2019 Bram Stoker Award Ballot Resource
Gavin F. Hurley, Short Non-Fiction
“Between Hell and Earth: Rhetorical Appropriation of Religious Space within Hellraiser"
The essay is found in The Spaces and Places of Horror, Vernon Press, 2019.
Abstract: This essay suggests that the rhetorical cohesion of place(s) within Barker's Hellraiser/Hellbound: Hellraiser II inclusively attracts a range of audiences, which powerfully contributes to the franchise’s overall success. The films' overlapping Christian and Post-Christian spaces help facilitate this inclusivity—specifically, through its cooperative use of secular and religious spheres. Overall, the essay demonstrates how the horror genre can successfully can splice these two spheres to foster a richly philosophical narrative.