Lemarchand's Box
Lemarchand's Box is an artifact that features in the Hellraiser movies.
Contents |
History
Lemarchand's Box was a puzzle box that had ties to the a Hellish world populated by the Cenobites. Its origins were traced to the 18th century when a French toymaker named Philip Lemarchand made the Lament Configuration for a wealthy aristocrat named Duc de L'Isle, who is obsessed with dark magic. He and his apprentice, Jacques, kill a woman and remove her insides from her skin, and L'Isle uses dark magic with the Lament Configuration to summon a demon princess named Angelique in the woman's skin. She is theirs to command unless they stand in Hell's way. However, Angelique and Jacques betray and kill de L'Isle. Lemarchand, in the process of inventing a design (the Elysium Configuration) to destroy the demons, attempts to steal back the box, but is discovered. Jacques callously informs the toymaker that he and his bloodline are cursed until the end of time because of the box he created, before ordering Angelique to kill him. However, his pregnant wife survives.
Overview
The Lemarchand box that has become known in the film series as the Lament Configuration was introduced in The Hellbound Heart as "the Lemarchand Configuration". It appeared as an antique black lacquered puzzle box of unparalleled workmanship. A clever individual with a passion for solving the puzzle might spend the better part of a day loosening the first piece. As described by Barker on the first page of the novella,
to fingers and mind, the victories rewarded with a further filigree added to the tune.
The puzzle draws the player onward until suddenly the puzzle is solved and the gateway is opened. As the puzzle is nearly completed, the sound of a large bell can be heard tolling mournfully. The sound comes from the realm of the Cenobites, and announces their impending arrival. Once the gate is opened, the box begins reassembling itself.
An important difference between the book and film versions — aside from the name — is that the film version of the box is merely twisted into new alignments or shapes, whereas the version in the novella is completely disassembled and reassembled. The film version is also trimmed in brass or gold, and appears to have arcane symbols etched on its surface. The novella version is completely smooth and has no obvious designs save for an almost imperceptible etching along the seams between the pieces, but seems to display the faces of its victims in the reflection of light over its surfaces.
Users
- Philip Lemarchand :
Notes
- Lemarchand's box was created by Clive Barker where it featured in the setting of Hellraiser.
- In the Epic Comics Hellraiser comics series, the Box's creator Lemarchand was portrayed as an older male creator of toys and singing birds though was a mass murderer who used human fat and bone in the construction of his boxes where its construction was made with the aid of a Cenobite known as Baron.
Appearances
- Hellraiser:
Links
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