Harry D'Amour
Harry D'Amour is a fictional occult detective created by author, filmmaker, and artist Clive Barker. He originally appeared in the prose story "The Last Illusion" in Books of Blood Volume 6, an anthology of stories written by Barker and published in 1986. Barker then adapted D'Amour and elements of the same story for the 1995 movie Lord of Illusions, which he directed and wrote. In the film, Harry was portrayed by actor Scott Bakula. Since his debut in Books of Blood, D'Amour has appeared in other prose stories and was revealed to live in the same reality as Barker's popular creations the Cenobites and the Hell Priest (whose Hellraiser movie incarnation is known to fans as Pinhead).[1]
| Harry D'Amour | |
|---|---|
 Harry D'Amour, as he appears on cover art for Hellraiser #18 (September 2012) | |
| First appearance | The Last Illusion (1986) |
| Created by | Clive Barker |
| Portrayed by | Scott Bakula |
| In-universe information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Private detective |
| Nationality | American |
D'Amour is said to be a native of Hell's Kitchen in New York City,[2] first becoming a police officer but then leaving the police to become a private investigator.[3] He becomes a specialist in occult cases after repeatedly encountering demonic and magical forces. Though he regularly encounters violence, depravity, and moral compromise, D'Amour tries to uphold his own principles of morality and will risk his life to protect the lives and souls of others, even strangers, from suffering at the hands of demonic forces.[4] Harry wishes not only to help the living but also souls who cannot rest, describing himself as "a detective for the dead."[2] According to Clive Barker, D'Amour's destiny of repeatedly being pitted against evil forces is "karmic payback" for his own past sins. After his initial encounters with the supernatural, Harry has his body tattooed with markers that confer protection against evil and becomes a frequent enemy of the forces of Hell, and is sometimes consulted for his expertise by different people on Earth.[3] He often carries a .38 revolver.
Character conception and development
In an interview with Fangoria, Clive Barker described Harry D'Amour as "this everyman who is drawn into the heart of darkness over and over again because of some karmic thing which he has no power over."[5] In an interview with the Wired podcast The Geek's Guide to the Galaxy episode 151 (May 23, 2015), Barker said, "Harry is a film noir character in a way. He’s a Philip Marlowe via Clive Barker. He's a down-at-the-heel, pissed-off, rather exhausted PI who's based in New York."[6] In the Boom! Studios comic book series Hellraiser (2011-2012), plotted and co-written by Barker, Harry mentions he is originally from Hell's Kitchen. In "The Last Illusion," Harry considers that it took him "twenty years" to understand that murder can happen with any arbitrary motive. He also remarks that he hasn't prayed "in twenty years," but it is unclear if this is an exaggeration or literal. It is indicated that he has only recently come to realize the power and danger of demonic forces, due to a recent case at a house on Wycoff Street in Brooklyn.
In the novel The Scarlet Gospels, D'Amour is said to be 47-years old. It is not clear what year the novel actually takes place in or what year "The Last Illusion" was set. If both stories are meant to be set during the publication dates, then Harry would only be 18-years-old during "The Last Illusion," which seems unlikely since the same story says he is a divorced private investigator and is at least in his twenties. The Scarlet Gospels adds that Harry encountered supernatural forces a few times during childhood, not fully understanding what was happening, and that he worked for some time as a police officer before becoming a private investigator. The novel states that, while working as a police officer, Harry witnessed his partner being murdered by a demon they accidentally discovered. The novel also states that after leaving the police force, Harry began having sigils tattooed on his body so he could detect the presence of magic and demons and have some small protection. These incidents of backstory seem in contradiction to the original story "The Last Illusion" where Harry is an experienced private detective who has no protective tattoos and seems unprepared when he encounters a demon from Hell ("the Gulfs") in Brooklyn.
