by Clive Barker
First published 2007
Frank Cotton discovers a lacquered puzzle box that promises extraordinary sensual experiences. When he solves it, the box summons the Cenobites, beings from a hellish dimension who cannot distinguish between pleasure and pain. They tear Frank apart and drag him to their realm. Later, in the house where Frank disappeared, his brother Larry moves in with his wife Julia. Julia once had an affair with Frank and remains obsessed with him. When Larry cuts himself and bleeds on the attic floor, the blood resurrects Frank in a partially formed state. Frank convinces Julia to help him return to full human form by luring victims to the house so he can consume their flesh and blood. As Frank grows stronger with each killing, Julia must choose between her marriage and her dangerous passion for a man who has become something monstrous.
Genres: fantasy, horror, thriller, dark-fantasy
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, suspenseful
Tropes: body-horror, monsters, supernatural-elements
Setting: Hell
Period: 20th-century
128 pages · Hardcover · Earthling Publications
Content warnings: body-horror, graphic-violence