O: The parts of the book that resonate most strongly, that seemed most real, occur wherever Todd comments on celebrity, and the shallowness of fans, and how it mixes with his need to be seen and to receive approval. O: Is that the actor's fault for being petty, or the media's fault for glossing over anything that doesn't reflect well on Hollywood stars? In a sense, it's entirely predictable, but it doesn't get spoken about that often.

It's the stuff that doesn't get shown on the telecasts. And you go to the parties afterwards… I've seen Oscar losers drunk after the ceremony, cursing the person who took the Oscar out from under their noses, saying they're worthless sons of bitches with no talent. The kind of fake smiles, the fake kisses, the 'Oh, I really hope you do well and I wish you all the best' kind of stuff.

For instance, when Todd is at home in the Canyon, and he can't go to the Oscars, there's this section given over to what the Oscars are really like, beyond all the glamour and E! Television and Joan Rivers talking about the gowns. Even though the book is a fantasy, I wanted to provide the reader with the feeling of what it's like to be here, to be dealing with the egos, to be dealing with… Some of this stuff is almost in passing. Most of them are missing a limb, but that's what happens when you swim with sharks. It is a shark-infested pool, but there are also some really nice people here, too. I've met some wonderful people, and I've met some dreadful people. I've had great times here, and I've had terrible times here. Club about the hazards of Hollywood, his work process, and the universality of the extreme.ĬB: I'm very conflicted about modern Hollywood. Barker's latest novel is Coldheart Canyon, a Hollywood ghost story about a failing movie star named Todd Pickett, and his encounters with supernaturally preserved Hollywood icon Katya Lupi. Still, Barker's phantasmagoric, often massive horror/fantasy books-notably including the Books Of Blood series, Weaveworld, Imagica, The Damnation Game, and the surprisingly kid-friendly The Thief Of Always-have been his most consistently successful works. Most of his novels are in some stage of production as movies or TV shows. He's also directed a handful of movies based on his work, including the 1987 horror classic Hellraiser, which has spawned five sequels to date, and 1995's Lord Of Illusions. But Barker has worked in a wide variety of media, as a playwright, an artist, a toy designer for McFarlane Toys, a photographer, and a stage and movie actor. For much of his career, Clive Barker has been known as the young-turk novelist once famously dubbed 'the future of horror' by Stephen King.

Imagica barker