In the liner notes included with the director's cut of Lord of Illusions, Barker said, "I've travelled a long way with Harry D'Amour. He first appeared in a story I wrote almost a decade ago now, 'The Last Illusion.' Since then, I've recounted his life and troubled times in two novels and some short fiction. I've not made the road very easy for him. His destiny, it seems, is to be in constant struggle with what might be loosely called 'the forces of darkness', though he claims he'd be quite content investigating insurance fraud. His reluctance is, I trust, part of his charm. He's not a Van Helsing, defiantly facing off against some implacable evil with faith and holy water. His antecedents are the troubled, weary and often lovelorn heroes of film noir - private detectives with an eye for a beautiful widow and an aversion to razors."[7]
In an interview with Bloody Best of Fangoria in 1993, Clive Barker spoke of his story "The Last Illusion" and its movie adaptation Lord of Illusions and said, "I've always loved illusionists. There's always a dark side, and illusionists present them to you. It's very much life-and-death illusion - you sawed the woman in half, but she's still alive. They're presented as breezy, funny, entertaining pieces - but, subtextually, they're stories of death and resurrection.[8]
While filming the adaptation Lord of Illusions, Barker considered actor Scott Bakula the perfect casting choice for Harry D'Amour. On the documentary "The Making of Lord of Illusions" included with the director cut's of the movie, Barker said, "He's the Harry I've had in my head for 8 years - no word of a lie. When he stepped on set in costume for the first time, which happened to be into his apartment, the set for his apartment, I thought, 'This is wonderful - this is the man I've been writing about for 8 years,' and that's a real thrill to see an actor so beautifully embody somebody that you've been writing about for such a long time - it's a real thrill. I have to say, they used to say that thing on posters: 'So and so is so and so.' Well, Scott Bakula is Harry D'Amour, and it really sends a shiver down an author's back."[9] In IDW Publishing's comic book adaptation of The Great and Secret Show, artist Gabriel Rodriguez designed D'Amour to look like Bakula. In the collected edition's afterword "The Great and Annotated Show," comic book scriptwriter Chris Ryall wrote "... there was only one way to portray D'Amour in the comics - namely, the same way he looked in the Lord of Illusions movie. This page garnered me more comments from fans than anything that occurred in any other issue. Everyone seemed very happy that D'Amour looked like he did."[10]
Literature
"The Last Illusion"
In the short story "The Last Illusion" in Books of Blood Volume 6, Harry D'Amour is introduced as a man in his thirties, a divorced private investigator living in New York City. A recent job in Brooklyn involved a man named Lomax hiring D'Amour to spy on his adulterous wife Mimi. During this case, Harry later found Mimi Lomax at her house on Wyckoff Street with a lover who revealed his true form to be a demon. Harry then battled the demon alongside Mimi and a priest named Father Hesse. Though D'Amour survived, several deaths occurred, and Mimi was lost to the "Gulfs" (a term some of Clive Barker's demons use to refer to Hell). The main story of "The Last Illusion" begins soon after this case, with Harry still considering how his view of the world is now shaken by his experience at the Lomax House and his new knowledge of the existence of true magic and demonic forces. Harry also has a fear of stairs for some time following this case.[4]
The case in Brooklyn was covered in the news, which leads a woman named Dorothea Swann to track down and hire Harry in the beginning of "The Last Illusion." Her husband is the famous illusionist Swann who recently died backstage, apparently killed by one of his own tricks going off and releasing several swords that fatally speared him. Dorothea reveals her husband wished to be cremated immediately before enemies could take action, so she hires D'Amour to guard the body while she makes arrangements. D'Amour learns demons want to claim the illusionist's body and soul because years ago he made a deal with them so he could possess actual magic, later pretending to only be a talented illusionist when he used his power on stage. Swann's attorney Butterfield convinces Dorothea to release D'Amour from employment and obligation. After speaking with Swann's aid Valentin, Harry decides to continue protecting Swann's body and soul. After some battles, D'Amour succeeds in cremating the magician's body before the demons can take it, cheating them of his soul. Butterfield, revealed to be a demon, says Hell won't forget or forgive Harry's actions and declares that from now on they are enemies. D'Amour answers, "I hope so." Following this, D'Amour feels more confident in himself and is prepared to face the supernatural again when he must.[4]
The Book of the Art trilogy
D'Amour later appears in a short story called "Lost Souls" in a 1987 anthology called Cutting Edge that featured short stories from various authors. Harry then appears briefly in Barker's 1989 novel The Great and Secret Show (the first book of the "Book of the Art" trilogy) when two of the protagonists seek out his advice, learning that he is an expert on matters of magic. He returns as a major character in the 1994 novel Everville,[11] the second installment of the "Book of the Art" trilogy.
