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The Hellbound Heart
When Frank Cotton (Tom Meeten) finally acquires a fabled puzzle box, he gets more than he bargained for. Because the box is a doorway to another world, to Hell and its dubious pleasures, ruled over by the sadistic Cenobites. And Frank’s reward for opening the box is an eternity of pain beyond imagining.
But when his brother, Rory, and his wife Julia (Neve McIntosh) move in to the house where Frank conducted the ritual, he sees a means of escape. For Julia was once Frank’s lover and swore to do anything for him… even kill, if it would make Frank whole again. Julia will stop at nothing to bring her lover back from Hell, and only Rory’s friend Kirsty (Alice Lowe) unwittingly stands in their way…
Starring Alice Lowe (Prevenge, Sightseers), Tom Meeten (The Ghoul) and Neve McIntosh (Doctor Who), this is a faithful, full-cast adaptation of award-winning author Clive Barker’s novella (adapted for the screen as the classic horror movie Hellraiser), by Paul Kane (Sherlock Holmes and the Servants of Hell)
But when his brother, Rory, and his wife Julia (Neve McIntosh) move in to the house where Frank conducted the ritual, he sees a means of escape. For Julia was once Frank’s lover and swore to do anything for him… even kill, if it would make Frank whole again. Julia will stop at nothing to bring her lover back from Hell, and only Rory’s friend Kirsty (Alice Lowe) unwittingly stands in their way…
Starring Alice Lowe (Prevenge, Sightseers), Tom Meeten (The Ghoul) and Neve McIntosh (Doctor Who), this is a faithful, full-cast adaptation of award-winning author Clive Barker’s novella (adapted for the screen as the classic horror movie Hellraiser), by Paul Kane (Sherlock Holmes and the Servants of Hell)
- GenresHorror
Audio CD
Published April 29, 2018
1 person is currently reading
89 people want to read
About the author
Clive Barker
704 books15.1k followersClive Barker was born in Liverpool, England, the son of Joan Rubie (née Revill), a painter and school welfare officer, and Leonard Barker, a personnel director for an industrial relations firm. Educated at Dovedale Primary School and Quarry Bank High School, he studied English and Philosophy at Liverpool University and his picture now hangs in the entrance hallway to the Philosophy Department. It was in Liverpool in 1975 that he met his first partner, John Gregson, with whom he lived until 1986. Barker's second long-term relationship, with photographer David Armstrong, ended in 2009.
In 2003, Clive Barker received The Davidson/Valentini Award at the 15th GLAAD Media Awards. This award is presented "to an openly lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender individual who has made a significant difference in promoting equal rights for any of those communities". While Barker is critical of organized religion, he has stated that he is a believer in both God and the afterlife, and that the Bible influences his work.
Fans have noticed of late that Barker's voice has become gravelly and coarse. He says in a December 2008 online interview that this is due to polyps in his throat which were so severe that a doctor told him he was taking in ten percent of the air he was supposed to have been getting. He has had two surgeries to remove them and believes his resultant voice is an improvement over how it was prior to the surgeries. He said he did not have cancer and has given up cigars. On August 27, 2010, Barker underwent surgery yet again to remove new polyp growths from his throat. In early February 2012 Barker fell into a coma after a dentist visit led to blood poisoning. Barker remained in a coma for eleven days but eventually came out of it. Fans were notified on his Twitter page about some of the experience and that Barker was recovering after the ordeal, but left with many strange visions.
Barker is one of the leading authors of contemporary horror/fantasy, writing in the horror genre early in his career, mostly in the form of short stories (collected in Books of Blood 1 – 6), and the Faustian novel The Damnation Game (1985). Later he moved towards modern-day fantasy and urban fantasy with horror elements in Weaveworld (1987), The Great and Secret Show (1989), the world-spanning Imajica (1991) and Sacrament (1996), bringing in the deeper, richer concepts of reality, the nature of the mind and dreams, and the power of words and memories.
Barker has a keen interest in movie production, although his films have received mixed receptions. He wrote the screenplays for Underworld (aka Transmutations – 1985) and Rawhead Rex (1986), both directed by George Pavlou. Displeased by how his material was handled, he moved to directing with Hellraiser (1987), based on his novella The Hellbound Heart. His early movies, the shorts The Forbidden and Salome, are experimental art movies with surrealist elements, which have been re-released together to moderate critical acclaim. After his film Nightbreed (Cabal), which was widely considered to be a flop, Barker returned to write and direct Lord of Illusions. Barker was an executive producer of the film Gods and Monsters, which received major critical acclaim.
