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The Midnight Meat Train
In 1984 the Books of Blood by Clive Barker were published and quickly gained a following worldwide. Literary eminences like Stephen King noticed early on the creativity and powerful prose throughout the Books of Blood, bringing Clive Barker's stories to the forefront of horror fiction. One of these stories was "The Midnight Meat Train" following one Leon Kaufman as he discovers the origins of a series of grizzly subway train murders in New York City... and the controlling forces behind it all.
Clive Barker's The Midnight Meat Train Special Definitive Edition brings the original story back with all-new material: a new afterword written by Clive Barker, seven color paintings based on the story by the author, a new introduction by Phil & Sarah Stokes, a foreword by the movie screenplay writer Jeff Buhler, storyboards from the film, never-before-seen photos, notes, sketches and more.
Please note that because the official movie script was in image format we had to remove it from this ebook edition. Many materials from the major motion picture are still in this edition.
"What Barker does in THE BOOKS OF BLOOD makes the rest of us look like we've been asleep for the last ten years. . . He's an original." - Stephen King
"Clive Barker assaults our senses and our psyche, seeking not so much to tingle our spine as to snap it altogether." - Los Angeles Times
"Mixing elements of horror, science fiction and surrealist literature, Barker's work reads like a cross between Stephen King and South American novelist Gabriel Garcia Marquez. He creates a world where our biggest fears appear to be our own dreams." - Boston Herald
"Barker's eye is unblinking; he drags out our terrors from the shadows and forces us to look upon them and despair or laugh with relief." - The Washington Post
Clive Barker's The Midnight Meat Train Special Definitive Edition brings the original story back with all-new material: a new afterword written by Clive Barker, seven color paintings based on the story by the author, a new introduction by Phil & Sarah Stokes, a foreword by the movie screenplay writer Jeff Buhler, storyboards from the film, never-before-seen photos, notes, sketches and more.
Please note that because the official movie script was in image format we had to remove it from this ebook edition. Many materials from the major motion picture are still in this edition.
"What Barker does in THE BOOKS OF BLOOD makes the rest of us look like we've been asleep for the last ten years. . . He's an original." - Stephen King
"Clive Barker assaults our senses and our psyche, seeking not so much to tingle our spine as to snap it altogether." - Los Angeles Times
"Mixing elements of horror, science fiction and surrealist literature, Barker's work reads like a cross between Stephen King and South American novelist Gabriel Garcia Marquez. He creates a world where our biggest fears appear to be our own dreams." - Boston Herald
"Barker's eye is unblinking; he drags out our terrors from the shadows and forces us to look upon them and despair or laugh with relief." - The Washington Post
218 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2014
104 people are currently reading
1297 people want to read
About the author
Clive Barker
704 books15.1k followersClive Barker was born in Liverpool, England, the son of Joan Rubie (née Revill), a painter and school welfare officer, and Leonard Barker, a personnel director for an industrial relations firm. Educated at Dovedale Primary School and Quarry Bank High School, he studied English and Philosophy at Liverpool University and his picture now hangs in the entrance hallway to the Philosophy Department. It was in Liverpool in 1975 that he met his first partner, John Gregson, with whom he lived until 1986. Barker's second long-term relationship, with photographer David Armstrong, ended in 2009.
In 2003, Clive Barker received The Davidson/Valentini Award at the 15th GLAAD Media Awards. This award is presented "to an openly lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender individual who has made a significant difference in promoting equal rights for any of those communities". While Barker is critical of organized religion, he has stated that he is a believer in both God and the afterlife, and that the Bible influences his work.
Fans have noticed of late that Barker's voice has become gravelly and coarse. He says in a December 2008 online interview that this is due to polyps in his throat which were so severe that a doctor told him he was taking in ten percent of the air he was supposed to have been getting. He has had two surgeries to remove them and believes his resultant voice is an improvement over how it was prior to the surgeries. He said he did not have cancer and has given up cigars. On August 27, 2010, Barker underwent surgery yet again to remove new polyp growths from his throat. In early February 2012 Barker fell into a coma after a dentist visit led to blood poisoning. Barker remained in a coma for eleven days but eventually came out of it. Fans were notified on his Twitter page about some of the experience and that Barker was recovering after the ordeal, but left with many strange visions.
Barker is one of the leading authors of contemporary horror/fantasy, writing in the horror genre early in his career, mostly in the form of short stories (collected in Books of Blood 1 – 6), and the Faustian novel The Damnation Game (1985). Later he moved towards modern-day fantasy and urban fantasy with horror elements in Weaveworld (1987), The Great and Secret Show (1989), the world-spanning Imajica (1991) and Sacrament (1996), bringing in the deeper, richer concepts of reality, the nature of the mind and dreams, and the power of words and memories.
Barker has a keen interest in movie production, although his films have received mixed receptions. He wrote the screenplays for Underworld (aka Transmutations – 1985) and Rawhead Rex (1986), both directed by George Pavlou. Displeased by how his material was handled, he moved to directing with Hellraiser (1987), based on his novella The Hellbound Heart. His early movies, the shorts The Forbidden and Salome, are experimental art movies with surrealist elements, which have been re-released together to moderate critical acclaim. After his film Nightbreed (Cabal), which was widely considered to be a flop, Barker returned to write and direct Lord of Illusions. Barker was an executive producer of the film Gods and Monsters, which received major critical acclaim.
Barker is a prolific visual artist working in a variety of media, often illustrating his own books. His paintings have been seen first on the covers of his official fan club magazine, Dread, published by Fantaco in the early Nineties, as well on the covers of the collections of his plays, Incarnations (1995) and Forms of Heaven (1996), as well as on the second printing of the original UK publications of his Books of Blood series.
A longtime comics fan, Barker achieved his dream of publishing his own superhero books when Marvel Comics launched the Razorline imprint in 1993. Based on detailed premises, titles and lead characters he created specifically for this, the four interrelated titles — set outside the Marvel universe — were Ectokid,
In 2003, Clive Barker received The Davidson/Valentini Award at the 15th GLAAD Media Awards. This award is presented "to an openly lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender individual who has made a significant difference in promoting equal rights for any of those communities". While Barker is critical of organized religion, he has stated that he is a believer in both God and the afterlife, and that the Bible influences his work.
Fans have noticed of late that Barker's voice has become gravelly and coarse. He says in a December 2008 online interview that this is due to polyps in his throat which were so severe that a doctor told him he was taking in ten percent of the air he was supposed to have been getting. He has had two surgeries to remove them and believes his resultant voice is an improvement over how it was prior to the surgeries. He said he did not have cancer and has given up cigars. On August 27, 2010, Barker underwent surgery yet again to remove new polyp growths from his throat. In early February 2012 Barker fell into a coma after a dentist visit led to blood poisoning. Barker remained in a coma for eleven days but eventually came out of it. Fans were notified on his Twitter page about some of the experience and that Barker was recovering after the ordeal, but left with many strange visions.
Barker is one of the leading authors of contemporary horror/fantasy, writing in the horror genre early in his career, mostly in the form of short stories (collected in Books of Blood 1 – 6), and the Faustian novel The Damnation Game (1985). Later he moved towards modern-day fantasy and urban fantasy with horror elements in Weaveworld (1987), The Great and Secret Show (1989), the world-spanning Imajica (1991) and Sacrament (1996), bringing in the deeper, richer concepts of reality, the nature of the mind and dreams, and the power of words and memories.
Barker has a keen interest in movie production, although his films have received mixed receptions. He wrote the screenplays for Underworld (aka Transmutations – 1985) and Rawhead Rex (1986), both directed by George Pavlou. Displeased by how his material was handled, he moved to directing with Hellraiser (1987), based on his novella The Hellbound Heart. His early movies, the shorts The Forbidden and Salome, are experimental art movies with surrealist elements, which have been re-released together to moderate critical acclaim. After his film Nightbreed (Cabal), which was widely considered to be a flop, Barker returned to write and direct Lord of Illusions. Barker was an executive producer of the film Gods and Monsters, which received major critical acclaim.
Barker is a prolific visual artist working in a variety of media, often illustrating his own books. His paintings have been seen first on the covers of his official fan club magazine, Dread, published by Fantaco in the early Nineties, as well on the covers of the collections of his plays, Incarnations (1995) and Forms of Heaven (1996), as well as on the second printing of the original UK publications of his Books of Blood series.
A longtime comics fan, Barker achieved his dream of publishing his own superhero books when Marvel Comics launched the Razorline imprint in 1993. Based on detailed premises, titles and lead characters he created specifically for this, the four interrelated titles — set outside the Marvel universe — were Ectokid,
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 84 reviews
May 6, 2019
I have the BOOKS OF BLOOD Vol. 1-3 and I read the story there, but I want to be able to review this story by itself since I don't have plans to keep reading all of these stories at once. I want to be able to cherry pick from them like I did this evening.
The Midnight Meat Train starts off with a fascinating hook that will appeal to fans of true crime and enjoy stories involving serial killers and the authorities who hunt them.
Clive Barker sets the stage in New York personifying the city as a woman who allows disgusting, depraved things to happen in secret. That resonated with me. I enjoyed that.
Then, to quote my friend Ethan Pollard, "This escalates quickly!"
Ha! Wow.
Barker transitions this story from a bird's eye view of New York's seedy underbelly told through impersonal accounts of general depravity, to honing in on two specific people:
Mahogany-The Butcher
and Kaufman- a man who has had a love/hate infatuation with New York City to the point of obsession.
And then the two of them meet.
On the Midnight Meat Train.
Violence and gore of the highest order ensues.
And then that ending--nobody could have seen that coming. I can see why this is such an iconic horror story and why people hail Clive Barker's name in the hallowed halls of horror fame.
But here's the thing: I've never been one to be dazzled by body horror, so with all of the graphic details aside, was this still shocking and terrifying?
Yes. Yes, it was. Clive Barker took my breath away in that Subway car. Kaufman falling asleep and missing his stop and realizing he was in the worst possible place at the worst possible time is the apex of fear. And it doesn't get better for poor Kaufam--of course it doesn't.
It's my warning to other readers that you just don't come to a Clive Barker story expecting it might not "go there" because it always will. It always does. Sometimes I'm down with it and sometimes I don't desire that brand of horror at all so I'm enjoying using bookish discernment and reading Barker when I'm in the mood--fully aware of what I'm signing up for and Barker delivering on the goods.
