When it comes to horror authors on film, people immediately think of Stephen King. The writing maestro has had almost all of his stories transposed to the big-screen, but he isn’t the only master of horror to see their work make the leap from book to film. My personal favourite is Clive Barker. Born in Liverpool, the author has a very different voice to that of King, his work is much more visceral and twisted. No topic is too taboo for him and several of his stories . It’s hard to find a Barker film with a certificate rating lower than eighteen, that’s how harrowing and blood-thirsty his tales can be. Barker’s work will take the centre stage in the last lecture in the Spring programme at the Miskatonic Institute of Horror Stories.
Named for the fictional university in H.P. Lovecraft’s literary mythos, the Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies is an international organisation that offers university-level history, theory and production masterclasses for people of all ages. It was founded by film writer and programmer Kier-La Janisse in March 2010, has regular branches in London, New York and L.A., and also presents special events worldwide.
The Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies closes out the Spring 2019 season with a deep dive into the works of horror visionary Clive Barker, focusing on his books, films, and reoccurring themes of sex, death, religion, and selling one’s soul. The event, ‘Hellbound Hearts: The Dark Art of Clive Barker’, is being held on 9th May at the Horse Hospital London. Ticket details, and more information aboutt the class can be found below:
Date: Thu. May 9th 2019
Time: 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Venue: The Horse Hospital
Admission – £10 advance / £11 on the door / £8 concs
In preparation for the class we’ve been digging through the Barker cinematic back catalogue.
Hellraiser
Barker’s most widely known film product is Hellraiser, which was actually his first feature film as a director. The movie is based on his novella, The Hellbound Heart, and tells a rather bloody tale of obsession, greed, lust and betrayal. It introduced the world to Barker’s most famous creation, the Cenobites, beings of a Hellish dimension that thrive on pleasure through pain, headed-up by the iconic Pinhead. The story sees young Kirsty (Ashley Lawrence) discover some dark secrets of her family life as she finds that her step-mother has been helping murder men in order to bring back her dead lover, Kirsty’s Uncle Frank. Frank also happens to be on the run from the Cenobites, and Kirtsy too finds herself on their list of people to show ‘such sights’ to.
Hellraiser is an incredible piece of cult horror, and it’s proof that the UK can, and have, been doing horror right for years. It fully encompasses the phrases bone-chilling and blood-curdling, some of the imagery still haunts me to this day. The movie spawned many sequels, but sadly none lived-up to the magic of this first film, although rumours of a remake and reboot have been circling the internet for years.
Nightbreed
Full disclosure, I’ve not actually seen the next film on the list, Nightbreed, but it is based on my favourite Barker novel Cabal. I’ve been trying to find a copy of the film forever and frustratingly always seem to have something on, but fingers crossed one day I’ll get to see it. The film was Barker’s follow-up to Hellraiser, but was met with heavy studio interference, and the feature released was far from what was Barker’s vision. Thankfully the film was fully restored into Nightbreed: The Cabal Cut, a version which stuck much closer to the original story. The plot was as dark Barker as ever, featuring a community of mutant outcasts attempting to hide from a psychotic serial killer, with the help from a mysterious young man who discovers them.
Candyman
Another cult classic horror whose idea was birthed by Barker, is Candyman. The film was adapted from one of Barker’s Book of Blood volumes of short stories, The Forbidden. Though heavily reworked, the action moving from Liverpool to Chicago, and Candyman being a much more tangible being, the film retains that trademark Barker tone. Despite all the horror and brutality unfolding, Candyman also manages to have a strange romantic element, the Candyman believing Helen to be a reincarnation of his lost love – must like Bram Stoker’s iconic Dracula. Candyman remains one of the best loved horror films of the nineties but the story will soon get a new lease of life as Jordan Peele is currently working on a new version.
The Midnight Meat Train
Of all Barker’s works of fiction, it seems that his Book of Blood series of short stories are the most inspirational. These collections of tales (of which there are six volumes) have produced the most movie works. Candyman might be the most famous if these, but The Midnight Meat Train might be the most starry. The film, directed by Ryûhei Kitamura, stars Leslie Bibb, Brooke Shields, a ‘not quite famous yet’ Bradley Cooper, and British footballer-turned-movie star Vinnie Jones. Despite starring recognisable names and faces, the film didn’t pull in the audience that filmmaker’s hoped, making it one of Barker’s lesser known film properties. It’s a pretty faithful adaptation that sees Cooper’s Leon find himself face-to-face with a serial killer whom plucks his victims from the last train home.
Lord of Illusions
Another of his tales that Barker chose to bring alive himself is Lord of Illusions. The film stars one of Barker’s few recurring characters, Harry D’Amour, and is based on the Book of Blood tale The Last Illusion. The short story on which the film is based is significantly different from the film which Barker made, yet the character of D’Amour is still the same. D’Amour is a private investigator whom specialises in cases involving the occult. Lord of Illusions is his origin story as he becomes entangled with members of a fanatical occult cult.
For more information on the Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies head to their website at https://www.miskatonicinstitute.com.
