The Macarbe Mind Of Clive Barker

A jumping off point into Queer Horror, and why Hellraiser (1987) touched us all in our Hellbound Hearts.

How long has Queerness been involved in Horror ?

In short, ever since the genre was born. The mother of Sci-Fi, Mary Shelley, was also the mother of the Horror genre and a Queer woman. I'm trying to refrain from going into too much detail, as there is a feature on Mary Shelley in the works but her experience as a sexually fluid woman is evident within her work. Not only has Horror been made by people within the Queer community, but also for them. The 'othering' feeling that comes with the territory of being in the Queer community is a shared experience that unites us all. You can feel as though your very existence is in danger if the 'true you' are revealed, but also that you will never be understood by the nuclear families and heteronormative people around you. It is no surprise then, that Queer people have felt drawn to create and consume Horror. A heteronormative person may read Frankenstein or even watch classics such as Dracula and take it at face value- A story about horrific monsters that plague the main characters psyche and physical well-being. But to a Queer eye, that monster can be the representation of the Queer feelings we felt shame towards bubbling up to the service and demanding to be acknowledged; in a similar way to Frankenstein's monster demanding his creator to recognise what he had created.

But it is not all doom and gloom! Horror has created an environment for Queer people to nurture their creativity. Horror wants bold, it craves intensity and yearns for the weird and wonderful. Horror is truly limitless and by giving this freedom to Queer people, it has opened the door to endless possibilities for Queer expression.

To explore this idea of no limits in Queer Horror, I will be going in depth into Clive Barkers impact on the genre. There is no better man to show how far Queer Horror can go when just given the chance.

The Birdman Encounter

Clive grew up in the city of Liverpool, a place I am very familiar with due to living here my whole life thus far. This is what piqued my interest in him when I entered adulthood. I don't identify with the Beatles loving community but tales of the grotesque and horrors only accessible in the worst of nightmares was right up my street. Of course, I had seen 'Hellraiser (1987)' at a young (admittedly too young) age, but the man behind the madness had always intrigued me. I will not be giving a chronological timeline to his life, as I am not a historian, nor do I have any intention of being one. I will, however, detail the instances that I think melded Barker into the Horror genius he is today.

Whilst being interviewed for ' Post Mortem with Mick Garris', Clive Barker reveals a deeply horrific event that took place during his childhood, that may have led to the shape his work takes to this day. The story goes as follows ...

A cloudless sunny day during August in Liverpool, Clive and his family headed towards Speke airport to watch a highly anticipated air show scheduled for this day. The family settled into their respective spots and gazed upwards to the sky, where 3-year-old Clive spotted a small two-man plane cascading across the skyline. Watching up in amazement, a figure began to emerge from the plane, a real-life Birdman! Clive looked on in silence as the man travelled at an alarming speed through the sky, but something snapped away his focus. His mother emitted a blood curdling scream. Clive and his cousin were ushered towards the sweltering car by his mother and aunt, whilst the Birdman struggled to take flight and eventually plummeted to his death.

We know that the 'Birdman' was actually Leo Valentin who was performing his last show in the year 1955. He was using wooden wings that he crafted, but unfortunately this show really was his last. Clive Barker details not seeing the body himself but that his father was one of the first to encounter Valentin's body. When Barker enquired about this experience his father remarked that they found the body because " his shape was carved into the corn". This Birdman shape had been present in a lot of Barker's early paintings, back when his mind was convinced the whole ordeal was simply a figment of his imagination. It wasn't until reading a book about his home city of Liverpool that the horrific event finally revealed its full self within his mind. On the bright side, it did offer an explanation into the Birdman figures dotted across Barker's early works. By witnessing such a traumatic event after only being on this earth for 3 short years, it is no wonder that he was pulled into the world of the dark and mysterious.

When Gay Is "Too Much"...

Clive Barker is a man of many talents, which include but aren't limited to; painting, writing, directing, and taking part in theatre from a very young age. it is a unique talent of Barker's to imagine whole new worlds for disgusting but tantalising creatures to inhabit, whilst Barker reaches into your mind and caresses the dark and forgotten areas that hold your deepest and darkest fantasies.