The Great and Secret Show was adapted by IDW Publishing as a 12-part comic book series published between March 2006 and May 2007, with scripted Chris Ryall and art by Gabriel Rodriguez. In the collected edition, writer Chris Ryall confirmed that the design for Harry D'Amour, who appears in two scenes, was drawn to resemble actor Scott Bakula.[10]
Hellraiser comics (Boom! Studios)
Harry D'Amour plays a major role in the Boom! Studios comic book series Hellraiser that was published from 2011 to 2012. These comic books follow the canon of the first three Hellraiser movie rather than the prose stories of Clive Barker. The comics feature the Cenobites, humans who are recruited and transformed into being demonic figures of Hell that obsessively pursue practicing torture and sadism on human souls. In the mythology of the Hellraiser film franchise and the Boom! Studios comics, the Cenobites answer to a demonic deity called Leviathan and occupy a Hell dimension that resembles a labyrinth. The leader of the Cenobites is Elliott Spencer, who joined their ranks during World War I and became their "Priest" or "Hell Priest, also known as "the Pontifex" (to fans of the Hellraiser movies, the character is widely known by the nickname "Pinhead).
In the 2011 comic book series, the Hell Priest escapes Hell and reclaims his humanity, becoming Elliot Spencer once again while leaving behind his old enemy Kirsty Cotton to take his place as the new "Priestess" of the Cenobites. Harry D'Amour becomes aware of Spencer's presence on Earth and sends a scout named Theo to work with the Harrowers, a group of people dedicated to fighting the Cenobites who first appeared in Hellraiser tie-in comics published in the 1990s by Marvel Comics. D'Amour also contacts Tiffany, Kirsty's surrogate daughter and frequent enemy to the Hell Priest, and encourages her to join the Harrowers, whom he works with at times. Eventually, Spencer allies with another demon lord and acquires new power, then begins a quest to take over Earth and replace Leviathan, the lord of the Cenobites. D'Amour finally appears in Hellraiser issue #14 (2012). The series shows that D'Amour now has contact and influence with high-ranking authorities in the US government who understand he is an authority on the supernatural. D'Amour works with the military, a Cenobite, and Kirsty to defeat Spencer's attempt at conquering Earth and gaining god-like power. The story ends with both Kirsty and the Hell Priest imprisoned, and Harry being warned that someone must take their place, since there must always be a Hell Priest.
The 2013 Boom! Studios follow-up comic book series Hellraiser: The Dark Watch, plotted and co-written by Barker, picks up a year after the Hell Priest's defeat. It is revealed that Harry D'Amour became the new Hell Priest, transformed into a Cenobite resembling Pinhead. Unlike most Cenobites, he is allowed to retain his personality and memories, and so he tries to understand Leviathan's true plans. He also continues to carry his gun, which proves useful in harming enemies who are invulnerable to magic and demonic attacks. During his time as a Cenobite, Harry considers that Butterfield and other demons he met years before were very different in nature and motivation to the Cenobites, who were not born demons but are human converts. D'Amour later confirms there are various realms of Hell, each of which has a different demonic ruler and focuses on specific types of sin. While the Cenobites occupy Leviathan's labyrinth and target sinner who pursued pleasure, a dimension ruled by the demon Abaddon is populated largely by pure-bred demons who target sinners motivated by fury. After Tiffany frees Kirsty and Spencer from imprisonment, Spencer joins with Abaddon's army and D'Amour leads the Cenobites against them, realizing Earth is once again at stake. Kirsty and Tiffany, both now Cenobites, join him, and together they realize how to stop Spencer's latest bid for power.
