News

The Scarlet Gospels is the horror novel of 2015!

Published

9 years ago

May 19, 2015

In November of 1986, Clive Barker first unleashed his most enduring creation on the world, when Dark Harvest published his novella The Hellbound Heart. It was an intimate story involving a secretive family, the unlikely opening of the gates to hell, and a group of creatures known only as the Cenobites. The Hellbound Heart laid the foundation for a long-running series of films, comics and stories for the past three decades. And introduced us to a now classic icon of modern horror, the Lead Cenobite, who came to be known as Pinhead over the years.

Mr. Barker was not yet a household horror name at the time, but he was well on his way. At the time, he had only published his hugely influential Books Of Blood and his first novel The Damnation Game. He had received the incredible blessing of Stephen King, who labeled him “The future of horror”.The influence of Hellraiser over the years has been astounding. A very personal glimpse into the deviations and fantasies of a young author were there on the big screen for all to witness, and the film tapped a vein in popular culture that had fans clamoring for more Pinhead.

While the first few sequels, most notably Hellbound : Hellraiser 2, built upon the foundation Barker originally created, the quality of the films strayed further from the source material with each following film. Now, nearly three decades later, Barker has returned to the material with a vengeance. First announcing that he will be heavily involved in a new film iteration of the classic, and bringing our anti-hero back to the pages in his first full-length horror novel in years!

Make no mistake, The Scarlet Gospels is a straight up horror novel, featuring all of the psychosexual deviant behavior and twisted visions we have come to expect from the depths of hell. It brings us an uncompromising vision of Clive Barker’s Hell, and expands and builds upon his own mythology in ways no one else has in the intervening decades.

Barker has his own distinct vision of the architecture and hierarchy of the underworld, and he brings it to life in painstaking detail with this new novel. Right from the first pages, we are witness to the return of the beloved Priest of Hell, disrespectfully known as “Pinhead” but never to his face, and his epic crusade to essentially take over Hell. It is an interesting new way to look at an established character, especially one who we have seen mainly in short scenes in the films, his new ambition all consuming.

In fact, the most fascinating thing we get from this novel is the extended view of who this Lead Cenobite really is, as compared to who he would like to be, and who the audience perceives him as. Despite all of the intimidating and serene speeches of suffering we have seen over the years, we learn that Pinhead is in fact very low on the totem pole of Hell. All of his interdimensional meddling over the years has essentially been keeping this priest in his place as a glorified dog catcher, collecting up strays and mutts who chance upon the unassuming portal in the shape of a puzzle box.

The Scarlet Gospels documents his time and rise to power as he assuredly slaughters and slays through the ranks of the Underworld. Of course that means we are introduced to many characters, including armies of angry demons and wise old alchemists, all the way up to the Lord of Hell himself, Lucifer. But the Lord of Hell is not alone in showing us these sights. Tying together some of his other literary work, Barker crosses the paths of his iconic Cenobite with the fascinating character of Harry D’Amour and his friends. D’Amour is a character that originated in the short story The Last Illusion (brought to the screen by Scott Bakula in the film Lord Of Illusions) and made an appearance in Barker’s giant fantasy epic Everville. His vast knowledge of supernatural events and somewhat unlucky knack of being in the wrong place at the wrong time put D’Amour and his friends directly in the path of Pinhead’s crusade. The story of D’Amour and his friend’s involvement is a fascinating one early on in the novel, and their involvement is central to the world Barker is building. They are especially good comic relief and add a heart and a more human point of view to the spectacle.

And what a spectacle it is! An epic war in Hell, instigated and carried out by the priest who has had enough of his miniscule position and has ambitions bigger than any mortal or demon. The final third of the book is an action-filled war of epic proportions deep in the bowels of Hell, putting Pinhead in a position we fans had never imagined. The warrior of Hell has come to take over, and he has all manner of magic and torture at his disposal, and will stop at nothing to achieve his lofty goals. It is immensely satisfying reading, written in an excitable style by one of the great imaginers of our generation. It isn’t often that a complete re-invention of a decades- old character is successful, but this one hits all of the right notes. This novel is what King was talking about back in the 80s when he had seen the “future of horror”. The future is now. Clive Barker is back and Pinhead has come to take over.

The Scarlet Gospels is the horror novel of 2015!

Order your copy here!