Barker is a prolific visual artist working in a variety of media, often illustrating his own books. His paintings have been seen first on the covers of his official fan club magazine, Dread, published by Fantaco in the early Nineties, as well on the covers of the collections of his plays, Incarnations (1995) and Forms of Heaven (1996), as well as on the second printing of the original UK publications of his Books of Blood series.
A longtime comics fan, Barker achieved his dream of publishing his own superhero books when Marvel Comics launched the Razorline imprint in 1993. Based on detailed premises, titles and lead characters he created specifically for this, the four interrelated titles — set outside the Marvel universe — were Ectokid,
In 2003, Clive Barker received The Davidson/Valentini Award at the 15th GLAAD Media Awards. This award is presented "to an openly lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender individual who has made a significant difference in promoting equal rights for any of those communities". While Barker is critical of organized religion, he has stated that he is a believer in both God and the afterlife, and that the Bible influences his work.
Fans have noticed of late that Barker's voice has become gravelly and coarse. He says in a December 2008 online interview that this is due to polyps in his throat which were so severe that a doctor told him he was taking in ten percent of the air he was supposed to have been getting. He has had two surgeries to remove them and believes his resultant voice is an improvement over how it was prior to the surgeries. He said he did not have cancer and has given up cigars. On August 27, 2010, Barker underwent surgery yet again to remove new polyp growths from his throat. In early February 2012 Barker fell into a coma after a dentist visit led to blood poisoning. Barker remained in a coma for eleven days but eventually came out of it. Fans were notified on his Twitter page about some of the experience and that Barker was recovering after the ordeal, but left with many strange visions.
Barker is one of the leading authors of contemporary horror/fantasy, writing in the horror genre early in his career, mostly in the form of short stories (collected in Books of Blood 1 – 6), and the Faustian novel The Damnation Game (1985). Later he moved towards modern-day fantasy and urban fantasy with horror elements in Weaveworld (1987), The Great and Secret Show (1989), the world-spanning Imajica (1991) and Sacrament (1996), bringing in the deeper, richer concepts of reality, the nature of the mind and dreams, and the power of words and memories.
Barker has a keen interest in movie production, although his films have received mixed receptions. He wrote the screenplays for Underworld (aka Transmutations – 1985) and Rawhead Rex (1986), both directed by George Pavlou. Displeased by how his material was handled, he moved to directing with Hellraiser (1987), based on his novella The Hellbound Heart. His early movies, the shorts The Forbidden and Salome, are experimental art movies with surrealist elements, which have been re-released together to moderate critical acclaim. After his film Nightbreed (Cabal), which was widely considered to be a flop, Barker returned to write and direct Lord of Illusions. Barker was an executive producer of the film Gods and Monsters, which received major critical acclaim.
Barker is a prolific visual artist working in a variety of media, often illustrating his own books. His paintings have been seen first on the covers of his official fan club magazine, Dread, published by Fantaco in the early Nineties, as well on the covers of the collections of his plays, Incarnations (1995) and Forms of Heaven (1996), as well as on the second printing of the original UK publications of his Books of Blood series.
A longtime comics fan, Barker achieved his dream of publishing his own superhero books when Marvel Comics launched the Razorline imprint in 1993. Based on detailed premises, titles and lead characters he created specifically for this, the four interrelated titles — set outside the Marvel universe — were Ectokid,
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
October 24, 2019
This is the story that inspired the movie Hellraiser.
No, I haven't seen it yet, but as promised in the status update when starting this, I shall correct that this weekend.
So what is this about? Well, basically, it is THE cautionary tale about being careful what to wish for and how to phrase one's wish(es). Because one person's pleasure might be another person's torture. *sniggers*
Thus, Frank Cotton finally gets his hand on a mysterious puzzle box so he can make all his wishes come true ... or not. Unfortunately, he has to drag others down with him (though at least one of them deserves it) ...
It's actually funny (in a tragic sort of way) that this could have easily been . Which is what was so infuriating to me. Why on Earth ?!
*deep breath*
No, that isn't unrealistic, which is making it all the more infuriating. As such, the author managed to show humanity's depravity nicely while giving us the comparison to the Cenobites. Interestingly, that is not the only social comment the author managed to pack into this sadistic adventure short story, as he is also showcasing how pain can make you turn into a monster.
Also, the version I have is a full-cast audio. It wasn't bad, but as is often the problem with these, the dialogues were more quiet than the effects which was a bit annoying. Still, it was a very nice rendition and appropriately spooky.
