by Andrea D. Hutchinson

Created on: June 11, 2008   Last Updated: June 28, 2008

Two writers spring from behind the couch and under the bed when thinking about writers who have mastered the horror and suspense genres. I have read many, and have enjoyed most. However, the two gentlemen I believe to have topped the list for the last three decades are Stephen King, the Master of Horror and Clive Barker, the King of Kink and Gore.

Both authors have distinctive styles. Both terrify their consenting readers with twists of the mind and monsters in the closet. The depth and dimension that these two story weavers layer into their works keep the loyal readers entranced and enchanted. The constant reader finds themselves chomping at the proverbial leather strap. All the while binding screams of horror for and direction to the unsuspecting victims. As the reader addictively turns the page. Many a night has been spent with the mantra thought of " just one more chapter".

Stephen King has the ability to transport his readers back to childhood. The adult turned six year old gingerly jumps from the couch, to avoid the groping grasp of the skeletal hand they know to be reaching for their ankle. Briskly trotting to the kitchen to refresh a cup of tea, just to finish the current chapter. There is no better adrenalin rush than King's ability to make us afraid of the shadow in the corner. Drawing from childhood fears, teenage angst and power plays to the monster in the bathtub drain, King can transform a rainy night into fright night.

Various stories from Dairy and Castle Rock, Maine to his epic, twisted adventures set in fantastic time traveled lands, his stories span almost four decades. Just a few of the titles that can transport the man to the boy are It, Carrie, Cujo and Christine. Fantastic plots that twist and turn and cause the heart to pump in fear and fantasy. King's titles are as many and as vast as the monsters under the bed.

Clive Barker, on the other hand, is a harsh gore fest. Demonic creatures that travel from hellish dimensions to ours through the portal of the sitting room wall, trap his reader's mind. Clive's words paint fantastic worlds of graphic imagination and depraved acts that rock his reader's reality.

From the Books of Blood, The Hellbound Heart and the Damnation Game, Barker weaves his readers in and out of worlds of dementia and torment. Not unlike an acid trip gone bad, the reader's mind is bent and wrenched by the horrifically graphic characters and scene plots. Which are artistically molded in such a way that the reader is unable to untwist themselves from the pages. Barker's works tap directly into the reader's base and primitive dark side, proving that everyone has perversion within themselves. The characters don't even tend to evoke empathy or compassion from the reader, not even the intended victims. The reader is so awed by the kaleidoscope landscape of words, that they cannot fully understand what they feel. Possibly when reaching the end of the story the read might be able to digest what has been taken in. Even then it may take a few hours to a few days to wrap the head around the futuristic horror of what was read. Leaving a indelible mark on the reader that has them searching the library shelves for a little more depravity from this author.

Having mastered the horror and suspense genre appears to have come naturally to these two authors. Both bring fear that is physical and psychological in nature. For the proper effect while reading these tomes one must read these authors alone, in a darkened old house with only the lamp over head to illuminate the terror on the page. Preferably in a torrential thunderstorm. Could there be a better environment for a good terrifying story?

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