Simply put, Clive Barker is the type of author that will inspire some folks and terrify others since his writing is definitely out there when it comes to his imagery and his stories tend to take on a whimsical note now and then, but with a definite line of razor wire hidden just beneath the laughs. At a moment’s notice that wire will tighten and rip through a sense of well-being that a person has allowed themselves to have, revealing the horror in a warm and very wet type of way that Barker is fully capable of when it comes to introducing his talent to the individual reader. When one takes into account that Barker is the man behind movies such as the Hellraiser series, Lord of Illusions and that one of his stories was the inspiration behind Candyman, it’s not difficult at all to see just how his touch is something that might inspire fear when it comes to a story. One can then understand why some aspiring writers are so enamored of the man and what he brings to the writing world.
It would be great to say that Barker had a fairly easy life from his childhood to the life of a writer, but like many artists, he had to suffer a bit for his art, and when the bills needed paying he did spend a bit of time as a male prostitute. Hey, the lights and rent have to be paid and one needs to eat. But looking at his life now it’s safe to say that whatever he did in the past he can look back at and feel any way he wants since here he is. There was a point in time when he didn’t believe that he would survive to see another book published, as back in 2012 he had to endure a bout of toxic shock syndrome which nearly killed him, and gave him the idea that he needed to make sure he finished his most current book, Deep Hill.
Calling Clive Barker a master of horror is pretty easy really since all one has to do is read one of his books and they’ll figure out that this guy has made horror and fantasy a huge part of his life, and has done quite well with it over the years since several of his stories have become so well-known that they’re considered to be a vital part of the horror industry. One thing about his creations however is that they definitely have a slightly different lean to them than authors such as Stephen King and Dean Koontz, as Barker’s feel almost fringe by comparison, and even a bit edgier in some ways. The difference between one horror writer and another is often very distinct since many such individuals tend to find their own style and their own vibe as they make their way into the business, and there’s no doubt that Barker, being a gay man, has pushed part of his lifestyle and his beliefs into his own work as well since it can be seen in many ways. To be honest, seeing a little of what defines an author is interesting and intriguing since it gives an inner look that a person might otherwise miss out on.
Some of his works are absolutely horrifying since they feel almost clinical, but with enough passion to make it feel as though the stories are dissecting the very humanity that’s put into them, pulling at the flesh to see what might lie inside so that the story can be fully revealed. In a way, Barker definitely layers his stories so that upon peeling back one layer the reader is presented with another horrifying image that may or may not send them running, or at least closing the book to take a steadying breath. The descriptive methods he uses and the utter terror that lies within the pages are enough to make it difficult to read his books on a dark night while home alone, but the thrill that this brings is definitely worth it. The works he’s created over the years have been labeled as great and have also flopped at times, such as the movie Nightbreed, which many people happened to have liked even if it didn’t appear to impress the critics.
Whatever people think about Clive Barker and his works, it needs to be said that he’s a true master of his craft and someone that has helped to shape the horror genre in his own time as several of his stories have been among the best in the past few decades. It’s a big hope that we’ll continue to see his books turned into movies or TV series since Books of Blood was fairly enjoyable, and it would be great to see Nightbreed take off once again and become successful this time around.
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