The Midnight Meat Train starts off with a fascinating hook that will appeal to fans of true crime and enjoy stories involving serial killers and the authorities who hunt them.
Clive Barker sets the stage in New York personifying the city as a woman who allows disgusting, depraved things to happen in secret. That resonated with me. I enjoyed that.
Then, to quote my friend Ethan Pollard, "This escalates quickly!"
Ha! Wow.
Barker transitions this story from a bird's eye view of New York's seedy underbelly told through impersonal accounts of general depravity, to honing in on two specific people:
Mahogany-The Butcher
and Kaufman- a man who has had a love/hate infatuation with New York City to the point of obsession.
And then the two of them meet.
On the Midnight Meat Train.
Violence and gore of the highest order ensues.
And then that ending--nobody could have seen that coming. I can see why this is such an iconic horror story and why people hail Clive Barker's name in the hallowed halls of horror fame.
But here's the thing: I've never been one to be dazzled by body horror, so with all of the graphic details aside, was this still shocking and terrifying?
Yes. Yes, it was. Clive Barker took my breath away in that Subway car. Kaufman falling asleep and missing his stop and realizing he was in the worst possible place at the worst possible time is the apex of fear. And it doesn't get better for poor Kaufam--of course it doesn't.
It's my warning to other readers that you just don't come to a Clive Barker story expecting it might not "go there" because it always will. It always does. Sometimes I'm down with it and sometimes I don't desire that brand of horror at all so I'm enjoying using bookish discernment and reading Barker when I'm in the mood--fully aware of what I'm signing up for and Barker delivering on the goods.
September 12, 2023
thoughts to come...
June 18, 2017
Well, having loved the movie it was really time for me to read this gory and disturbing masterpiece by Clive Barker.
A tale about a lonely man, on a lonely train, in a lonely night, to an unpredictable destination...
The artworks by the author were really good too, and I loved all the interviews/extras about the working of the horror movie with Bradley Cooper, Vinnie Jones and Brooke Shields this short tale inspired.
Such a shame Barker's City Fathers Trilogy never happened because of bad distribution in theatres of that awesome and disturbing flick.
Watching the DVD again in 3... 2... 1...
August 25, 2023
Rating: 3.5* of five, rounded down because.
It's a very average sort of horror story, creeps galore that all lead to the place you'd like to have them go. Gore, blood, chills...and a twist at the end adding supernatural overtones.
Nothing unusual.
The 2008 film, which starred Bradley Cooper as the hero and Vinnie Jones as the demon, was better than the story in that it had style and panache in its visual storytelling. Jones is perfect as the baddie. Cooper plays obsession very well. The setting and scenery was perfect. It's on Netflix.
There's a scene of the Butcher pulling the teeth of a dead guy that will live in my nightmares. That'll appeal or appall.
It's a very average sort of horror story, creeps galore that all lead to the place you'd like to have them go. Gore, blood, chills...and a twist at the end adding supernatural overtones.
Nothing unusual.
The 2008 film, which starred Bradley Cooper as the hero and Vinnie Jones as the demon, was better than the story in that it had style and panache in its visual storytelling. Jones is perfect as the baddie. Cooper plays obsession very well. The setting and scenery was perfect. It's on Netflix.
There's a scene of the Butcher pulling the teeth of a dead guy that will live in my nightmares. That'll appeal or appall.
September 20, 2023
This book has me not wanting to take the NYC subway and goodness knows based on latest events I wasn’t enthused about it anyway. My version included artwork and stills and insights into the movie version.
Full Review:
"The Midnight Meat Train" is a very good short story that I read before in one of Barker's Books of Blood anthologies. The premise is a man that comes to New York thinking it is this rich magical place, finds it darker than even he could imagine.
I loved the structure of the novel that you get an idea (not the whole idea) of what is going on and who and then we follow Leon he becomes our gateway into something darker in the underground of New York.
I read this for the Jack-o'-lantern for Horror Aficionados.
Full Review:
"The Midnight Meat Train" is a very good short story that I read before in one of Barker's Books of Blood anthologies. The premise is a man that comes to New York thinking it is this rich magical place, finds it darker than even he could imagine.
I loved the structure of the novel that you get an idea (not the whole idea) of what is going on and who and then we follow Leon he becomes our gateway into something darker in the underground of New York.
I read this for the Jack-o'-lantern for Horror Aficionados.
September 22, 2023
Kaufman almost smiled at the perfection of its horror.
I read this in my bind-up of Books of Blood volumes 1-3, but I wanted to give it its own review since I'm not reading the entire collection right now. Wow, this story was immensely fucked up and did not go anywhere near where I was expecting it to go. The Midnight Meat Train is a quick, punchy reminder of why Clive Barker is one of the masters of modern horror and I loved this.
✨ Content warnings for:
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September 2, 2023
Bloody midnight train ride showdown between two unassuming, middle aged men in the city. It's a short novella, where things take a bloody left-turn really quickly. The eldritch twist at the end was fun and unexpected, particularly the description of the Father of Fathers as a shoal of fish. But best of all, I liked Barker's use of language as we readers peered inside the heads of the two main characters, the unassuming office worker, Kaufman, and Mahogany the Butcher who comes prepared.