Clive Barker's work is often described as having no limits, and this is something Barker would agree with. However, despite the aspirational quality of his work , he has found difficulty in trying to publish specific work. An example of this is also given within Mick Garris' podcast, in which barker details a situation involving his publisher attempting to censor him. Barker is very open about being a gay man, and his work includes many homoerotic under and overtones, after all the saying goes ' we write what we know'. One story involved two gay protagonists who engage in sexual activity throughout the book, and this is what the problem was, at least according to the publisher. despite the book in question depicting extreme acts of Horror and contain themes to disturb the sanest of minds, being gay is where they draw the line? Through his published works, Barker has constantly been pushing the boundaries of what Horror can induce within the audience; so, to hear that having gay characters being at the forefront of your work is just too much for the public is not only blatantly homophobic but also incredibly insulting to the audience. There is a desperate attempt to hide the Queerness of Horror, despite the Queer community being intertwined within the genres very creation. Imagine the possibility of nightmarish new heights we could reach if we only allowed Queer people to proudly take their seat amongst their cis-gender and heterosexual counterparts. Barker has always challenged not just the industries tolerance for extreme and new Horror but also the societal norms that have shaped most cinema and works of literature around us.

How Hellraiser(1987) Changed Horror

Clive Barker captures the themes within Hellraiser(1987) through this quote :

"There's this nice family unit, there's a status quo, there's a family dog and there's whatever the hell else there is- and suddenly something comes in from the big, dark, outside and threatens the family unit, steals the child, eats the dog, burns down the house, occupies the reality that is dominant up to that point. I am rather on the side of those forces"- Interview for Stephen King's 'World of Horror' documentary, 1987.

Based on Barkers' Horror novella, 'The Hell bound Heart' (1986), Hellraiser became an absolute classic to enjoy amongst Horror fans, and it's not hard to understand why. The story involves a richly built world with mouth-watering lure that makes you just want to learn more, hence the many sequels and reimagining’s of this world. In short, Hellraiser (1987) is a story following the misfortunes of a family that is (for lack of a better word) haunted by a fleshy, torn apart figure that is revealed to be the brother of the owner of the house. But that's not it, a mysterious puzzle box is the culprit of bringing this barely human figure back from another realm. But wait, there's more... Not only is there a mysterious puzzle box, but a whole new species that are summoned when called by a person solving the box, known as 'Cenobites'.

From this cinematic universe, we were blessed with the iconic character 'Pinhead' despite him not having a major role in the original novella. Doug Bradley portrays this character in full effect, with the strange blank but also intense expressions of Pinhead and his booming voice that fills the listener with terror and maybe... Arousal? Many accounts from fans who recollect watching Hellraiser (1987) for the first time report this exact response, and that was no accident. Costume designer, Joanna Johnston, was instructed by Barker to include inspiration from the BDSM community, to ensure the motivation of the Cenobites was carried through to their wardrobe. The Cenobite is consumed by the exploration of the thin line that exists between pain and pleasure, and victims are promised a well-rounded experience to last a lifetime, which is good customer service, I guess. However, many patrons of the puzzle box don't seem too pleased with the outcome... That outcome being mutilation, torture, chains with hooks piercing the skin so they can be strung up for optimal torture possibilities and extreme mental unrest caused by the various horrific experiences gifted to them. Exploring both pain and pleasure is not a new idea, fetish culture has been present throughout history, whether it was called fetish culture is another story. But instead of this culture being hidden behind closed doors, Barker dares the audience to be confronted with characters that invoke the terror and the delight within us, forcing the audience to address the arousal and disgust they feel. After all " There's an incredible variety of sexually voracious, flying, immortal beasts- and I would say that making love all night, flying and living forever are the three most constant human fantasies" -Clive Barker, Interview by Paul Kerton for Telegraph Sunday Magazine (No,545, 5th April 1987).

Casting my mind back to 10-year-old me finding a very bad copy of Hellraiser (1987) online, there was one factor that solidified my high opinion of this film. The practical effects. Although this industry is challenged in modern day in favour for CGI, there is no doubt that when it is done well the results are almost magical. Hellraiser (1987) was the birth of my interest in practical effects, seeing the textures of blood-soaked flesh and connective tissues had me in a trance like never before. Watching blood trickle between floorboards and feed a pulsating mass of organic matter made me want to recoil, but also pause the film so I could examine each groove and brush stroke involved in sculpting this hellish object. Bob Keen worked in such an artistic way to conceptualise these horrific props that result in truly horrific imagery. This was one of the first times I recognised the beauty within Horror filmmaking, as well as the very real skill of being able to actualise such brutal depictions of gore. If you are a fan of body Horror in general and have not watched Hellraiser (1987), I beg you to give it a try, I can't promise you will like the story or even the characters but there is definitely an interesting display of gore and a feast of practical effects for you to chew through.

