With the latest news from Clive Barker’s site about there now being a director (Oliver Parker!) appointed for a Thief of Always movie, I thought it was only appropriate to review the book now.

I was a little skeptical about reading a young adult book by Clive (the man who wrote The Hellbound Heart wrote a children’s book…Really?). But as always with Clive Barker’s work, I was pleasantly surprised. The way that he is able to weave a story that incorporates adventure and horror within a tale suitable for a child is amazing.

*Warning Spoilers Ahead*

The book is an easy read as it flows so well, The Holiday House has just the right amount of joy at first before something starts to sour it all, it creeps up on you, that feeling that something just isn’t quite right. You begin to fear for poor Harvey Swick who merely wanted an adventure to alleviate his boring February. As the story moves with Harvey you realize he’s a fairly smart kid, unlike poor Wendell who keeps being lured back in by the Holiday House when Harvey has figured out that they are under some sort of a spell after the disappearance of Lulu.

My heart pounded as Harvey and Wendell attempt their first escape, it seems as though they won’t make it, that the mist will somehow turn them around at the very last moment. But they broke through, they made it, they parted ways and headed home, then Clive broke  my heart. Each day that the boys had spent in the Holiday House was a year in the real world. Harvey comes face to face with his aged parents, old enough now to be grandparents, and I nearly lose it. How can he possibly get those years back that he lost?

Well if anyone can it would be Harvey. Not to be beaten by Mr. Hood and his Holiday House, Harvey and Wendell head back to beat Mr. Hood at his own game. This is where Clive builds the story up beautifully to a final battle between Harvey and Mr. Hood. I won’t completely ruin the ending, but it was a battle that held me on the edge of my seat.

Meshed in with all of this adventure is some of Clive’s artwork, each chapter opens and closes with a drawing by Barker. Some of them, even though merely black and white artwork, are quite disturbing in their own ways. My personal favorite is the Christmas tree in front of Chapter VII A Present from the Past. If you look closely, this tree is not an innocent Christmas tree at all, but a toothy monster waiting for you to get close enough…

This book while being fun and horrific (in a good way) also has a great meaning behind it, one that every child (and adult if we’re being completely honest here) needs to find.

Don’t waste the time you have been given, it can be gone in an instant.

Photo By Maureen Mavar

web www.clivebarkercast.com

Russell Cherrington joins Ryan Danhauser and Jose Leitao to talk about the Cabal Cut, and Steve Dillon comes on later to tell us about the Oz Horror Con and the Nightbreed screening in Australia.  Donate and/or buy tickets here: Pozible Link.

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Theme by Colin Lacativa

Jose and Ryan are joined by guests Jonathan Kui, Max Lichtor and Mark Buckle to talk about Hellraiser 4: Bloodline. This talk got so long we broke it in to 2 parts, so here’s the second part.  Hit the link for the show notes.

1).  Hellraiser-Nightbreed Jihad Xipe Totec reference.

2)  IN the Mouth of Madness trailer

2)  Event Horizon Trailer

3)  Cronos Trailer

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Theme by Colin Lacativa

Max Lichtor: pyramid-gallery.com,
Mark Buckle: Labyrinth, http://labyrinth.me.ht
Jonathan Kui: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VttHhGmZR2c Hellraiser Winter’s Lament

I have been anticipating being able to watch Hellraiser. I have wanted to watch it on several occasions, but I wanted to be able to sit down and enjoy it on a day when I knew that I wouldn’t have any interruptions.

Finally, this past weekend I had the chance to sit down and watch this film, several months after I finished reading The Hellbound Heart. With such a long amount of time stretching between the reading of the novella and seeing the film, it was hard for me to remember and compare every single nuance of the book to the movie, but some of the stronger points from the book did still stand out in my memory when compared to the events that took place in Hellraiser.

(There may be some spoilers ahead).

In the case of Hellraiser, I was quite surprised that I enjoyed the movie a little more than the book. But just very slightly. There are still some points that were done better in the book, and in my opinion there always will be when it comes to Clive Barker’s work as he has a way with words that very few writers do.

As far as the film went I felt that Frank was portrayed in a way that I expected him to be, he came across as cruel and manipulative in the film as he was in the novella.

The effects in this film were phenomenal, especially when you take into consideration other movies from that era. The way that Clive Barker’s twisted imagery was made to come to life on the screen was both delightful and horrifying.

I feel that having Kirsty be the daughter brought you into the movie more, for me there was more of a connection with her character and I felt that there was more of a valid reason for her to be present within the story than there was in the novella. I feel that there should have been a little bit more done with the background of Steve, he didn’t really have a sound role in the story in my eyes and his lack of concern at the events that are unfolding around him at the end was a bit unnerving.

The end of the film went quickly, I enjoyed the tension that was built as Kirsty was fighting with Lemarchand’s box in order to banish the cenobites. But the ending to me was a bit of a disappointment, I was hoping for the Engineer to appear and entrust the box to the care of Kirsty until the next seeker of it’s “pleasures” sought her out. I feel that the ending was a let down to me since I had expected a completely different one, one that would extend Kirsty’s terror and make the viewer wonder what happens next.

Jose and Ryan are joined by guests Jonathan Kui, Max Lichtor and Mark Buckle to talk about Hellraiser 3: Hell on Earth and Hellraiser (4) Bloodline.  This talk got so long we broke it in to 2 parts, so here’s the first part. Click the link for the show notes.  

1)  The official shop, www.realclivebarker.com is open for business.

2)  Facebook: Official Candyman https://www.facebook.com/officialcandyman?fref=ts, Official Abarat https://www.facebook.com/booksofabarat

3)   Paul Kane’s new book.  publishing.Avalard.com

4)  The Skull ring Max has.

Max’s Skull Ring

5) Children of Fire by Pete Atkins. http://cenobite.com/library/cof.pdf

6)  Hellraiser Deader Winter’s Lament by Jonathan Kui

Hellraiser Prophecy by Jonathan Kui

Ryan Danhauser, Jose Leitao ans guest Jonathan Kui talk about Clive Barker’s most famous movie, Hellraiser and it’s first sequel.  Continue for show notes.

Engineer in Hellbound

Julia from deleted scene ending in Hellbound.

Screamin’ Hellraiser “Mystery Box”

web www.clivebarkercast.com
iTunes (Leave a review!)
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Twitter: @BarkerCast | @OccupyMidian
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Theme by Colin Lacativa
Song: Lost & Found by Cronos

Picture curtesy of Catherine Chevalier. Thanks!

“Rachel, you have said too much already!”

Not really.  Ryan and Jose go through Clive Barker news, and the have a great talk with Catherine Chevalier of Nightbreed and Hellraiser II: Hellbound, what she’s up to now, what she thinks about Nightbreed Cabal Cut and what it was like to work with Clive Barker.  The picture above she scanned for us from her personal collection.   Hit the link for the full show notes.  

See Catherine’s Posture and Movement web site here.  http://www.posture-movement.cmchevalier.co.uk

Clive Barker News:

“ — @RealCliveBarker: The Odyssey II project book with http://t.co/gLOEp6DxSH will be published in September! Read about it here. http://t.co/WRijcHNSVS”

Abarat 3 Paperback http://www.clivebarker.info/bookswip.html#abarat3uspb

Hellraiser Dark Watch http://boom-studios.com/hellraiser-the-dark-watch-01-cover-c.html

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