Clive Barker is a master of dark fantasy and horror. When he emerged on the scene back in the early 1980s with the domestic release of his short story anthology THE BOOKS OF BLOOD, American horror master Stephen King was quoted as saying, “I think Clive Barker is so good I am literally tongue-tied.”

Barker delivered on this promise for a while. However, like many authors of dark fiction and horror, he saw his work over-saturated with numerous film versions inspired by his books --- not all of it very good. One of the most iconic figures in modern horror is the image of Barker's Pinhead, a Cenobite demon that thrives on unspeakable torture and horror with a look that is instantly recognizable to most fans of the genre.

"...a most refreshing return from one of the living legends of horror, and I hope Barker continues to do his part in making the horror and dark fantasy genres relevant again."

Even though there have been many Hellraiser films made, Pinhead only appeared in one Barker novella, THE HELLBOUND HEART, which served as the inspiration for the first --- and best --- of these movies. Fans have been champing at the bit for the return in print of the evil Pinhead. Well, Barker has finally fulfilled this promise. In fact, he has upped the ante with the release of THE SCARLET GOSPELS, which includes not only Pinhead but another of his fictional creations, P.I. Harry D'Amour.

One of the many classic short stories in THE BOOKS OF BLOOD, “The Last Illusion,” featured D'Amour. It was the impetus for the terrific and highly underrated film, Lord of Illusions, starring Scott Bakula as D'Amour. Now, in THE SCARLET GOSPELS, Barker prepares to pull out all the stops in pitting his hero and antihero against one another in a thrilling dark adventure taking place in both the earthly realm and the darkest regions of hell itself.

The dark priest of hell, Pinhead, has returned to earth after being conjured by a cabal of dark magicians. Their unleashing of the ancient Cenobite has reignited his need for mass destruction, and he sets his sights on taking over hell and overthrowing Satan in the process. Meanwhile, D'Amour is pulled into this struggle by an elderly blind black woman named Norma, who has the uncanny ability to speak with the dead. She encourages D'Amour and a small band of colleagues to do whatever it takes to stop Pinhead before he brings the nightmares of hell onto earth.

What follows is classic Clive Barker. His eternally fertile imagination and ability to create visual horror that will stick inside your darkest nightmares is well evident in THE SCARLET GOSPELS, and the border between sanity and insanity is crossed several times. It is a most refreshing return from one of the living legends of horror, and I hope Barker continues to do his part in making the horror and dark fantasy genres relevant again.