diff --git a/src/lxc/conf.c b/src/lxc/conf.c
index 8080d7d0b..b437654a3 100644
--- a/src/lxc/conf.c
+++ b/src/lxc/conf.c
@@ -2181,7 +2181,11 @@ int lxc_setup(const char *name, struct lxc_conf *lxc_conf)
 		return -1;
 	}
 
-	HOOK(name, "mount", lxc_conf);
+	if (run_lxc_hooks(name, "mount", lxc_conf)) {
+		ERROR("failed to run mount hooks for container '%s'.", name);
+		return -1;
+	}
+
 	if (setup_cgroup(name, &lxc_conf->cgroup)) {
 		ERROR("failed to setup the cgroups for '%s'", name);
 		return -1;
diff --git a/src/lxc/conf.h b/src/lxc/conf.h
index 7c1ded00f..eee12b7b5 100644
--- a/src/lxc/conf.h
+++ b/src/lxc/conf.h
@@ -232,12 +232,6 @@ struct lxc_conf {
 };
 
 int run_lxc_hooks(const char *name, char *hook, struct lxc_conf *conf);
-/* we don't want to stick with the HOOK define, it's just to easily start */
-#define HOOK(name, which, conf) \
-	do { \
-		int hookret = run_lxc_hooks(name, which, conf); \
-		if (hookret) return -1; \
-	} while (0);
 
 /*
  * Initialize the lxc configuration structure
diff --git a/src/lxc/start.c b/src/lxc/start.c
index 48e9962e7..19815fcab 100644
--- a/src/lxc/start.c
+++ b/src/lxc/start.c
@@ -359,7 +359,10 @@ struct lxc_handler *lxc_init(const char *name, struct lxc_conf *conf)
 		goto out_free_name;
 	}
 
-	HOOK(name, "pre-start", conf);
+	if (run_lxc_hooks(name, "pre-start", conf)) {
+		ERROR("failed to run pre-start hooks for container '%s'.", name);
+		goto out_aborting;
+	}
 
 	if (lxc_create_tty(name, conf)) {
 		ERROR("failed to create the ttys");
@@ -405,7 +408,8 @@ void lxc_fini(const char *name, struct lxc_handler *handler)
 	lxc_set_state(name, handler, STOPPING);
 	lxc_set_state(name, handler, STOPPED);
 
-	HOOK(name, "post-stop", handler->conf);
+	if (run_lxc_hooks(name, "post-stop", handler->conf))
+		ERROR("failed to run post-stop hooks for container '%s'.", name);
 
 	/* reset mask set by setup_signal_fd */
 	if (sigprocmask(SIG_SETMASK, &handler->oldmask, NULL))
@@ -526,9 +530,12 @@ static int do_start(void *data)
 	if (apparmor_load(handler) < 0)
 		goto out_warn_father;
 
-	close(handler->sigfd);
+	if (run_lxc_hooks(handler->name, "start", handler->conf)) {
+		ERROR("failed to run start hooks for container '%s'.", handler->name);
+		goto out_warn_father;
+	}
 
-	HOOK(handler->name, "start", handler->conf);
+	close(handler->sigfd);
 
 	/* after this call, we are in error because this
 	 * ops should not return as it execs */