Hellraiser (1987) is a delicious blend of gore, horror, fetish, and the deconstruction of the family unit. If this inspires you to give it a watch then I have succeeded in my task, but I will not be held responsible for the inevitable lust you will feel for Pinhead. That will be your own puzzle to deconstruct, and maybe if you're lucky he might appear from your bedroom wall and drag you to your fate. Fingers crossed.

A Twist To A Familiar Tale

Due to the success of the original Hellraiser (1987), a whole new branch of films has been released. Including, the new Hellraiser directed by David Bruckner featuring Jamie Clayton as the new Pinhead. Mixed reviews have emerged since the film’s release earlier this year, a strong stance either for or against the final product. This may be in part due to the stark expansion on the pre-existing Hellraiser universe, some adore the creativity and admire the boldness of this choice whilst others condemn the attempt.

Let’s start with the positive. Staying true to the Hellraiser (1987) vibe , practical effects for the Cenobites are definitely present. I enjoyed the new adaptation of Pinhead, it felt almost like a love letter to fans of the original film. The look was modernised without straying too much from the reference material and I thought it was the perfect balance to draw in new fans of the universe whilst maintaining the attention of the current fanbase. Bruckner talks about his reasoning and experience with practical effects in an article, " The limitations that you have to face become things that you pull from, and you use... It's just a testament to the virtues and the pain of working practically". The idea of using the limitations of movement the actors have due to their prosthetics to enhance the story, of how pain has morphed into pleasure for these creatures is an amazingly morbid example of the importance of practical effects in the horror film industry.

Regarding the story itself, I enjoyed the expanse on the configurations of the puzzle box. Advancing to higher levels of knowledge and experience is very on brand for Cenobites, and the puzzle box becomes more of an entity to be feared and admired through this portrait. It also just gave us more understanding into the universe of Hellraiser, which is something that isn't a focus within the original. Also, Jamie Clayton was incredibly enjoyable as Pinhead in my opinion. The new adaptation takes pride in the franchises Queer roots by choosing a transgender woman to take on such an iconic horror figure, and I believe she did the horror community proud. Whilst looking terrifying, she managed to bring through that sexually ambiguous tone so well associated with the Cenobites and keeps the audience engaged.

However, for me, the positives end here.

One of the main issues I had with the film was the noticeable departure from the feeling Hellraiser (1987) gave me so many years ago. I didn't expect for it to feel the same, but I at least expected to be transported to the same realm of emotion. After thinking on the reason why, I believe it's because the film is just too glossy for my liking. The charm that came with the original Hellraiser was the grit that came with the cinematography and the stories confinement to one arena. The new adaptation left me missing some of that tight storytelling and the gruesome imagery that makes you feel wrong for watching. I do recognise that quality of film has elevated organically over the years, but I do think that making the creative decision to make the footage rawer would have been a smart move to capture that original tone. But I'm not a film maker so what do I know.

The main issue with the story for me was the use of a trope I have got tired of experiencing in horror. Is it real? Or is it drugs? This trope isn't so bad when used on a new film universe, but when the audience already knows that the threat is very much real, you just loose me. The stakes are gone for me and any suspense I'm meant to feel over the protagonist being dismissed as crazy is gone. Instead, I am left tapping my foot, waiting in annoyance for the inevitable reveal that the crazy person isn't crazy.

Overall, though, I don't think this is an awful film, and if you're interested in the lure of the Cenobites and the Hellraiser universe in general then this could be a fun watch. I have to remember that this film is also to attract new fans of the franchise and this new film being released doesn't erase the original story or the feelings I had when I first watched it. I do think I will rewatch the new Hellraiser, but maybe next year.

Final Thoughts

Clive barker is a gay icon in the Queer community, and rightfully so. The love and care he has towards horror as a genre is inspiring and is something many filmmakers should strive for. Horror is often written off as a genre and is viewed as cheap thrills by the masses, but Barker shows us that this simply is not true.

"The assumption is that horror fiction is just bad fiction or exploitative fiction, which of course some of it is. But most genres are judged by the best in their fields. Horror, unfortunately, is often judged by the worst... It's a very subversive but relevant genre." - Clive Barker

Barker is certainly one of the best within the horror genre and is a testament to the importance of Queer people in horror. The Queer experience draws people from that community towards horror and when the two are married, some truly horrific and beautiful stories can be created. My final thought I want to leave you with is that the full acceptance of Queer voices in the horror community will only lead to more great horror.

Happy Haunting!

Useful Links:

The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hellbound-Heart-Clive-Barker/dp/0061452882

Hellraiser trilogy

Hellraiser 2022

Mary Shelly's Frankenstein

Postmortem podcast episode on Clive Barker

Websites Used

Bob Keen

Joanna Johnston