His bag was packed. The towels, the instruments, his chain-mail apron.
and later, He lingered in the station for over an hour, wandering between platforms while the trains came and went, came and went, and the people with them. There was so little of quality it was dispiriting. It seemed he had to wait longer and longer every day to find flesh worthy of use.
His bag was packed. The towels, the instruments, his chain-mail apron.
and later, He lingered in the station for over an hour, wandering between platforms while the trains came and went, came and went, and the people with them. There was so little of quality it was dispiriting. It seemed he had to wait longer and longer every day to find flesh worthy of use.
December 4, 2021
The Midnight Meat Train is a story that will send you crazy. It’s the exact story that “things escalated quickly” was invented for. I love the sick mind of Clive Barker. Only he could conjure up a story of a subway train that never meets its intended stop, a story with enough bloodshed to paint the grandest of hotels in it. An author who can take the mundane and can transform it into the horrific, with visuals that will be knocking about in your head for days.
Barker encapsulates everything in his vision of New York City. She is a living and breathing entity, he isn’t interested in the romanticised version of the city, he knows just how she can chew a person up and spit them back out without care or conscience. New York is a dangerous place and there is nothing more dangerous than what lurks in the dark hours on the subway line. Leo Kauffman, a guy down on his luck, not enjoying the long hours he puts into his job. He knows New York isn’t all stunning parks and colourful personalities. He knows that in the underbelly of the beast lies depravity, evil, and a will to harm. Mahogany, the butcher, is the serial killer that quite literally cuts people down on the midnight subway service. A man that must do the bidding of something far darker, something far more ancient than anyone on the surface is aware of. It’s a needs must situation, but he is good at his job and picks his targets with the guile of a lion seizing its prey.
As is always with a Barker story, the writing is outstanding. There are intriguing layers and the tension and suspense have you on the edge of your seat. There is a relatable character in Kauffman, who doesn’t become disenfranchised with their city, it’s only too easy to become obsessed with what happens in the dark, that is until the dark bites back which is what happens in The Midnight Meat Train.
Kaufman and Mahogany meet and it is a gorefest. The fear, the anticipation – I could feel the adrenaline coursing through my veins waiting for disaster to strike. I certainly don’t think I’ll ever have the confidence to fall asleep on a train again, I simply refuse to wake up at the very worst of times. For Kaufman, it doesn’t get better he just becomes another victim of The Midnight Meat Train.
Barker encapsulates everything in his vision of New York City. She is a living and breathing entity, he isn’t interested in the romanticised version of the city, he knows just how she can chew a person up and spit them back out without care or conscience. New York is a dangerous place and there is nothing more dangerous than what lurks in the dark hours on the subway line. Leo Kauffman, a guy down on his luck, not enjoying the long hours he puts into his job. He knows New York isn’t all stunning parks and colourful personalities. He knows that in the underbelly of the beast lies depravity, evil, and a will to harm. Mahogany, the butcher, is the serial killer that quite literally cuts people down on the midnight subway service. A man that must do the bidding of something far darker, something far more ancient than anyone on the surface is aware of. It’s a needs must situation, but he is good at his job and picks his targets with the guile of a lion seizing its prey.
As is always with a Barker story, the writing is outstanding. There are intriguing layers and the tension and suspense have you on the edge of your seat. There is a relatable character in Kauffman, who doesn’t become disenfranchised with their city, it’s only too easy to become obsessed with what happens in the dark, that is until the dark bites back which is what happens in The Midnight Meat Train.
Kaufman and Mahogany meet and it is a gorefest. The fear, the anticipation – I could feel the adrenaline coursing through my veins waiting for disaster to strike. I certainly don’t think I’ll ever have the confidence to fall asleep on a train again, I simply refuse to wake up at the very worst of times. For Kaufman, it doesn’t get better he just becomes another victim of The Midnight Meat Train.
March 4, 2015
The story itself is fantastic. I remember getting the first volume of Books Of Blood at Waldenbooks and could not wait to tear into it. Clive Barker started this rather thin volume off with this tale and it was a memorable one. There was gore, fear, intensity, and a rich backstory that lived well beyond the pages. Here, we are treated to a special edition of the story. There is some great extras including a new introduction by Phil and Sarah Stokes, an essay by the screenwriter, and a great afterword by Clive Barker himself where he discusses the genesis of the idea behind the story that has endured for decades. Rounding out the ebook edition of this book were some great paintings done especially for this edition. All in all a great time revisiting a great story.
April 14, 2017
Especially recommended to night time mass transit users.
September 8, 2016
Well that was much shorter than I anticipated it being. I read some special version of it from kindle unlimited that had some forwards, the story, then went into information about the movie, some storyboards, and an afterword from Clive himself. Now there's nothing wrong with that, but it looked like the story was much longer than it was.
Now that doesn't mean it wasn't awesome. I don't think it even needed to be longer. Clive is so succinct with his words that I lived in an entire world in just that short story. You can picture it perfectly in all its horrifying glory.
Completely different from the movie, of course, but I actually like that they explained how they arrived at the movie and how it evolved from the book. But I think they both have their purpose.
Now that doesn't mean it wasn't awesome. I don't think it even needed to be longer. Clive is so succinct with his words that I lived in an entire world in just that short story. You can picture it perfectly in all its horrifying glory.
Completely different from the movie, of course, but I actually like that they explained how they arrived at the movie and how it evolved from the book. But I think they both have their purpose.
