Clive Barker facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Clive Barker
Barker in 2007
Born	(1952-10-05) 5 October 1952 (age 72) Liverpool, England
Occupation	Writer filmmaker visual artist

Clive Barker (born 5 October 1952) is an English writer, filmmaker, and artist. He became famous in the 1980s for his short stories called the Books of Blood. These stories made him a top horror writer. Many of his works have been made into movies. These include the Hellraiser series and the Candyman series. Clive Barker wrote and directed the first Hellraiser movie.

Barker's paintings and drawings have been shown in art galleries. They also appear in his books. He has created characters for comic books too. Some of his popular horror stories have become comic book series.

Early Life and Beginnings

Clive Barker was born in Liverpool, England, on 5 October 1952. His mother, Joan Ruby, was a painter. His father, Leonard Barker, worked in industrial relations. Clive went to Dovedale Primary School and Quarry Bank High School. Later, he studied English and philosophy at the University of Liverpool. When he was three, he saw a French skydiver, Léo Valentin, fall during an air show. This event later inspired some of his stories.

Creative Work in Theatre

Clive Barker started working in live theatre while still in school. He wrote and directed plays like Voodoo and Inferno in 1967. In 1978, he helped start a theatre group called The Dog Company. Many friends from school joined him. One friend, Doug Bradley, later played Pinhead in the Hellraiser movies. Another friend, Peter Atkins, wrote scripts for some Hellraiser sequels. Over five years, Barker wrote and directed nine plays. These included The History of The Devil and Frankenstein in Love. His theatre work ended when he started focusing on writing the Books of Blood.

Clive Barker's Writing Career

Clive Barker writes horror and fantasy stories. He started writing short stories early in his career. These were collected in the Books of Blood series. He also wrote the novel The Damnation Game in 1985. Later, he began writing modern fantasy stories. These often included horror elements. Examples are Weaveworld (1987) and Imajica (1991).

When Books of Blood was first published, Stephen King praised it. He said, "I have seen the future of horror and his name is Clive Barker." Barker has mentioned writers like Herman Melville and Edgar Allan Poe as influences. He is also the writer of the popular Abarat series for young readers. In early 2024, he decided to stop attending public events. He wanted to focus more on his many writing projects.

Clive Barker's Personal Life

Clive Barker has been open about being gay. He was in a relationship with photographer David Armstrong for many years. Barker has also spoken about his experiences with certain interests. In 2003, he received the Davidson/Valentini Award. This award honors people who promote understanding of the LGBTQ+ community.

In 2012, Barker became very ill. He fell into a coma for several days. This serious illness made him think about life and society. He decided to put his thoughts into a novel called Deep Hill. As of 2015, Barker is on the board of advisers for the Hollywood Horror Museum.

Clive Barker's Film Work

Clive Barker wrote screenplays for films like Underworld (1985). He was not happy with how his stories were filmed. So, he decided to direct his own movies. He directed Hellraiser (1987), which was based on his story The Hellbound Heart. He also directed Nightbreed (1990) and Lord of Illusions (1995).

His short story "The Forbidden" inspired the 1992 film Candyman. He was an executive producer for Gods and Monsters (1998). This film won an Academy Award. Barker felt a connection to the film's director, James Whale, because they were both English and gay. In 2020, Barker got back control of the Hellraiser series. He was an executive producer for the 2022 reboot film on Hulu.

Clive Barker's Television Work

In 2015, it was reported that Clive Barker was working on a TV series. It was based on various creepypasta stories. These are scary stories shared online. He was also involved in a 2020 film adaptation of The Books of Blood. There are plans for a Nightbreed TV series. In 2020, HBO announced a Hellraiser TV series. It aims to expand the story of the movies.

Clive Barker as a Visual Artist

Clive Barker is a talented artist. He often draws pictures for his own books. His art has been featured on book covers and in art galleries. He created the artwork for his young adult novel The Thief of Always. He also drew for the Abarat series. Many of his drawings and paintings are in books like Clive Barker, Illustrator.

He also worked on horror video games. He provided the voice for a character in Clive Barker's Undying (2001). He also worked on Clive Barker's Jericho, released in 2007. Around 150 of Barker's artworks were used as set decorations. They appeared in the Netflix TV series Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.

Clive Barker's Comic Books

Clive Barker has published his own comic book series. He worked with Marvel Comics in 1993. Many of his horror stories have been adapted into comics. These include series based on Hellraiser and Nightbreed. He also helped create new Hellraiser comic books. In 2013, Boom! Studios published Next Testament. This was Barker's first original story in comic book form.

Selected Works by Clive Barker

Clive Barker has written many books and stories. Here are some of his well-known works:

Novels

• The Damnation Game (1985)
• Weaveworld (1987)
• Imajica (1991)
• The Thief of Always (1992)
• Sacrament (novel) (1996)

Hellraiser Series

• The Hellbound Heart (1986), a shorter novel
• The Scarlet Gospels (2015)

The Books of Abarat Series

• Abarat (2002)
• Days of Magic, Nights of War (2004)
• Absolute Midnight (2011)

Short Story Collections

• Books of Blood (Volumes One to Six, 1984-1985) - These collections include famous stories like "The Midnight Meat Train" and "The Forbidden".

Plays

Clive Barker wrote many plays for the stage. Some were collected in books like Incarnations and Forms of Heaven.

Literary Awards and Recognition

Clive Barker has won many awards for his writing.

• In 1985, he won the British Fantasy Award for his short story In the Hills, the Cities.
• His Clive Barker's Books of Blood (Vols. I-III) won the World Fantasy Award in 1985.
• The Forbidden won the British Fantasy Award for Short Story in 1986.
• His novel Sacrament (novel) won the Lambda Literary Award for Science Fiction/Fantasy in 1997.
• Abarat won the International Horror Guild Award for Graphic Narrative in 2002.
• Abarat: Days of Magic, Nights of War won the Bram Stoker Award for Work for Young Readers in 2004.
• He received the Inkpot Award in 1991.
• He was given the World Horror Convention Grand Master Award in 1995.
• In 2013, he received the Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement.

Filmography: Movies and TV Shows

Clive Barker has been involved in many films and TV shows.

Film

Television

Video Games

Clive Barker has also worked on video games.

Images for kids

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  Clive Barker in 2007

See also

In Spanish: Clive Barker para niños