Clive Barker

He didn't think there was much of a market for them, but he was wrong, and his work began appearing in magazines. Eventually his stories were published as a three volume set and titled The Books of Blood. They became quite popular and enabled Barker to begin writing and directing horror films; he also worked as executive producer on some of his films. As a filmmaker, Barker attempts to create serious, non-campy horror films. He debuted as a director in 1987 with Hellraiser, which is based on one of his novellas and features a character Barker calls "the Noel Coward of the lower depths," but who audiences more affectionately refer to as "Pinhead." The film was a critical and box-office success. Barker went on to produce two sequels and to occasionally act in films. More recently, he has moved towards writing fantasy fiction. In 1992, he wrote and illustrated a children's book, The Thief of Always. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide