Clive Barker

Writing about "Midnight Meat Train" earlier got me to thinking about Clive Barker. More than many of the macabre-slingers that I idolize, I identify with Clive. Gay, a writer, passionate about working with grisly, yet erotic themes; Barker's novels and films are brutal and bloody, yet undeniably sexy.

Although he is forever linked with "Hellraiser", his first film (an undeniable classic, as is its sequel, a film I will be writing about soon), it is in his fiction that his thoughtful, violent tapestries really come to life. Although any of his books will do, I advise you start with Books of Blood, a 3-volume collection of short stories that have a little something for every gore-hound. "Midnight Meat Train" is there, as is "The Forbidden" the story that was radically changed and filmed as the horror classic "Candyman". Pick it up, you won't be disapppointed.