April 19, 2024
“Does the beef salute the butcher as it throbs to its knees?”
This is another twisted tale from master horror writer Clive Barker. It feels like it was inspired by aspects of the Cthulhu mythos—the Old Gods, the macabre, and the mouth of madness that swallows the human mind when faced with the unknown.
I’ll never look at New York City the same way again.
This is another twisted tale from master horror writer Clive Barker. It feels like it was inspired by aspects of the Cthulhu mythos—the Old Gods, the macabre, and the mouth of madness that swallows the human mind when faced with the unknown.
I’ll never look at New York City the same way again.
August 9, 2016
3.5 stars for the book itself as it is packaged, 4.5 for the story and the actually interesting and relevant bits.
First, I'd like to address that this "Special Definitive Edition" is definitely worth checking out, if like me, you've read Midnight Meat Train story before from Barker's first collection Books of Blood: Volume One, it blew you away, and you'd like to get a little of the story behind the story or a look at the Clive Barker paintings done for this edition. But I would have felt a bit mislead if I'd purchased this book instead of borrowing it. The book is clearly padded with THE ENTIRE CREDITS of the film version of the story in question. Which was irritating, not only because it reminded me of the compromised ending of the movie version, but was also such a ridiculously move on the publishers part.
Secondly, now that I've got my bitching out of the way, I gotta say loved rereading what I always consided the scariest stories I'd ever read. It holds up, even if I found a little bit of the characterization lacking on this read. I read this story for the first time one day while riding a BART train home from school at the age of thirteen. I didn't know what an insane a choice I had made till it was too late and I was hooked. I just wanted to find out what was behind this cover.
What I found was a disgusting, truly scary and perfectly ended short story that I've never forgotten.
I also enjoyed the introduction in this edition which included excerpts of interviews with Ramsey Campbell and Clive Barker about the writing of the story and Barker's philosophy behind his brand of horror. Here is an interesting slightly spoilery quote from Barker:
Also fascinating was the background on the production of the film version (which I'd always felt was unfaithful to the short story) which clearly ended up being a bit disappointing in terms of kickstarting new movies based on various Books of Blood stories.
So buyer beware of what you're getting. Though the paintings and interviews will probably make it worth the price for hardcore fans.
First, I'd like to address that this "Special Definitive Edition" is definitely worth checking out, if like me, you've read Midnight Meat Train story before from Barker's first collection Books of Blood: Volume One, it blew you away, and you'd like to get a little of the story behind the story or a look at the Clive Barker paintings done for this edition. But I would have felt a bit mislead if I'd purchased this book instead of borrowing it. The book is clearly padded with THE ENTIRE CREDITS of the film version of the story in question. Which was irritating, not only because it reminded me of the compromised ending of the movie version, but was also such a ridiculously move on the publishers part.
Secondly, now that I've got my bitching out of the way, I gotta say loved rereading what I always consided the scariest stories I'd ever read. It holds up, even if I found a little bit of the characterization lacking on this read. I read this story for the first time one day while riding a BART train home from school at the age of thirteen. I didn't know what an insane a choice I had made till it was too late and I was hooked. I just wanted to find out what was behind this cover.
What I found was a disgusting, truly scary and perfectly ended short story that I've never forgotten.
I also enjoyed the introduction in this edition which included excerpts of interviews with Ramsey Campbell and Clive Barker about the writing of the story and Barker's philosophy behind his brand of horror. Here is an interesting slightly spoilery quote from Barker:
"What interests me is the idea of characters who confront the ordinary, and find new meaning in the extraordinary, rather than simply finding some creatures or some forces that they must eradicate or exorcise in order to return to the norm that they had on page one. I think of my stories as having happy endings, perversely enough, because they often end with scenes of revelation of one kind or another: characters understanding themselves and realizing why they need fresh meaning in their lives.... Midnight Meat Train is a story ..."
Also fascinating was the background on the production of the film version (which I'd always felt was unfaithful to the short story) which clearly ended up being a bit disappointing in terms of kickstarting new movies based on various Books of Blood stories.
So buyer beware of what you're getting. Though the paintings and interviews will probably make it worth the price for hardcore fans.
January 8, 2022
What the fuck did I just read? 😐 I loved it.
May 5, 2022
I liked this Clive Barker short. I'd watched the movie with Vinnie Jones and Bradley Cooper, and I thought it was alright, a bit laboured, but I thought it was very stylish visually. I was curious about the short story I know that Barker's work is difficult to adapt onto screen for some reason. Perhaps his stuff is too weird for mainstream consumption, but really? Have you seen the stuff out there in the cinema? Barker's stuff isn't *that* out there, but they seem to think it is.
The Midnight Meat Train was originally one of the shorts in the Books of Blood (Volumes 1-3).
I like the idea of an urban horror set on a train since it's a form of transport most of us have used at some point in our lives. It's relatable. The main character Leon Kaufman, a bored accountant, finds himself on a night train coming back from his shift in the city. This is set in New York City, and not an English setting, so this is an interesting choice for an English author. Unluckily for Kaufman, he's on the same train as a gruesome and creepy serial suit-wearing killer Mahogany, whose main job is to butcher passengers for some "elite" cannibals/secret society called the Founding Fathers. There is a city-wide (possibly country wide) conspiracy around them.
