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Jesus wept but uncle frank orgasmd
I’m starting to think I should watch this movie
You should. Be mindful it’s relatively low-budget but the story is insanely good and the puzzle box that people mention is one of the few movie prop items I see at conventions and in stores that I will not touch.
I finally watched it recently. I’m not one for horror, but I enjoyed this movie. Yeah it has kind of gross visuals, but not really jump scares. It’s more surrealist horror.
Clive Barker got the inspiration from the gay kink scene. It was a case of literally “you know, you could probably make a cool horror story from this”
I mean, that seems like a kind of reductive way to describe the sublimely intimate ways that Hellraiser engages with the anxieties and fears of queer culture, and especially the queer culture of the late eighties.
Clive Barker is the best writer I’ve ever read. The prose is immaculate. His movies are hit or miss, with Hellraiser likely being his best. If anyone has ever been on the fence about reading his novels, I would encourage you to give them a shot. Barker has this insane writing ability where he can create the most disturbing scenes I have ever read, but it’s written so well that I won’t even notice it’s fucked up until I get to the end of the chapter. At that point I just put it down and stare off into space for a while. Barker is one of a kind. I wish I could read his books for the first time all over again.
And the disturbing scenes and themes in his writing are never gratuitous, they always have an extra layer to add, usually in the form of societal critiques.
What books of his would you reccomend to start with?
I started with Mister B Gone which is a good place to start. It’s sort of an oddball coming of age story about a demon. The Hellbound Heart is probably where I would recommend starting, though. It’s the novella that Hellraiser is based on. After that read The Scarlet Gospels, which is probably the most insane book I’ve ever read, and sort of a sequel to The Hellbound Heart. Barker wanted to put Hellraiser to bed for good, and The Scarlet Gospels certainly does that.
Sacrament is also a good starting point for people because it’s less disturbing than most. Coldheart Canyon is a ton of fun, but also possibly his goriest book. It’s also extremely readable and easy to get into.
Thanks I’m gonna give Hellbound Heart a go.
Am not u/ObtuseDoorFrame, but I read most of them.
My favorite is The Great and Secret Show, which is more fantasy themed. Of his Horror titles, I think Imajica is his best.
I’ll happily second all this, except that my favorite is Imajica and second favorite is The Great and Secret Show.
And if you’re into shorter stories, the two Books of Blood omnibuses are WAY more hits than misses. Seven of the stories were turned into 12 films, TV movies, or episodes of horror anthology shows (though to be fair 4 of those are Candyman).
Make sure you read Everville afterwards. It’s the sequel to The Great and Secret Show and I found it to be an improvement upon the first book.
I haven’t read Imajica yet, but it’s sitting on my shelf and I’m excited to get into it.
Thanks appreciate the recs
