Quick Review: HELLRAISER: THE TOLL by Mark Allan Miller *** out of *****

The story of what happened to Kirsty Cotton between the events of Clive Barker's The Hellbound Heart and the start of The Scarlet Gospels, the Hellraiser: The Toll novella is a diverting, if not particularly memorable, addition to the Hellraiser mythos. It also retcons the events of another supposedly cannon sequel to The Hellbound Heart, the comic book series co-written by Clive Barker, which is the better story of the two.

Recommended for hardcore fans, but casual readers will find it baffling.

Text © Ahmed Khalifa. 2020.

Ahmed Khalifa is a filmmaker and novelist. He is the writer/director of the feature film Wingrave, released on Netflix, and the author of a number of novels and short stories, including the YA horror novel, Beware The Stranger, available on Amazon. Find him on Twitter @AFKhalifa and on Facebook @Dark.Fantastic.AK·Writer

Book Review: THE SCARLET GOSPELS by Clive Barker *** out of *****

The book Clive Barker fans waited for for decades, The Scarlet Gospels is, for better or worse, Barker's summation of his entire cannon. It features his talent for world-building and stunning imagery, his obsession with sex and violence, and his two most famous creations, detective Harry D'Amour and The Hell Priest a.k.a Pinhead.

But fans expecting this to be a no-holds-barred horror-action fest are in for a surprise. Yes, the book features a couple of lengthy action set-pieces, but Barker seems more interested in telling an epic tale of loss, hubris, and the eventual cost of dancing with the dark. This will undoubtedly be somewhat disappointing for many readers expecting the Pinhead of yore, as The Scarlet Gospels is more Everville (1994) than The Hellbound Heart (1986), and with a darker, more vicious version of Pinhead on display.

It's best not to reveal too much about the incoherent plot; suffice it to say, Barker sends D'Amour and his band of heroes (called The Harrowers, for some reason) on a direct path with Pinhead, who has been collecting arcane magical powers for a purpose darker and more devastating than anyone could have imagined, a purpose which will lead D'Amour straight into hell.

From the opening chapters, everything that is good and not so good about the  book becomes clear. Barker's writing shifts from wondrous descriptions of darkly images and creatures, to self-indulgent and overlong scenes of mayhem, to stretches of subpar, profanity-laden dialogue, making for a read that is uneven, to say the least. As this is Barker at his most brutal and excessive, with his penchant for epicness producing instances of overwhelming excess, and also stunning sequences of biblical mayhem. The overall effect is a novel that is overly dark, under-plotted, and, despite the violence and gore, surprisingly elegiac in tone.

Ultimately, The Scarlet Gospels is pure Clive Barker, and fans of his work and the Hellraiser universe will want to give it a go. But casual readers will probably find it ponderous and confusing. Recommended, with reservations.

Text © Ahmed Khalifa. 2020.

Ahmed Khalifa is a filmmaker and novelist. He is the writer/director of the feature film Wingrave, released on Netflix, and the author of a number of novels and short stories, including the YA horror novel, Beware The Stranger, available on Amazon. Find him on Twitter @AFKhalifa and on Facebook @Dark.Fantastic.AK·Writer

Review: Clive Barker's Hellraiser: Omnibus Volume 1 (2012) ** and 1\2 out of four

When it was announced that Clive Barker was returning to his Hellraiser universe for the first time since Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988), fans around the world rejoiced. Barker and co. promised to bring the franchise back to its glory days of the 80s, and deliver something truly special. After finishing the five volumes that make up this saga, I'm left with ambivalent feelings about the whole thing.

The story begins promisingly enough, with Kirsty Cotton, the heroine of the novella The Hellbound Heart and the first two Hellraiser movies (she was also featured in 2002's Hellraiser: Hellseeker in a very minor role) and her team of "Harrowers" searching for all of Le Marchand's toys and devices and destroying them in an attempt to close the gateways to hell, forever. Then we realize that the Hell Priest a.k.a Pinhead is seemingly tired of hell and his mission, and wants to become human again. And the only way to do that is to find a replacement. To say anymore would be unfair.

The story features twists and turns aplenty, some of them terrific, others hackneyed and contrived. But, for me, the story derails completely with the fourth volume, as the storytelling becomes bigger and bigger (or more epic, if you like), and the plot becomes annoyingly convoluted and overblown.

It is obvious that Barker, who likes things "big", uses the comic book format to do things he knows he'll probably never get a chance to do in a feature or TV show: epic set pieces and extravagant special effects. But it's all to the detriment of the storytelling, with the Hellraiser mythos transforming into an epic dark fantasy adventure, replete with battleships and government conspiracies.

There's a lot to like about this series, including some terrific artwork, some neat twists, surprise appearances by characters from the entire Hellraiser universe, and the return of Barker's unique voice, which has been sorely missing from the franchise for decades. But, ultimately, this is a somewhat disappointing experience, with a true letdown of an ending. Also, be warned: it ends on a cliffhanger.

Book Review: HELLRAISER: THE FILMS AND THEIR LEGACY by Paul Kane

Essential Reading for fans of the series and genre, filled to the brim with detailed information on all aspects of the franchise, and written with energy and passion.

Tex © Ahmed Khalifa. 2016.