“I want to be able to still surprise myself, even shock myself, whether it be sexual content, whether it be about the theological content, whatever. I want to be able to knock myself sideways. Otherwise, what a waste of a life that would be.”

British writer, filmmaker, and visual artist

Clive Barker is a British writer, filmmaker, and visual artist who rose to prominence in the 1980s. He became widely known for the Books of Blood and for work that helped establish him as a leading horror author. His stories and ideas have been adapted for film, especially through the Hellraiser and Candyman series. Across his work, he is associated with horror in literature and on screen, and with a creative practice that extends beyond writing into filmmaking and visual art.