Clive Barker is giving readers something to listen to when they crack open Library of the Dead.
With the Library of the Dead Kickstarter campaign surpassing $1.75 million in funding, backers have unlocked Compositions of the Dead, an original horror soundtrack curated by Barker himself.
All Kickstarter backers will receive a digital download at no additional cost. A limited-edition vinyl album is also planned, with backers getting the exclusive opportunity to purchase it after the campaign ends.
“The opportunity to provide readers with companion media that helps expand on the themes of these stories is wonderfully exciting,” Barker tells Dread Central exclusively. “Giving our backers the chance to experience my fiction in a new way is something that I have wanted to do for a long time, and the freedom that Kickstarter provides has made this a reality.”
The music is being composed specifically for the books. The team behind Compositions of the Dead is assembling a list of prospective composers, with plans to bring together established names in horror film music and emerging artists personally selected by Barker. The production team hopes to get the digital soundtrack into readers’ hands before the first book arrives in early 2027.
As we reported when Barker unveiled the three-book anthology, Library of the Dead comprises Fear Eternal, Pyres of Bedlam, and Dark Descents. The books bring together new horror fiction, rare stories, and Barker’s own illustrations and poetry. More than 7,000 supporters have backed the campaign, which also offers a remastered edition of Books of Blood, an art portfolio, and a “Book Coffin” bookcase to house the collection.
When I spoke with Barker about Library of the Dead, he told me he’d spent decades keeping notes on ideas that belonged in short stories. On what readers can expect from the collection, he put it this way: “The stories in Library of the Dead do not resemble each other at all.” That gives the composers quite a bit of room to play.
The announcement follows the October 8 release of Clive Barker’s Hellraiser: Revival from Saber Interactive and Boss Team Games. Barker also spoke with us about how far the developers took Hellraiser, and his verdict was pretty definitive. “I’m proud as fuck at the end result.”
Late pledges are open through Clive Barker’s Library of the Dead on Kickstarter.
