“Now, I don't believe that a god exists. I think that gods are creation of men, by men, and for men. What has happened over the many centuries now, the better part of two thousand in fact, is that God has been slowly and steadily accruing power. His church has been accruing power, and the men who run that church, and they are all men, are not about to give it up. If they give it up, they give up luxury, they give up comfort.”

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.