I'd say it's a very distinctive story that has some typical elements associated with the author. At the beginning, we see from both characters viewpoints which was interesting until their paths cross in the middle. The construction was good. Whether I judge a horror short story to be any good is if I want more and/or I ended up rooting for the main character. I did end up supporting Leon despite his prissy behaviour at the beginning.
The writing was gleeful and enthusiastic, a tad trite. I lol because in every story Barker makes his characters, no matter what background, say "my christ" and it makes me laugh for some reason.
Near the end, things got more crazy and blood-soaked. Wow, a lot of detail around the consumption of body parts. Some interesting imagery. The Founding Father leader is a mangy old man who who is described as being "once charming, once cultured" - creepy or what?
Kaufman is inexplicably watching their carnage, trapped in the slaughterhouse/carriage. Is he in shock? Why didn't he defend himself when the old man came close with that weapon he had?
The ending is the creepiest part of the whole tale. The clean up crew basically sterilising the platform. Omg.
How I interpreted the ending: Kaufman didn't have a choice. He came to the city with hope and dreams, but ended up losing his voice to become just another cog in the machine. His deference is chilling because he's lost, not just his appetite but his will to a power bigger than he could ever imagine...
I prefer this short to the film. It's better and more detailed (despite it being a short). I was interested to read that Barker wanted to continue the film as part of a trilogy. The next two films would have been about different branches of the FF in other American subway systems, eventually leading to a showdown. That would have been interesting! But the studio heads said no. I hope someone makes this happen though. And I'd love if they adapted his other novels for the big screen, since his horror stuff is genuinely solid.
Would probably be creeped out to read this on a train. Mind the gap indeed!
The Midnight Meat Train was originally one of the shorts in the Books of Blood (Volumes 1-3).
I like the idea of an urban horror set on a train since it's a form of transport most of us have used at some point in our lives. It's relatable. The main character Leon Kaufman, a bored accountant, finds himself on a night train coming back from his shift in the city. This is set in New York City, and not an English setting, so this is an interesting choice for an English author. Unluckily for Kaufman, he's on the same train as a gruesome and creepy serial suit-wearing killer Mahogany, whose main job is to butcher passengers for some "elite" cannibals/secret society called the Founding Fathers. There is a city-wide (possibly country wide) conspiracy around them.
I'd say it's a very distinctive story that has some typical elements associated with the author. At the beginning, we see from both characters viewpoints which was interesting until their paths cross in the middle. The construction was good. Whether I judge a horror short story to be any good is if I want more and/or I ended up rooting for the main character. I did end up supporting Leon despite his prissy behaviour at the beginning.
The writing was gleeful and enthusiastic, a tad trite. I lol because in every story Barker makes his characters, no matter what background, say "my christ" and it makes me laugh for some reason.
Near the end, things got more crazy and blood-soaked. Wow, a lot of detail around the consumption of body parts. Some interesting imagery. The Founding Father leader is a mangy old man who who is described as being "once charming, once cultured" - creepy or what?
Kaufman is inexplicably watching their carnage, trapped in the slaughterhouse/carriage. Is he in shock? Why didn't he defend himself when the old man came close with that weapon he had?
The ending is the creepiest part of the whole tale. The clean up crew basically sterilising the platform. Omg.
How I interpreted the ending: Kaufman didn't have a choice. He came to the city with hope and dreams, but ended up losing his voice to become just another cog in the machine. His deference is chilling because he's lost, not just his appetite but his will to a power bigger than he could ever imagine...
I prefer this short to the film. It's better and more detailed (despite it being a short). I was interested to read that Barker wanted to continue the film as part of a trilogy. The next two films would have been about different branches of the FF in other American subway systems, eventually leading to a showdown. That would have been interesting! But the studio heads said no. I hope someone makes this happen though. And I'd love if they adapted his other novels for the big screen, since his horror stuff is genuinely solid.
Would probably be creeped out to read this on a train. Mind the gap indeed!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 18, 2020
This volume is a bit of a waste of time, but the story itself is solid
Unless you want a tie in to the forgotten adaptation, this volume really makes no sense given the fact this story is readily available in the first volume of the Books of Blood.
However, the story itself is everything good and bad about Barker with effective scares and a compelling descent into a character’s obsession but also the most purple prose and Old Gods showing up outta nowhere.
Unless you want a tie in to the forgotten adaptation, this volume really makes no sense given the fact this story is readily available in the first volume of the Books of Blood.
However, the story itself is everything good and bad about Barker with effective scares and a compelling descent into a character’s obsession but also the most purple prose and Old Gods showing up outta nowhere.
April 3, 2024
Clive Barker is one of my all time faves but i came to this story from that obscure movie version with Bradley Cooper because I needed A N S W E R S. I watched Mahogany peel those "barnacles" of his back and was like .. maybe the short story will explain. And .. it did not . But it was still an interesting read and a fun short read especially if you like trippy wierd subway gore.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 22, 2021
A wonderfully terrifying story from The Books of Blood.
A short story enhanced with the story of how the movie came to be made as well as how Clive Barker originally came up with the idea.
A short story enhanced with the story of how the movie came to be made as well as how Clive Barker originally came up with the idea.
August 13, 2015
I would have liked this a lot better if 40% of the book were actual book, and not movie credits. I wouldn't recommend this edition of this story at all.
December 1, 2018
3,5 stars
May 6, 2019
I can see why this is a classic of modern horror. I'll be reading more Barker in the future.
April 3, 2025
"Kaufman almost smiled at the perfection of its horror. He felt an offer of insanity tickling the base of his skull, tempting him into oblivion, promising a blank indifference to the world."
October 11, 2025
A sense of dread and impending doom is all over this tale, I really enjoyed the cat and mouse aspect of the story. Great Clive Barker writing indeed!
October 5, 2024
Das ist natürlich eine story in den fantastischen "Books of blood" undi ch habe es vor längerer Zeit gelesen.
Aber ich denke oft daran, weil es der BESTE TITEL EINES KULTURPRODUKTS EVER IST (platz 2 geht an: "I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream!" harlan ellison, auch eine grandiose story).
und wenn mich jemand fragt (aber niemand fragt) warum ich deutschsprachige literatur ignoriere: wo ist der*die Autor*in der so einen Titel hervorbringt, ganz zu schweigen von eionem werk wie Barkers? kenne keine*n. aber ich hab keine ahnungvon zeitgenössischer dt. literatur.
Aber ich denke oft daran, weil es der BESTE TITEL EINES KULTURPRODUKTS EVER IST (platz 2 geht an: "I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream!" harlan ellison, auch eine grandiose story).
und wenn mich jemand fragt (aber niemand fragt) warum ich deutschsprachige literatur ignoriere: wo ist der*die Autor*in der so einen Titel hervorbringt, ganz zu schweigen von eionem werk wie Barkers? kenne keine*n. aber ich hab keine ahnungvon zeitgenössischer dt. literatur.
June 18, 2024
I’ve watched the movie adaptation when I was in high school and loved it. I didn’t know it was a short story written by Clive Barker. This is from the anthology Books of Blood, I’ll be expecting though that the other books in the collection are not as interesting as this.
February 11, 2018
The Midnight Meat Train (3 Stars)
Leon Kaufman is infatuated with New York City, the city he had always wanted to live in. His love for the city gets diminished however by a series of grisly killings in the city’s vast underground network of subways. In fact, the very day Kaufman arrived in the city, the news media broke the story of a mangled corpse hanging upside down from the holding handles in a subway train car. The next chapter shifts focus to Mahogany, the ageing and visually unimpressive killer. From then on, the story shifts back and forth from Kaufman’s perspective to Mahogany’s until their encounter in the subway train.
The story hooks the reader right from the beginning. The sense of foreboding increases as Mahogany gets ready for his “job” and sets out among the hordes of unsuspecting city-dwellers. The events on the train, the horrible things Kaufman sees, his narrow escape from the killer into the next train car - all dramatically raise the tension and set the stage for a thrilling climax. Unfortunately, however, the story starts going downhill soon thereafter when Kaufman and Mahogany finally get face to face.
The climax was underwhelming and the ending leaves several things unanswered. Here are some of my observations:
(i) Mahogany - who has killed countless people methodically and ruthlessly - dies rather easily and quickly at the hands of a complete neophyte who has never killed anyone in his life and is scared out of his wits.
(ii) The “human meat” hanging upside down is for feeding a group of grotesque cannibals living underground the city, who claim to be the “City Fathers”, who claim to have been born even before the city was even thought of. No explanation is given as to how this is even possible or how this came about to be.
(iii) The cannibals tell Kaufman that now he must do the job heretofore done by Mahogany. There is a hint of Kaufman’s acceptance of this as in the end, he swears “his eternal loyalty to its continuance.” However, how will he acquire the skills and methodology to do the job Mahogany did? And what exactly triggers the transformation of Kaufman who is initially horrified and disgusted by the killings to someone who accepts all this? All this has been left unstated.
(iv) The final station is a pristine white station, unlike any other. Here, the ‘Midnight Meat’ train stops for clean up and gets ready for yet another journey. The train driver wakes Kaufman up, reminds him the job to do and introduces him to the cleaners, who were hosing the blood off the seats and floor, as the new “Butcher”. How and why these killings remain undetected even when there is such a large network of accomplices and enabling infrastructure is also left unstated.
(v) The key question at the end is why Mahogany even bothered to confront Kaufman. At that point in the story, it was ostensibly to prevent him from getting exposed and caught. However, the train was no longer going out to the known world. It was going to the cannibals and then to the final station for cleanup. Kaufman could have easily been rid off during the time the cannibals entered the train for eating or at the final station where the driver and cleaners were all hand in glove with the killer.
At mid-point, the story seemed headed for a tense battle of wits between Kaufman and Mahogany. However, the manner in which the story actually unwinded left too many things unanswered. I found the ending bizarre. So, in spite of the many 5 star reviews that this book has received, I have to give it 3 stars - mainly for the story’s strong beginning.
Leon Kaufman is infatuated with New York City, the city he had always wanted to live in. His love for the city gets diminished however by a series of grisly killings in the city’s vast underground network of subways. In fact, the very day Kaufman arrived in the city, the news media broke the story of a mangled corpse hanging upside down from the holding handles in a subway train car. The next chapter shifts focus to Mahogany, the ageing and visually unimpressive killer. From then on, the story shifts back and forth from Kaufman’s perspective to Mahogany’s until their encounter in the subway train.
