The Box

Origin

The Box, commonly known as the "Lament Configuration," is a mystical/mechanical device that acts as a door (or a key to a door) to another dimension or plane of existence. The solution of the puzzle creates a "Schism" or doorway to another realm through which beings may travel. The best known of these boxes features prominently throughout the Hellraiser movie series. Lemarchand, who had been in his time a maker of singing birds, had constructed the box so that opening it tripped a musical mechanism, which began to tinkle a short rondo of sublime banality. The tune continues to evolve as each additional piece is moved.

Powers & Abilities

Each segment presented a fresh challenge 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. This generally ends with hooked chains springing from the cube and the arrival of the Cenobites.

Alternatively, when individual Cenobites are to be summoned or banished, partial solutions have some effect. In the first Hellraiser, the protagonist, Kirsty, could move two or three parts in the presence of Cenobites to banish them. The configuration could also alter itself to call up a particular Cenobite, who disappears when the alteration is reversed.

Other Versions

Film

Other Lemarchand boxes appear throughout the Hellraiser film series. Dr. Channard is depicted as a collector in Hellbound: Hellraiser II; he has several on display in his study. The Host in Hellraiser: Hellworld also possesses several. Most of the boxes seen in the films are not named or used onscreen, so their powers (if any) are simply unknown.

Video Games

The Hellraiser (unofficial) game makes a reference to the Pandemonium Configuration. While it does not state its effects directly, it implies the cube does not bring on sudden effects so much as a gradual displacement from the world. This configuration is seen as a comfort among the homeless and marginalized.

Novella

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.