History Literature / TheHellboundHeart

* BeastAndBeauty: Frank, upon returning from the realm of the Cenobites has essentially become a skinless monster. Despite this though, the beautiful Julia is still lusts after him and is more than willing to do his bidding.

** Julia, the novella's secondary antagonist, is described as being a very attractive woman, with Kirsty thinking how even the movements she makes seem graceful and that she seemed incapable of ugliness. It helps her pick up strange men in pubs with ease. Unfortunately, she's also an adulterous, murdering witch of a woman. Meanwhile Kirsty, who is described as being rather plain, having a more loving disposition and is devoted to her dear friend Rory.

** Julia, the novella's secondary antagonist, is described as being a very attractive woman, with Kirsty noting how even the movements she makes seem graceful. It helps her pick up strange men in pubs with ease. Unfortunately, she's also an adulterous, murdering witch of a woman. Meanwhile Kirsty, who is described as being rather plain, having a more loving disposition and is devoted to her dear friend Rory.

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:Both Frank and Julia's reign of terror is ended and the two are dragged off to the realm of the Cenobites. Kirsty, while worse for wear, has her soul spared by the Cenobites for keeping her word to give them Frank. Rory is still dead, but Kirsty notes that his face doesn't appear on the surface of the Lament Configuration like Frank's and Julia's does. It's implied that Rory is in a realm of genuine bliss, and Kirsty hopes she can one day find a puzzle that unlocks the realm where he is.]]

** The state Frank is in after having spent some time in the Cenobites realm. He's little more than a desiccated corpse with one eye and exposed nerves. Julia even comments to herself that it should be impossible for anything like that to be alive.

* ForWantOfANail: A rather literal example. While trying to cut away part of a window form, Rory slices his thumb open with his chisel and bleeds all over the floor. It's this blood that Frank first uses to reconstruct his body and return to the world of the living. If not for that accident, Rory and Julia might have just gone on living in the house, and Frank might have stayed in Hell.

** Frank also attempts to rape Kirsty when she stops by the house to check on Julia [[spoiler: inadvertently stumbling upon Frank in the middle of eating a man.]] Thankfully, Kirsty manages to fight off Frank but this isn't even the worst thing he tries to do to Kirsty.

** Julia, the novella's secondary antagonist, is described as being a very attractive woman, with Kristy noting how even the movements she makes seem graceful. It helps her pick up strange men in pubs with ease. Unfortunately, she's also an adulterous, murdering witch of a woman. Meanwhile Kirsty, who is described as being rather plain, having a more loving disposition and is devoted to her dear friend Rory.

** [[spoiler:Julia becomes this as well, an adulterous wife who lures men back to her home in order to murder them and essentially use them as sustenance for her undead lover. She also helps Frank attempt to kill Kirsty towards the end of the novella. She's killed by Frank and it's heavily implied that she too is dragged off to hell with Frank to suffer eternally at the hands of the cenobites.]]

** Julia, the novella's secondary antagonist, is described as being a very attractive woman. Kirsty even notes how even the movements she makes are graceful and beautiful. It's also seen with the ease in which she's able to pick up strange men at the local pubs. Unfortunately she's also an adulterous, murdering witch of a woman. Meanwhile, Kirsty is described as being rather plain but is a very lovely young woman, devoted to her dear friend, Rory.
** Averted with Frank and Rory; Frank, the main antagonist of the story, is described as being somewhat unattractive, even before he's turned into a skinless monster. Rory on the other hand, the loving husband and all around NiceGuy, is described as being boyishly handsome and having a "sweet face".

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:Both Frank and Julia's reign of terror is ended and the two are dragged off to the realm of the Cenobites. Kirsty, while worse for wear, has her soul spared by the Cenobites for living up to her deal with them to give them Frank. Rory is still dead, but Kirsty notes that his face didn't appear on the surface of the Lament Configuration like Frank's and Julia's did. It's implied that Rory is in another realm filled with actual pleasure and divine happiness and Kirsty hopes she can one day find the puzzle that unlocks the realm to where he is.]]

* ADateWithRosiePalms: Frank resorts to this in an attempt to lessen the sensory overload the Cenobites inflict. While it doesn't help there, leaving behind "part of himself" does lead to his escape when his brother Rory unknowingly spills blood on it.

This was the book that Clive himself adapted and directed into ''Film/{{Hellraiser}}'', which launched the entire ''Franchise/{{Hellraiser}}'' franchise. [[Film/Hellraiser2022 The 2022 film reboot]] serves as another (and TruerToTheText) adaptation of the novella.

* WelcomeToHell: Literally, in this case.

* YourCheatingHeart: Julia who had sex with Frank just two weeks before her marriage to his brother, Rory. Four years later and she continues to lust after him and is trapped in a loveless marriage with Rory. She also goes to local bars and restaurants to pick up men while Rory is out at work, however, it's not for sexual reasons...at least not directly.

* AndIMustScream: The fate of pretty much everyone who opens the Lament Configuration and [[spoiler: ultimately the fate of both Frank and Julia.]] Those who open the box are made immortal on the other side of the schism, thus able to be subjected to [[ColdBloodedTorture horrific torture]] that would kill them otherwise and endlessly endure more of it. While it's never explicitly stated what it is the Cenobites exactly do to their victims, considering the state Frank returns in, it's probably best left unsaid.

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: Both Frank and Julia's reign of terror is ended and the two are dragged off to the realm of the cenobites. Kirsty, while worse for wear, has her soul spared by the cenobites for living up to her deal with them to give them Frank. However, Rory is still dead though Kirsty notes that his face didn't appear on the surface of the Lament Configuration like Frank's and Julia's did. It's implied that Rory is in another realm filled with actual pleasure and divine happiness and Kirsty hopes she can one day find the puzzle that unlocks the realm to where he is.]]

** The Cenobites themselves provide plenty, let alone to what they do to those who open the box.

* AssholeVictim: Frank is subjected to an eternity of torture (twice), but he is such a murderous sleazebag that he totally deserves it.
** [[spoiler: Julia becomes this as well, an adulterous wife who lures men back to her home in order to murder them and essentially use them as sustenance for her undead lover. She also helps Frank attempt kill Kirsty towards the end of the novella. She's killed by Frank and it's heavily implied that she too is dragged off to hell with Frank to suffer eternally at the hands of the cenobites.]]
* BeautyIsBad: Julia, the novella's secondary antagonist, is described as being a very attractive woman. Kirsty even notes how even the movements she makes are graceful and beautiful. It's also seen with the ease in which she's able to pick up strange men at the local pubs. Unfortunately she's also an adulterous, murdering witch of a woman. Meanwhile, Kirsty is described as being rather plain but is a very lovely young woman, devoted to her dear friend, Rory.