Clive Barker Wants ‘Library of the Dead’ to Take You Outside Your Comfort Zone [Exclusive]

Clive Barker is returning to short horror fiction with Library of the Dead, and he has no interest in simply repeating what scared readers forty years ago.

In my exclusive interview with Barker, we discussed his new three-book collection, the freedom of bringing it directly to fans through Kickstarter, and why short stories remain such a powerful way to deliver horror.

As we previously reported, Library of the Dead comprises Fear Eternal, Pyres of Bedlam, and Dark Descents. Coming from Clive Barker Ink and Ensata Press, the books combine new fiction with rare, previously published material, alongside Barker’s illustrations and poetry. Publication is planned across 2027.

“I’ve always thought horror was better served by short fiction, rather than novels. That’s why I started that way,” Barker tells Dread Central.

“What I’ve been doing in the last 40 years, since the last time I did this, was keeping the ideas of the stories that I knew could not be novels and I kept them in note form and knew there would come a time when I would have the moment and venue in which to do this.”

That distinction between an idea that needs a novel and one that belongs in a short story is something I really connect with. It’s part of the thinking behind V/H/S, Southbound, and the anthologies I’ve helped create.

As a seasoned horror viewer, I get frustrated when I can feel the three-act structure telling me exactly where we’re headed. Many of you know that feeling. You’ve watched enough movies to anticipate the next turn before the filmmaker has even started setting it up.

At our Sundance premiere of the first V/H/S, there’s a moment toward the end when the camera drops. The entire theater stood up, thinking the movie was over. Then the next segment started, and everyone sat back down.