No, I haven't seen it yet, but as promised in the status update when starting this, I shall correct that this weekend.
So what is this about? Well, basically, it is THE cautionary tale about being careful what to wish for and how to phrase one's wish(es). Because one person's pleasure might be another person's torture. *sniggers*
Thus, Frank Cotton finally gets his hand on a mysterious puzzle box so he can make all his wishes come true ... or not. Unfortunately, he has to drag others down with him (though at least one of them deserves it) ...
It's actually funny (in a tragic sort of way) that this could have easily been . Which is what was so infuriating to me. Why on Earth ?!
*deep breath*
No, that isn't unrealistic, which is making it all the more infuriating. As such, the author managed to show humanity's depravity nicely while giving us the comparison to the Cenobites. Interestingly, that is not the only social comment the author managed to pack into this sadistic adventure short story, as he is also showcasing how pain can make you turn into a monster.
Also, the version I have is a full-cast audio. It wasn't bad, but as is often the problem with these, the dialogues were more quiet than the effects which was a bit annoying. Still, it was a very nice rendition and appropriately spooky.
April 25, 2022
Swedish/English
En riktigt bra dramatisering av Clive Barkers kortroman. Mycket bra skådespelare och väldigt stämningsfull. Av vad jag minns från att ha läst originalet så är den här mycket trogen sin förlaga men har också sitt eget liv. En perfekt kombination med andra ord. Kopiera inte rakt av, men se till att ta med det viktigaste. Den här dramatiseringen får mig inte bara sugen på att läsa originalet men också att se om filmerna. I alla fall dom två första. Återstår att se om jag gör något av det, men jag gillar verkligen när något väcks till liv inombords bara genom att lyssna på en dramatisering eller renodlad ljudbok.
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This is a great dramatisation of Barker's novella. True and faithfull to the original and also with it's own life. It reminds me of how good Barker's original text really is and also how great the two first films are. It makes me want to both re-read and re-watch them all. Let's see if that feeling bares any fruit, but nevertheless, I like it a lot when a dramatisation of this sorts makes me want to do all of that.
En riktigt bra dramatisering av Clive Barkers kortroman. Mycket bra skådespelare och väldigt stämningsfull. Av vad jag minns från att ha läst originalet så är den här mycket trogen sin förlaga men har också sitt eget liv. En perfekt kombination med andra ord. Kopiera inte rakt av, men se till att ta med det viktigaste. Den här dramatiseringen får mig inte bara sugen på att läsa originalet men också att se om filmerna. I alla fall dom två första. Återstår att se om jag gör något av det, men jag gillar verkligen när något väcks till liv inombords bara genom att lyssna på en dramatisering eller renodlad ljudbok.
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This is a great dramatisation of Barker's novella. True and faithfull to the original and also with it's own life. It reminds me of how good Barker's original text really is and also how great the two first films are. It makes me want to both re-read and re-watch them all. Let's see if that feeling bares any fruit, but nevertheless, I like it a lot when a dramatisation of this sorts makes me want to do all of that.
June 4, 2022
Not a good adaptation of the novella, skip this and read the original
October 10, 2023
Having read the book, and seen Hellraiser many times, helped me to understand this presentation. Without that prior knowledge I don't think someone unfamiliar with the story would necessarily be able to follow what's happening. The sound design is well done, the production value is high, and the voice actors do a good job, but the lack of context can leave even a well versed fan confused.
June 12, 2024
I have forgotten how much I enjoy Clive Barker's writing. A poetic and horrifying tale. I prefer the book over the movie. The book left me wanting more cenobites.
The book is a fascinating dive into pleasure and lust.
The book is a fascinating dive into pleasure and lust.
August 9, 2024
Creepy and eery with a twist near the end. Hell raiser was very accurate to this book and the cenobites are creepy. I got a sense of uneasy whenever they appeared. They do not get involved in the actions of humans unless summoned and when they do it is creepy. Frank got what he deserved in the end though so that good.
August 13, 2025
this was so fun! such a great way to consume the story. it’s a film i love very much so i was very excited to listen. i rly love neve mcintosh’s portrayal of julia - she’s sooooo fierce. such good casting overall <3
3.75/5
3.75/5
October 12, 2020
Great production and revamp for Clive Barker's classic.
December 31, 2020
Been a long, long time sonce I first read The Hellbound Heart in the Night Visions anthology, and it broke my brain. This is an excellent audio adaptation, lots if crunchy gristly wet sounds of murder and mutiliation. Fun!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews