February 8, 2012

Horror master Clive Barker has revealed that he almost died – from a terrifying trip to the dentist.

According to Entertainment Weekly, the Hellraiser director claims in a series of tweets that he suffered from toxic shock syndrome following a mishap in the dentist's chair that almost killed him.

"I'm at home now after a while in hospital, thanks to a nearly fatal case of Toxic Shock brought on by a visit to my dentist," Barker tweeted.

"Apparently this is not uncommon," he wrote. "In my case the dental work unloaded such a spillage of poisonous bacteria into my blood that my whole system crashed, putting me into a coma. I spent several days in Intensive Care, with a machine breathing for me."

Barker says things got so bad doctors began to fear he wouldn't survive.

"Later, my Doctors said that they had not anticipated a happy ending until I started to fight, repeatedly pulling out the tubes that I was constantly gagging on. After a few days of nightmarish delusions I woke up to my life again, tired, twenty pounds lighter but happy to be back from a very dark place. And here in the world I intend to stay."

Barker, who's currently producing a Hellraiser remake due in 2013, says he's grateful for the chance to stick around.

"I've books to write, films to make and paintings to paint. I seem to have come home with my sight clearer somehow, and my sense of purpose intensified. Thank you all for your messages."

(Photo by PR Photos)

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