Clive Barker 10 Things You Never Knew About The Horror Icon

Clive Barker: 10 Things You Never Knew About The Horror Icon

Clive Barker is a divisive horror filmmaker whose unparalleled vision has been praised as high art and derailed as indulgent.

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Clive Barker is a divisive horror filmmaker whose unparalleled vision has been praised as high art and derailed as indulgent. Fans of Barker stand by his works, typified by his 1987 feature film Hellraiser. Barker is known for including distinct worlds, elaborate mythologies, and deep character studies into his part – refusing to abide by standard storytelling techniques.

Clive Barker comes across as a bit of a Renaissance Man. Dabbling in and excelling at nearly every artform imaginable, Barker always brings his macabre, experimental ideas with him. Now approaching his 70s, Barker’s legacy includes aesthetically intense films, avant-garde plays, impressionistic paintings, and a long literary oeuvre.

10 Barker Is A Native Of Liverpool, England

Clive Barker is a Brit. Barker was born and raised in the industrial, working-class town Liverpool, home of The Beatles. Barker attended the University of Liverpool.

While in college, Barker studied English and Philosophy. From a young age, Barker maintained and interest in theatre and performance art.

9 He Worked In Theatre During College

Clive Barker worked on numerous theatrical productions during college, both on stage and behind-the-scenes. Barker served as writer, director, and actor during his theatrical tenure.

As he shared in a 1991 interview, “Plays were interesting because they were a stepping stone from the writing into this other forum.” The plays showcase the horror-focused, eerie topics Barker would later explore via other mediums.

8 He Co-Founded An Experimental Troupe Known As The Dog Company

With a group of college bodies, Barker organized an outsider theatre troupe known as The Dog Company. The organization produced nine plays written by Barker, some of which continue to be staged into the present.

These plays include History of the Devil and Frankenstein in Love. Through The Dog Company, Barker connected with actor Doug Bradley, the man who would go on to play Pinhead.

7 Barker Is An Accomplished Horror Writer

Barker transitioned out of the theatre and sank his teeth into writing fiction. Known for both short stories and novels, Barker’s fictional works span genres, incorporating horror, fantasy, and psychological drama.

Many of Barker’s cinematic contributions started as prose. It is actually Clive Barker who wrote the short story that went on to become the basis for 1992’s Candyman, “The Forbidden” – the same Candyman being revived this year.

6 He Rose To Prominence With His Books Of Blood Short Story Collections

Barker’s first collection of stories remains his most acclaimed. Published in six volumes between 1984 and 1985, Books of Blood details the supernatural and unexplainable events everyday people find themselves in.

These books made Barker the new voice in horror overnight. As Stephen King famously shared in a promotional blurb about the Books of Blood, “I have seen the future of horror and his name is Clive Barker.”

5 Barker Started Off In Film As A Screenwriter

Barker adapted several stories from Books of Blood into screenplays. He wrote two screenplays that were adapted into feature films in the mid-1980s: 1985’s Underworld and 1986’s Rawhead Rex. Underworld tells the story of a mad scientist who creates a deformed new breed of humans living in London’s subway system.

Rawhead Rex is about a pagan god who goes on a bloody rampage. Both films were bombs, and Barker was unhappy with how his screenplays were adapted by the directors. In addition to Candyman, many of his stories were transformed into screenplays by other writers, including 2008’s Midnight Meat Train.

4 Hellraiser Is His Directorial Debut

Barker eventually decided to become a film director, fearful other directors would continue to misrepresent his horror storytelling style and aesthetics. Based on Barker’s novella The Hellbound Heart, Barker released Hellraiser in 1987. With its neo-gothic atmospherics, completely original monsters, and strong female lead (Ashley Laurence), Hellraiser proved to be an impressive debut marked by insane body horror sequences.

Barker also disavows the classic genre struggle between good and evil in the film by placing his characters in a nuanced, muddled interdimensional reality. Barker has only directed two additional features: 1990’s Nightbreed and 1995’s Lord of Illusion. 1988’s Hellbound: Hellraiser II was directed by Tony Randel.

3 He Almost Worked On A Project With Disney

One of Barker’s fiction series, The Books of Abarat, is fantasy geared toward young adults. Before the first book was published, Disney worked out a multimillion-dollar deal with Barker to obtains the rights to the series.

However, six years after the deal was announced, Barker released a statement saying it was no longer viable. In an interview, he cited “creative differences” as the reason for backing away from the deal.

2 Barker Is A Prolific Visual Artist

As if writing novels, developing screenplays, and directing movies aren’t enough, Barker is also an award-winning visual artist. Barker illustrates most of his books, and he is also accomplished as a painter and costume designer.

Barker’s artwork has been displayed in galleries all over the world. Many of his paintings have been compiled into books.

1 He Also Has His Own Marvel Comics Imprint, Razorline

On top of everything else, Clive Barker manages a Marvel Comics imprint: Razorline. Running from 1993 to 1995, the imprint developed stories outside the mainstream worlds occupied by well-known Marvel characters.

Many of Barker’s stories and cinematic contributions have also been adapted into comic book form. Barker has also released original comics through different publishers, including 2013’s Next Testament.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/clive-barker-trivia-horror-hellraiser-candyman/

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