The Hellbound Heart question

I do not see it. There are totally different monsters aimed at totally different demographics. Freddy is written for teenagers while cenobites are totally written towards adults. Freddy is a truly great villain, but pinhead and his cenobites are so much deeper.

Freddy's great. A disfigured child molester who goes after teenagers in their dreams, therefore suspending all limitations. I remember being blown away after I first saw him in the theater.

But Pinhead, for me, is from a whole different level of hell. They represent the darkest pits of humanities soul. Their extreme sexual mutilation is so far beyond teenaged terror.

In my most humble opinion, they are not comparable.

Seems totally asinine. Neither are focused on the same overall theme. One is interested in the power of dreams while the other is interested in the inability of humanity to stay away from that which is dangerous. And that is totally reductive to boot.

It's been a while since I've read this novella but I'm at a loss as to how it is at all similar to ANOES.

Edit: I've just reread it and I still can't see even the remotest connection.

same here. they are very different stories and very differnt character motivations. beyond essentially a "boogie man" i can't see the similarity.

was Nightmare on Elm St a rip off of Dreamscape?

every story is similar in some way or other to something that came before it

I'm in agreement with everyone here. I can't think of anything that the book or movie has in common with Nightmare on Elm Street. you say that in the book, you saw some nightmare influences. Would you mind giving some examples?

I don't really see the relation other than people die in both movies. In one movie we have a child molester who gets burned and attacks people through their dreams to get revenge for his death. In Hellbound Heart, we have a man who comes back from the grips of the Cenobites (who worship experience) and has his brother's wife kill to regenerate his body.

I can see sexual themes in both; A Nightmare on Elm Street would be more of an anti-sexual theme regarding sleeping for teens; while Hellraiser might be a criticism of sexual deviancy or perversion. Yes, one would be target at a younger audience, if you want to look at it that way, and the other at an an adult audience. There's nothing wrong with being inspired by other horror movies and if Clive Barker was, then that's wonderful that he took it in a slightly different direction.

No connection. Totally different.

I agree with others that the connection is tenuous at best. Remember NOES was inspired by the Italian giallo films.

If you want to see a movie that is much like Hellraiser, go for "House by the Cemetary" directed by Lucio Fulci. Just mix in there the plot of "The Whip and the body" directed by Mario Bava, and you have the plot of Hellraiser/Hellbound Heart.
It has very little to do with Nightmare on Elm Street though, only the two heroines are alike. But then again, Christie in the book is not a teenager daughter, but a friend of (and probably has a secret crush on) Paul's brother

In my opinion Hellbound heart is heavily influence about the fetishes , torture, pawns from inferno and horror of the flesh.

While Nightmare on elm street was more like the evil brother of Morpheus from the Sandman character reinvented by Neil Gaiman. Who resides in the dream world.

Totally different stories, inspired in different ways.