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Movies

Trailer for ‘The Exorcism’ Has Russell Crowe Possessed

Published

16 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

The latest exorcism movie is about to drop this summer. It’s aptly titled The Exorcism and it stars Academy Award winner turned B-movie savant Russell Crowe. The trailer dropped today and by the looks of it, we are getting a possession movie that takes place on a movie set.

Just like this year’s recent demon-in-media-space film Late Night With the Devil, The Exorcism happens during a production. Although the former takes place on a live network talk show, the latter is on an active sound stage. Hopefully, it won’t be entirely serious and we’ll get some meta chuckles out of it.

The film will open in theaters on June 7, but since Shudder also acquired it, it probably won’t be long after that until it finds a home on the streaming service.

Crowe plays, “Anthony Miller, a troubled actor who begins to unravel while shooting a supernatural horror film. His estranged daughter, Lee (Ryan Simpkins), wonders if he’s slipping back into his past addictions or if there’s something more sinister at play. The film also stars Sam Worthington, Chloe Bailey, Adam Goldberg and David Hyde Pierce.”

Crowe did see some success in last year’s The Pope’s Exorcist mostly because his character was so over-the-top and infused with such comical hubris it bordered on parody. We will see if that is the route actor-turned-director Joshua John Miller takes with The Exorcism.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

News

Win a Stay at The Lizzie Borden House From Spirit Halloween

Published

18 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Spirit Halloween has declared that this week marks the start of spooky season and to celebrate they are offering fans a chance to stay at the Lizzie Borden House with so many perks Lizzie herself would approve.

The Lizzie Borden House in Fall River, MA is claimed to be one of the most haunted houses in America. Of course one lucky winner and up to 12 of their friends will find out if the rumors are true if they win the grand prize: A private stay in the notorious house.

“We are delighted to work with Spirit Halloween to roll out the red carpet and offer the public a chance to win a one-of-a-kind experience at the infamous Lizzie Borden House, which also includes additional haunted experiences and merchandise,” said Lance Zaal, President & Founder of US Ghost Adventures.

Fans can enter to win by following Spirit Halloween‘s Instagram and leaving a comment on the contest post from now through April 28.

The prize also includes:

An exclusive guided house tour, including insider insight around the murder, the trial, and commonly reported hauntings

A late-night ghost tour, complete with professional ghost-hunting gear

A private breakfast in the Borden family dining room

A ghost hunting starter kit with two pieces of Ghost Daddy Ghost Hunting Gear and a lesson for two at US Ghost Adventures Ghost Hunting Course

The ultimate Lizzie Borden gift package, featuring an official hatchet, the Lizzie Borden board game, Lily the Haunted Doll, and America’s Most Haunted Volume II

Winner’s choice of a Ghost Tour experience in Salem or a True Crime experience in Boston for two

“Our Halfway to Halloween celebration provides fans an exhilarating taste of what’s to come this fall and empowers them to start planning for their favorite season as early as they please,” said Steven Silverstein, CEO of Spirit Halloween. “We have cultivated an incredible following of enthusiasts who embody the Halloween lifestyle, and we’re thrilled to bring the fun back to life.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Spirit Halloween (@spirithalloween)

Spirit Halloween is also preparing for their retail haunted houses. On Thursday, August 1 their flagship store in Egg Harbor Township, NJ. will officially open to start off the season. That event usually draws in hordes of people eager to see what new merch, animatronics, and exclusive IP goods will be trending this year.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Movies

’28 Years Later’ Trilogy Taking Shape With Serious Star Power

Published

20 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Danny Boyle is revisiting his 28 Days Later universe with three new films. He will direct the first, 28 Years Later, with two more to follow. Deadline is reporting that sources say Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and Ralph Fiennes have been cast for the first entry, a sequel to the original. Details are being kept under wraps so we don’t know how or if the first original sequel 28 Weeks Later fits into the project.

**Jodie Comer, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Ralph Fiennes**

Boyle will direct the first movie but it’s unclear which role he will take on in the subsequent films. What is known is Candyman (2021) director Nia DaCosta is scheduled to direct the second film in this trilogy and that the third will be filmed immediately afterward. Whether DaCosta will direct both is still unclear.

Alex Garland is writing the scripts. Garland is having a successful time at the box office right now. He wrote and directed the current action/thriller Civil War which was just knocked out of the theatrical top spot by Radio Silence’s Abigail.

There is no word yet on when, or where, 28 Years Later will start production.