What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedThe Great and Secret Show
Clive Barker · Book · 1990
If you loved The Great and Secret Show, start with Lord of Illusions (Clive Barker, 1995) — a film on the same thread. Below: 4 films, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to The Great and Secret Show across media.
You were captivated by how The Great and Secret Show blends grand, supernatural warfare with the messy, personal lives of those caught in the crossfire.
Films on the same thread
Hellraiser
Clive Barker · Film · 1987
Explores: Pain and Pleasure, Forbidden Knowledge, Deconstruction of Desire.
If the visceral, occult-driven stakes of The Great and Secret Show pulled you in, you will find Barker’s own directorial exploration of forbidden desire and theological horror equally compelling.
Lord of Illusions
Clive Barker · Film · 1995
Explores: Cults, Illusion vs Reality, The Price of Magic.
This film mirrors the occult obsession found in The Great and Secret Show, focusing on how the heavy price of ancient magic destroys those who dare to wield it.
Nightbreed
Film · 1990
Shares a thread with The Great and Secret Show: Dark Fantasy.
Like The Great and Secret Show, this story highlights the plight of outsiders struggling against a cruel reality, set within a dark fantasy world of hidden, mythical societies.
The House of the Spirits
Bille August · Film · 1993
Shares a thread with The Great and Secret Show: Magical Realism.
For fans of the generational conflict in The Great and Secret Show, this saga captures a similar intensity of family legacy and the weight of inherited clairvoyant burdens.
Series on the same thread
Twin Peaks
Mark Frost · Series · 1990
Shares a thread with The Great and Secret Show: Occult.
Much like the surreal, small-town secrets of The Great and Secret Show, this series masterfully weaves existential dread and the battle between good and evil into a mystery.
Locke & Key
Meredith Averill · Series · 2020
Explores: Magical Objects, Family Secrets, Grief and Loss.
The discovery of magical objects that unlock dangerous, hidden secrets in this series echoes the same sense of wonder and peril present throughout The Great and Secret Show.
Carnivàle
Daniel Knauf · Series · 2003
Explores: Good vs Evil, Destiny vs Free Will, The Great Depression.
This series captures the epic, historical scale of the good versus evil struggle that defined The Great and Secret Show, grounding its occult themes in a gritty, real-world setting.
Are You Afraid of the Dark?
D.J. MacHale · Series · 1992
Explores: Campfire Stories, Ghost Stories, Friendship.
If you enjoyed the way The Great and Secret Show utilized dark, imaginative storytelling, this anthology delivers that same campfire-style thrill centered on mysterious, supernatural encounters.
Podcasts on the same thread
Mahabharat
Fever FM - HT Smartcast · Podcast
Explores: Ancient History, Indian Epic, Moral Lessons.
The epic scope and legendary stakes of this mythological tale provide the same grand, sweeping narrative feeling that elevated the supernatural conflict in The Great and Secret Show.
The School of Greatness
Lewis Howes · Podcast · 2026
Explores: Self-Actualization, Resilience, Peak Performance.
While different in tone, the drive for self-actualization and mastery found here reflects the same intense hunger for power that consumes the characters in The Great and Secret Show.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is The Great and Secret Show a standalone novel?
No, The Great and Secret Show is not a standalone novel. It is the first installment in a planned three-volume series written by Clive Barker. Readers should be aware that the narrative establishes a larger story arc that continues beyond this initial book.
What is the primary conflict in The Great and Secret Show?
The Great and Secret Show centers on a struggle for the Art, the greatest power of all. Two man-spirits prepare to fight using their mortal offspring as pawns, but the conflict intensifies significantly when an innocent passion develops between two of the children involved in the war.
How many books are in the series containing The Great and Secret Show?
The Great and Secret Show is the first book in a three-volume series. Clive Barker designed this work as the opening entry of a trilogy, meaning the plot and the struggle for the Art are intended to span across three distinct volumes in total.
Who is the author of The Great and Secret Show?
The Great and Secret Show was written by Clive Barker, a master horror author. Published in 1990, this work represents the beginning of his three-volume series that explores the battle for the Art between two man-spirits and their mortal offspring.