“At best you can hold death at bay, you can pretend it isn't there; but to deny it totally is a sickness. And I think that horror fiction is one of the ways to approach these problems, and, perversely perhaps, to enjoy a vicarious confrontation with them. ”
“"Gather experience. . . Look at what you should not look at. A feeling of anxiety is the sure and certain evidence that you should do this." Barker performed a disection at a funeral home, for the sake of understanding death at close hand.”
“It's irritating, because I would like to make movies that were as unrelenting and as explicit in their metaphysical, sexual and violent imagery as the stories. But with the way censorship is at present, there's no way you can do that.”
“[As for Clive Barker -- he spent virtually all day with his fans. First at an autograph session that went on far longer than it was scheduled to for the simple reason that the accomplished horror master took the time to converse with each and every fan like he was visiting with an old friend. Having interviewed Barker on a number of occasions I can attest to his warmth as an interview subject. On one occasion my cameraman was late due to traffic so Barker suggested we head down to the bar in the downtown Hilton Hotel for a drink where he proceeded to sign a copy of one of his books for me, not just sign it, but sketch an original piece of his unique artwork on the blank reverse side of the title page. Today he was cheerful and happy to be among his fans and readers.] I do love these events, ... It is a chance to interact in a direct and personal way. So when I do agree to attend such an event, I wholeheartedly throw myself headlong into it.”
“The loss only shows how far backwards we have gone in Africa, ... But all we can do now is to roll back our sleeves and make changes and look forward to the future.”
“Whale was gay, I'm gay; Whale was English, I'm English. Whale made some horror movies, and I've made some horror movies. It seemed as if I should be helping to tell this story.”
