SciFi and More from Duane Simolke

Suggested books, movie, and blog, for Clive Barker fans.

I love the novel Sacrament by Clive Barker, with its epic scope and its beautiful passages about life and death. It’s hard to believe such a book came from a man who creates horrific paintings, and the man who created such movies as Hellraiser (which never interested me), Candyman (which kept me jumping),
Lords of Illusions (an under-rated thriller that showcased the always likable Scott Bakula and might soon become a Showtime series), or
Nightbreed (a creepy and allegorical look at life for the rejected and the outcasts).

Of course, Barker was one of the producers of the critically acclaimed Gods and Monsters, and I’m looking forward to his SciFi Channel movie Saint Sinner. I also plan to read more of his novels.

If you like Clive Barker, you should check out terje’s comments about his recent novels, in an August 14, 2002 blog entry. In fact, you might enjoy many of the other entries in terje blog.

I’m not surprised about how Barker keeps people talking. I remember when I saw Candyman at the theater. A woman in front of me kept telling Virginia Madsen stuff like, “Don’t go back in there, girl. You don’t need the camera that bad! Get out of there!” Normally, I find theater talkers annoying, but she actually added to the suspense.