After the battle comes to an end, Leviathan offers Kirsty and Spencer bargains in order to end their conflicts. Spencer agrees to become the Hell Priest again, but now with greater power and authority. Kirsty has Leviathan restore herself, Harry, and Tiffany to their living, human forms, and has her dead lover Edgar restored to life. The Hell Priest then demonstrates his restored power by killing Edgar before returning to Hell.
The Scarlet Gospels
Clive Barker's 2015 novel The Scarlet Gospels acts as a sequel to his 1986 novella The Hellbound Heart, which introduced the Cenobites. While it acknowledges Harry's prose adventures, it does not make reference to the Boom! Studios comics timeline. Likewise, it only follows the Cenobite mythology established in Barker's prose work, and so no mention is made to Leviathan nor is it said that the Hell Priest was once Elliott Spencer. The Scarlet Gospels novel takes place when Harry is 47-years-old and reveals more of his backstory, adding that his body is tattooed with sigils to protect and warn him of the presence of magic and demons. Like the Boom! Studios comics, he is guided sometimes by his friend Norma Paine, a blind medium who is around 80-years-old.
Having spent the last several years killing nearly every true magician active on Earth and stolen their great spells and talismans, the Hell Priest now intends to find Lucifer, who abandoned his post long ago, so he can attain greater knowledge and power. While in New Orleans, D'Amour is nearly trapped by the Hell Priest, who sees the detective as a possible obstacle in his quest. After D'Amour survives the encounter, the Hell Priest concludes that Harry is the perfect person to act as a witness to his rise to power, then kidnaps Norma to keep as a hostage. Harry then pursues the Cenobite to Hell, joined by the Harrowers.
By the end of the novel, Norma is killed, the Hell Priest and Hell are seemingly destroyed, and Harry D'Amour returns to Earth, now blind and falling into depression. Norma's spirit contacts Harry and passes her medium abilities onto him. Harry is overwhelmed at first by his new ability to perceive ghosts, but then sees the spirit of a child and their diseased parent. D'Amour promises to help them and embarks on a new stage of his life.
Sherlock Holmes and the Servants of Hell
The 2016 novel Sherlock Holmes and the Servants of Hell, written by Paul Kane, features Sherlock Holmes encountering the Cenobites. The story takes place in the late 19th century. Neither Pinhead nor Harry D'Amour appear in it. However, the story does feature a man named Henri D'Amour, implied to be an ancestor of Harry.
Films
D'Amour was portrayed by actor Scott Bakula in the 1995 film Lord of Illusions,[12] directed and written by Clive Barker and loosely based on his short story "The Last Illusion." In the film, Harry is a divorced private investigator who has already had several encounters with the supernatural and has tattooed a protective mark on his back. After a case in Brooklyn involving a child's exorcism makes the news, he leaves New York City and goes to Los Angeles where Dorothea Swann hires him. She fears her husband Philip has become disturbed by a tarot reading and wants to know the truth behind his fear. D'Amour attends Philip Swann's next performance and witnesses his death on stage. Investigating further, he becomes romantically involved with Dorothea and learns that Swann and other allies were once part of a cult led by the demonically empowered man called Nix. Swann and his former allies turned against Nix, but now years later they are being killed by Nix's loyal follower, a man named Butterfield.
References
- Barker, Clive. The Hellbound Heart (1986 novella).
- Hellraiser #18 (2012), Boom! Studios.
- Barker, Clive. The Scarlet Gospels. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2015.
- Barker, Clive. "The Last Illusion" from Books of Blood Volume 6 (1985).
- Fangoria #138, 1994.
- The Geek's Guide to the Galaxy # 151: "It's Finally Time to Say Goodbye to Hellraiser's Pinhead" (May 23, 2015).
- Lord of Illusions - Collector's Edition, released December 2014.
- Bloody Best of Fangoria Special, 1993.
- Documentary - "The Making of Lord of Illusions", included with Lord of Illusions: Collector's Edition from Shout! Factory.
- The Great and Secret Show comic book collected edition from IDW publishing (2016), Afterword: "The Great and Annotated Show" by Chris Ryall and Gabriel Rodriguez.
- https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/clive-barker/everville/
- https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113690/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1