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Clive Barker

Once hailed by Stephen King as the future of horror, author Clive Barker parlayed his success as a prose writer into a wide range of mediums, including films, visual arts and even video games. Barker was a true innovator in the horror genre, thanks in large part to his higher literary ambitions. But perhaps his greatest talent was his ability to cleverly recycle the old formulas with sexuality and over-the-top violence. By the mid-1990s, with a slew of best-selling novels, short story collections and comic book series bearing his name, the workaholic Barker was also a well-established presence in Hollywood, having written and directed the popular "Hellraiser" (1987), which spawned a long-running cult franchise that saw several theatrical and direct-to-DVD releases over the ensuing decades. Though occasionally stepping behind the camera for the likes of "Nightbreed" (1990) and "Lords of Illusion" (1995), Barker served more as an executive producer on a number of films, most of which were adapted from his novels and short stories. With his name attached to such horror fare as "Candyman" (1992) and "Hellraiser: Bloodlines" (1995), it came as a surprise to some when he executive produced the award-winning drama "Gods and Monsters" (1998), which focused on openly gay horror director James Whale. While delving into young adult novels on "The Books of Aharat" series and adult titles like "The Midnight Meat Train" (2008), Barker remained a thoughtful and articulate practitioner of the horror genre.