I'm usually not one for horror. Actually I almost always refuse to go anywhere near horror. I'm a wuss what can I say. However, I have always liked the work of Poe, and have recently read and enjoyed some of H.P. Lovecraft's works, but I had never really READ anything that was strictly horror. I was going through a bit of a "reading drought" so I decided to switch it up and pick this book up on a recommendation, and I am glad I did.

While some of the passages are graphic in their detail, I could hardly put the book down. I had to know what was going on and what would happen next. The description was richly done, and I could practically see everything that was happening in gory detail. Had I been in the theater I would likely have been peaking out from behind my eyes and asking friends to tell me when it was over, but reading it somehow made it easier to process.

I think it speaks volumes on Barker's skill as an author that his work could pull in someone like myself, someone who usually avoids the horror genre altogether. Not only that, but I've since purchased more of his work to read. The books is shocking in its detail, the evil is at its essence and has no remorse, and its thrills left me with goose bumps and looking over my shoulder. Maybe one day I will go see the movie, but something tells me the book is much more psychologically and visually terrifying than a movie could ever be. A- < a href="http://kellymelchersbookblog.blogspot.com/2009/06/book-review-hellbound-heart.html">(Read more of this review and others here.) ( )

Gross, scary and disturbing. I’ve always wanted to read this particular novel for the fact that I am a fan of Hellraiser and a fan of anything with S&M elements, especially horror. I wanted the literary experience of the Cenobites. Rather than pictures on a screen, I wanted my own imagination. This book was great. Gorey imagery, lots of horror, crazy people doing crazy things, and sadistic Cenobites promising a realm of sensation and pleasure beyond belief. It was chilling and I had nightmares when I went to bed after finishing… a sign of a good horror novel. ( )

I feel like this book would have been far harder to read had I not seen the movie. Still, I liked it. I would have expected it to be longer, given the movie, but it was still sweet. ( )

Maybe I've been spoiled by Barker's long-ranging epics, but the Hellbound Heart felt way too short for me. I finished it in a day, between my commute and my lunch break. It felt like it should have taken days to immerse myself, not barely 2 hours. I haven't seen the movies yet, so I'm coming at this relatively unbiased, though like I said earlier, you can't really compare this slim volume to his other fiction. On its own, it's an amazing horror story, one that seems like it would indeed translate well, if not better, to the screen. Time for netflix... ( )

One of the final forays into the horror genre Barker made, The Hellbound Heart truly goes beyond all horror of it's time. Even with contemporary writers, this piece holds its place as one of the most imaginative, visceral, and smart horror novellas in years. There is no reason to pass this gory treat up. ( )