Hellraiser has been one of my favorite movies for as long as I can remember. The film features everything a horror movie should have: murder, gore, family drama, and of course, the Cenobites —extradimensional beings who torture humans.

I always knew that Hellrasier was based on the novel The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker. However, I never read it until recently. If you never read the book but have seen the movie, rest assured you aren’t missing much. The movie follows the novella extremely well. No core details have been removed, though both have different endings.

Here, I will compare The Hellbound Heart to Hellraiser. I will say, I don’t like one more than the other. Reading a book and watching a film are different experiences, especially here. Both the book and movie have their own strengths. I will also point out that there is a Hellraiser remake expected this year, so I will probably release another blog comparing the book, Hellraiser (1987), and Hellraiser (2022).

The Movie Follows the Book Well

In all honesty, there aren’t too many differences between the movie and the book. Both have the same premise: from Frank solving the Lemarchand Box to Kirsty meeting the Cenobites.

Even with this being said, I suggest everyone read the book if you haven’t yet. C’mon, why pass up Clive Barker’s amazing writing?

But the Ending Was Slightly Different

The biggest difference between the book and movie is the ending. Both endings are different, but I’m honestly not sure which is better. I think the movie’s ending was more authentic, as in I think the Cenobites would have reacted that way toward Kirsty. But my boyfriend said he felt the ending of the film was rushed and I agree.

I’m not going to completely give away the ending of the book and movie. I’m sure everyone reading this has seen the movie Hellraiser, though I’m not sure how many fans read the book. If you haven’t read the book, I suggest you check it out and see which ending you like better.

The Book Focuses More on Sexual Exploitation

Another difference I see between the Hellraiser film and Hellbound Heart book is the sexual exploitation aspect.

The movie was brutal. You can’t forget the sadistic scenes of Frank Cotton being torn apart by chains and the overall idea of killing people to bring Frank back to life.

All of these scenes occurred in the book, too. However, the book explored more of the exploitative aspects – specifically with the character Frank.

You see, Frank is a nymphomaniac. He was conveyed that way in the film, too, but more so in the book. Here’s a section of The Hellbound Heart, taken from the moment when Frank first lays eyes on the Cenobites.

“…he had expected something different…He thought they would come with women…women shaved and muscled for the act of love; their lips perfumed, their thighs trembling to spread, their buttocks weighty, the way he liked them. He had expected sighs, and languid bodies spread underfoot like a living carpet; he had expected virgin whores whose every crevice was his for the asking and whose skills would press him—upward, upward—to undreamed-of ecstasies…He would be exalted by lust, instead of despised for it.

“But no. No women, no sighs. Only these sexless things, with their corrugated flesh.”

As we all know, the Cenobites are sadistic beings that torture humans in another dimension. Frank expected nothing but pleasure in this only world. Instead, he received suffering. There’s more to this scene, especially when he first enters the dimension where the Cenobites live, but let’s focus on Frank and his narcissistic/sex addicted ways.

In the next chapter, we learn that Frank had a “wild” lifestyle. He would speak of his “tales of adventures in the shadows of criminality”, specifically about “whores and petty theft.”

This is one of the many reasons why Frank seduced Julia. If you saw the movie, you know that Julia slept with Frank right before her wedding to his brother, Larry (his name is Rory in the book). However, in the book, her affair with Frank left her transfixed by him for years. Again, this occurs in the movie, but we don’t see the true extent of Julia’s infatuation with Frank.

What is Barker saying here? Is it a warning to people like Julia, to not engage yourself in people like Frank? Or is it a warning to Frank, to not revel in lust? Or maybe a little bit of both?

The Cenobites in the Book vs. Movie

I personally think the Cenobites in the book are creepier than in the movie. While there is a Pinhead-looking one, the other three are even creepier.

A quote from the book, and from Frank’s POV:

“Why then was he so distressed to set eyes upon them? Was it the scars that covered every inch of their bodies, the flesh cosmetically punctured and sliced and infibulated…”

The Cenobites were described as being disfigured, with hooks and chains running through their skin. All of them were severely scarred, so much so to where their features were almost manipulated.

The film does have do an accurate job of depicting them. There was a character similar to Pinhead, though slightly different (I will explain this Cenobite in the next section), there’s a Cenobite similar to Chatterer (described as having a disfigured mouth), and another one similar to Deep Throat (described as having hooks through the lower lips).

However, I can’t find a similar Cenobite to Butterball (he’s my least favorite Cenobite anyway). And then there’s the Engineer, who barely makes an appearance in the book. The Engineer is the scorpion-like Cenobite who tries to attack Kirsty in the film. While the book conveys The Engineer in a similar manner, with its head on the bottom and a cone-line thing on top, The Engineer in the book seems godlier. A quick trip to the Cenobite Wiki will tell you that The Engineer made the torture devices that the Cenobites use and is also said to have been the human who first opened Hell’s Gates.

Was Pinhead Originally a Female?

After trans actress Jamie Clayton was cast as Pinhead for the Hellraiser remake, many people were saying that Pinhead was originally a woman in the book.

This isn’t really clear. Barker describes the Cenobites more as androgenous, though he does explain that Pinhead has a female-like voice. Here’s the closest Cenobite to Pinhead, in Barker’s words:

“Its voice…was light and breathy—the voice of an excited girl. Every inch of its head had been tattooed with an intricate grid, and at every intersection of horizontal and vertical axes a jeweled pin driven through the bone. Its tongue was also similarly decorated.”

Also, Deep Throat is often described as female by fans. It’s even called Female Cenobite. However, in the book, Deep Throat (or the closest Cenobite to Deep Throat) was also not assigned a gender.

However, there is a female Cenobite. But no Cenobite, other than maybe Angelique, fits this description. In Barker’s words:

“Not it he now saw: but she…The woman beneath was gray yet gleaming, her lips bloody, her legs parted so that the elaborate scarification of her pubis was displayed.”

Keep in mind, the Cenobites didn’t really receive any identities until after the first film was released. So the comparisons I’m making are ones from my own perspective as a fan.

Overall Review: Hellraiser vs. The Hellbound Heart

If you’re a Hellraiser or general Clive Barker fan, I highly suggest you read The Hellbound Heart if you haven’t yet. However, if you don’t, know the film and book are very similar. The main difference is the ending.

There are many aspects I like about the book better. We learn more about Frank and why he was so drawn to the Cenobites. We also learn that Julia’s feelings for him went way deeper than the film conveyed, which is why she was willing to help him murder random men. The Cenobites in the book are also way creepier than in the movie.

After writing this review, it makes me anticipate the remake even more. It should be out this year, so I’m anxiously anticipating it.