The story hooks the reader right from the beginning. The sense of foreboding increases as Mahogany gets ready for his “job” and sets out among the hordes of unsuspecting city-dwellers. The events on the train, the horrible things Kaufman sees, his narrow escape from the killer into the next train car - all dramatically raise the tension and set the stage for a thrilling climax. Unfortunately, however, the story starts going downhill soon thereafter when Kaufman and Mahogany finally get face to face.
The climax was underwhelming and the ending leaves several things unanswered. Here are some of my observations:
(i) Mahogany - who has killed countless people methodically and ruthlessly - dies rather easily and quickly at the hands of a complete neophyte who has never killed anyone in his life and is scared out of his wits.
(ii) The “human meat” hanging upside down is for feeding a group of grotesque cannibals living underground the city, who claim to be the “City Fathers”, who claim to have been born even before the city was even thought of. No explanation is given as to how this is even possible or how this came about to be.
(iii) The cannibals tell Kaufman that now he must do the job heretofore done by Mahogany. There is a hint of Kaufman’s acceptance of this as in the end, he swears “his eternal loyalty to its continuance.” However, how will he acquire the skills and methodology to do the job Mahogany did? And what exactly triggers the transformation of Kaufman who is initially horrified and disgusted by the killings to someone who accepts all this? All this has been left unstated.
(iv) The final station is a pristine white station, unlike any other. Here, the ‘Midnight Meat’ train stops for clean up and gets ready for yet another journey. The train driver wakes Kaufman up, reminds him the job to do and introduces him to the cleaners, who were hosing the blood off the seats and floor, as the new “Butcher”. How and why these killings remain undetected even when there is such a large network of accomplices and enabling infrastructure is also left unstated.
(v) The key question at the end is why Mahogany even bothered to confront Kaufman. At that point in the story, it was ostensibly to prevent him from getting exposed and caught. However, the train was no longer going out to the known world. It was going to the cannibals and then to the final station for cleanup. Kaufman could have easily been rid off during the time the cannibals entered the train for eating or at the final station where the driver and cleaners were all hand in glove with the killer.
At mid-point, the story seemed headed for a tense battle of wits between Kaufman and Mahogany. However, the manner in which the story actually unwinded left too many things unanswered. I found the ending bizarre. So, in spite of the many 5 star reviews that this book has received, I have to give it 3 stars - mainly for the story’s strong beginning.
September 3, 2023
Read this a long time ago and picked it up again as it is on the group list. Like an old friend, it holds up over time and is a great second read. Puzzling at the end, the story does not end as you would expect, which is delightful.
February 3, 2021
One night I started watching "The shining". When I say night, I mean midnight. And then the movie ended, and I had the great idea of reading this story. And I was alone. If anyone's wandering it took me awhile to sleep.
I'm saying all this, because it has to be the most scared I have ever been, but I'm not sure, if it was the combination. Perhaps each story separately wouldn't have affected me that much.
Something I enjoy with Clive Barker is how his characters usually are scared by the weird things they encounter, but at the same time they also are infatuated. And this to me is such a human reaction. To find beauty in the strange, and in the alien, and in things you cannot understand. This story has all that. The hero is afraid but can't help himself from falling in love with the weird creatures he comes across. At least to me, it seemed that way. In addition, it makes him feel, like many people sometimes feel when dealing with some situations, inferior.
Maybe it's what happened to me that night. I was in the mood for something different and excited, to escape from the everyday routine. Although it was a one time thing which I haven't done since then.
I'm saying all this, because it has to be the most scared I have ever been, but I'm not sure, if it was the combination. Perhaps each story separately wouldn't have affected me that much.
Something I enjoy with Clive Barker is how his characters usually are scared by the weird things they encounter, but at the same time they also are infatuated. And this to me is such a human reaction. To find beauty in the strange, and in the alien, and in things you cannot understand. This story has all that. The hero is afraid but can't help himself from falling in love with the weird creatures he comes across. At least to me, it seemed that way. In addition, it makes him feel, like many people sometimes feel when dealing with some situations, inferior.
Maybe it's what happened to me that night. I was in the mood for something different and excited, to escape from the everyday routine. Although it was a one time thing which I haven't done since then.
September 12, 2025
A great quick and thrilling story. It has left a long lasting impact on me that whenever I'm taking the subway I can't help but think of the mysteries and horrors that lie in those tunnels. Man oh man. 4 stars. Check it out!
October 20, 2018
Had to get in a little horror and chose this gem of a short story shared by our Horror Fiction and Film teacher.
The balance of what's best for everyone and what's best for the person, Kaufman is now in charge of the slaughter and ritualistic butchering of people on the 'midnight meat train' in New York City.
There's plenty that is haunting and horror-ific but also somewhat puzzling with the science fiction element, not just an episode of Law and Order-- balancing the hopes, dreams, and wishes with duty.
The balance of what's best for everyone and what's best for the person, Kaufman is now in charge of the slaughter and ritualistic butchering of people on the 'midnight meat train' in New York City.
There's plenty that is haunting and horror-ific but also somewhat puzzling with the science fiction element, not just an episode of Law and Order-- balancing the hopes, dreams, and wishes with duty.
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