I just finished reading a few minutes ago, and I think my heart's still pumping fast at the time of writing this, haha.

The Hellbound Heart is a well-written, horrific story, filled with gore, interesting lore, and scary, badass, esoteric, inter-dimensional beings. It's a bit on the short side (it's a novella, after all), but boy does it pack a punch. I've loved Hellraiser for a long time, but like my other spooky October read (Mary W. Shelley's Frankenstein), I feel like this book ended up being in a league of its own compared to the film/s.

I'm looking forward to reading more of Clive Barker's works, especially those related to The Hellbound Heart, and I hope more people begin to recognize what Mr. Barker has brought to the table.

Content Warnings

desarroi's review

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Absolutely thrilling, a perfect work of the macabre with a healthy dose of cosmic horror.

Content Warnings

horror_n_history's review

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dark sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I’ve watched the movie many times and found out about a year ago it was based on this novella. This story was very good. There is not slow burn. You are immediately thrown into the story and it is hard to put down. If you enjoy a good horror story and don’t mind body horror, then I would highly recommended this read.

Content Warnings

perthalus's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

Will write review later.

Content Warnings

regaliaofchaos's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

lukes_ramblingwritings66's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Cool little novella that started the Hellraiser film series. The first chapter is kind of funny in the sense but the tension does pick up from there, with the grotesque details being sprinkled here and there throughout. I did appreciate how Barker describes the weather because imagine my chagrin when after I read a passage like “it was raining for 72 hours” only to look up and it’s sunny and hot here in SoCal. Anyways, highly recommend if someone wants a short little horror read for the spoopy season. I’d probably check it out a library instead as the printing job on this edition is kinda shitty.

Content Warnings

ploominator's review against another edition

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dark sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Content Warnings

sphinxofblackquartz's review against another edition

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challenging dark medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No

3.25

Content Warnings

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