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UnevenEdge

Opinions on Clive Barker.


Sandstone

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  • 2 months later...
  • 3 weeks later...

He has an eye for Freudian horror. His films Hellraiser, Candyman, and Nightbreed all are heavily focused on sexuality. Hellriaser deals with bdsm and fetishes; based around creatures of hedonism to the point that receiving and inflicting pain is the only way that they can experience it anymore. In the book Pinhead is a woman which has more symbolism with the box being opened and closed to summon her and her gash "the name of a group of centobites". Candyman covers interracial sexual taboos.  The mirror thing might have some odd rape message as they are asking for it, but then hate dealing with the consequences.  . The Nightbreed is about gays....Pretty much that Clive Baker is gay and wanted to make a gay based horror film. Pretty much a guy turns into a "monster" and begins to hang out in a graveyard with other "monsters", where he steadily accepts that he is one of them. There is a moment where his old Girlfriend tries to save him and his coming to terms with being a "monster" and staying with his own kind. There is also this really homosexual overtone with a doctor that he has that asks to see him in his office after a shower, but in his office the doctor is wearing tight leather and not respecting personal space. The doctor later turns into a "monster as well".

 

I like the worlds and practical effects that Barker builds, but I feel that his stories always come out short because he focuses too heavily on the theme and less on characterization and progression. As well he often will add things that are cool, but make no sense in continuity.

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It's been years since I've read anything by him, so I can't remember much about his writing. The atmosphere in his stories and feelings I had when reading them still stick with me though. On the rare occasion that I'm on a subway at night, my mind instantly remembers The Midnight Meat Train.

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  • 2 months later...

It's been years since I've read anything by him, so I can't remember much about his writing. The atmosphere in his stories and feelings I had when reading them still stick with me though. On the rare occasion that I'm on a subway at night, my mind instantly remembers The Midnight Meat Train.

 

Midnight Meat Train is actually my favorite work from him, also the film adaptation is pretty good if anyone here has not seen it I highly recommend to watch for Halloween since it's coming up.

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ive only ever read the damnation game by him. but it was a really good book. he writes some pretty grotesque stuff like monsters made outta cum and poop stuff like that.

but yeah it was very intersting read and i wish it would be made into a movie.

 

my friend read a bunch of his books and really liked them all.

ive seen some of his movies i liked nightbreed and um there was another one about a magician?

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