranks. He apparently escapes them, and returns to the earthly realm, and to Julia, whom he coerces into serving him up male victims so that he can consume their bodies to regenerate his own, in order to become human again. When Kirstie also solves the box, she makes a deal with the Cenobites to deliver her uncle Frank back to them in exchange for her own life. The Cenobites still attempt to take her soul, but she defeats them by solving the box again, thereby sending them back to Hell.
Clive Barker is a fascinating figure in his own right. He is an author and filmmaker, who initially created surrealist art movies which were critically acclaimed. Although his subsequent films didn't enjoy much commercial success, he served as an executive producer of "Gods and Monsters," featuring Sir Ian McKellen and Brendan Fraser, which was highly praised. Barker is also a visual artist who illustrated several of his own novels. His paintings have also graced the covers of his fan club magazine and his playbills.
Despite his impressive body of work, none of his material has been so successful as the "Hellraiser" franchise. Barker reportedly sold the story and character rights before the release of the first film, unfortunately, not imagining how successful the series would become. He therefore lost much of the creative control over his own material. The eleventh film was released in 2022. Due to the success of the series over the past near-forty years, it is likely that Hellraiser material will continue to be recycled for the foreseeable future.
As for the novel, it's fair at best. It's a good short story, but it had the potential to be so much more, especially considering what the franchise became. The fever-dream aspects of the novel make it interesting, but it's just excessively superficial and lacking in substance to make it worthy of anything other than a passing mention. The characters are generally flat and one-dimensional, and most of the action takes place within the house.
There is also very little substance to the relationships between the characters, although there is the potential for so much more. Full marks for creativity, but I fear that this would have been a totally forgettable novel if not for the film series. It's interesting to think that this rather mediocre albeit at least creative novel could have spawned such an enormous and enduring legacy.
