| Down, Satan! | |
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 | |
| Vital statistics | |
| Title | "Down, Satan!" |
| Author | Clive Barker |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Genre | Horror |
| Published in | Books of Blood, Volume 4 |
| Publication date | July, 1985 |
| Characters | |
"Down, Satan!" is a short story of the horror genre. It was written by English author Clive Barker and was first published as the fourth story in the anthology novel Books of Blood, Volume 4, published by Sphere Books in the United Kingdom in July, 1985.
Synopsis[]
The shortest story of the collection relates the tale of a wealthy middle-aged businessman, Gregorius, who becomes depressed when he believes God has deserted him, and he comes up with a plan to build a Hell on Earth to summon Satan, believing that God will then sweep him (Gregorius) out of Satan's clutches and into his heavenly fold.
In North Africa, in his vast Satanic Cathedral, Gregorius soon loses sight of his original intention of attracting God's attention and is captured after torturing hundreds of people to death in the well-equipped torture chambers. It is deliberately left ambiguous whether Gregorius went insane, or if he really did succeed in tempting Satan into taking residence in his own personal Hell. While Gregorius languishes in prison, a man bearing the accoutrements of a priest enters the cell and shoots him in the head with a revolver.
Appearances[]
Featured characters
- Gregorius (Only appearance; dies)
Supporting characters
- Warren Dickerson
Villains
- Gregorius
- Satan (Referenced only)
Minor characters
- Leopardo (Only appearance; dies)
Organizations
- North African military
Races & Animals
Locations
- Hell (Referenced only)
Items
Vehicles
Powers
Miscellaneous
- Falling from a great height
- Gore
- Gunshot victims
- Military units
- Prison
- Ritualism
- Satanism
- Shot in the head
- Suicide (Unconfirmed)
Notes & Trivia[]
- This story was visually adapted in comic book format in Tapping the Vein #5, published by Eclipse Comics in January, 1992. The adaptation was written by Steve Niles and illustrated by Tim Conrad. The comic book adaptation was also reprinted in the Dread graphic novel, released by Eclipse in May, 1993. The story was also reprinted in Tapping the Vein: Books 1-5 by Checker in 2002.
Recommendations[]
- The Inhuman Condition
- The Body Politic
- Revelations
- The Age of Desire