Book of Blood (2009) Reviews

• Writing Can Be Hazardous To Your Health, Part 3

  Vomitron_G2011-11-23

  This film pleasantly surprised me. Recent Clive Barker adaptations haven't really been masterpieces (though thankfully there always has been enough talent involved to make them interesting, at least). "The Plague" (2006) just wasn't much to write home about. "The Midnight Meat Train" (2008) was better, but it basically just tried to blow your socks off with extreme violence & bloodshed. And now, "Book of Blood" might just be the finest recent adaptation so far. It relies more on mood & atmosphere and all this is handled well. A duo of paranormal investigators - Mary Florescu (Sophie Ward), the professor & Reg Fuller (Paul Blair), the technician - moves into a reputed haunted house. Mary invites student Simon McNeal (Jonas Armstrong) to come along, for she believes him to have psychic abilities that might tap into the house's paranormal activities. But distrust soon rises between the threesome as they try to determine what's real and what's not in this house of hauntings. Granted, the story remains pretty thin throughout the film, but director John Harrison takes this as an opportunity to not only create an eerie mood and build tension, but also to work on the main characters. There's a disturbing sexual tension growing between mentor Mary & student Simon which escalates in some keen exposure of betrayal. Actress Sophie Ward is an awesome woman and left a great impression on me with her toned-down performance. Both the pro- & epilogue make the movie a bit oddly structured, but it helped to flesh out the story a bit (pardon the pun). The film oozes with that sort of old school British Gothic vibe, but it's much darker portrayed than usual, adding a great deal of atmosphere to the picture. It's a rather little film, don't expect to be blown away, but it's a well-made effort and a clean adaptation carrying on the spirit of Clive Barker's work splendidly. I have yet to see his other recent outing, "Dread" (2009), but I've heard decent things about it already.

• Horror Clive Barker Style that almost gets ruined by the lack of a real story

  chrichtonsworld2009-05-20

  "Book of Blood" contains several trademarks of Clive Barker's earlier work. So be prepared to expect some gruesome special effects. Only this time it is dumbed down considerably especially when you compare it to "Hellraiser" or "Candyman". The buildup of tension can be compared to the style he used in the (very excellent) video game "Undying". In which the atmosphere is key for providing the scary moments. The biggest problem however with this movie is the story. That is to say that there isn't much of a story. The little story that does get presented to the viewer doesn't go anywhere and only gets confusing in the end. (Small Spoiler!!!) There was a perfect opportunity to use Doug Bradley since his character seems to be the cause of the events that played out. But he only is in it for 1 minute or so which is clearly not enough to make the same impact as he did with the Pinhead character. In the ending all the viewer is left with the feeling that he/she could have skipped this movie. This is a big shame since "Book of Blood" had a lot of potential into creating a new horror icon.If you can overlook the slow pace and the lack of story then you can enjoy this movie since it is full of suspense,scary moments and even some pretty erotic scenes.

• Tricky

  kosmasp2009-07-16

  Actually I do like the theme of story. And it has a pretty good ending. The problem is, what lies before that and how the story is treated. While I haven't read the source material (book by Clive Barker), I'm sure it is a far better and more complex story to be found there, which didn't translate to the screen. Apart from the pacing and a story twist that will leave with a bad feeling (again, I don't know if it's the same in the novel), what really gets to you, is the fact, that the actors are pretty dull. I'm not saying bad, just dull. It's exactly about sympathizing with them, but they leave you more than cold (no pun intended). Which might work for other movies, but not here. Still there are a few scares, it's quite nicely shot and the aforementioned ending ... other than that? Not much!

• Great Acting and Directing, But a Bland Story

  gavin69422010-08-25

  A young man, captured for his unique skin, is about to be flayed by a bounty hunter. But first, he tells his story of how his skin got the way it is: torn to shreds and covered in unique markings. He is, literally, a book of blood. This is a work of Clive Barker's, originally two of his short stories combined together. The Barker themes are evident: like "Hellraiser", the dead have a gateway to this world through the flesh and blood of the living. And that gateway is connected to a certain place in space (in both cases, an upstairs room of a house). Even Simon Bamford of "Nightbreed" and "Hellraiser" shows up to continue his ubiquitous run in Barker films. John Harrison directs this film beautifully. Between him and the cinematographer, they make a gorgeous film with a perfect setting and mood. It's delightfully haunting, and the gore effects are enjoyable (there is a face-ripping scene that stands out as one of the film's highlights). While I enjoy Harrison's "Tales From the Darkside" better, I think this better showcases his artistic abilities. The problem with "Book of Blood" is an issue not unique to this film: it is adapted from a short story, and to stretch a short story into a full, feature film just does not always work. Some of this film is strong, but other parts just drag or seem extraneous. It could have been shortened to an hour and would have been a superior film, most likely. Chicago critics Jon Kitley and Aaron Christensen suggested that it could have been an anthology, mixed with Barker's "Dread" and "Midnight Meat Train". This is a fine suggestion... but too late now, giving us three average films rather than one superior film. Horror Society rightly concludes that "this movie wasn't a disappointment", as it was no worse than I expected when taking my seat in the theater. Though, to be honest, my expectations were not overly high -- I had only the barest interest in this film and had heard nothing good about it. Clive Barker fans will need to see this one, but others can do fine without it. The Blu-Ray is a bare bones release, so if you're looking for features to plump this film up, you're screwed. Worth seeing? Maybe. A must-see? Definitely not.

• Listening to the Dead

  claudio_carvalho2009-04-23

  A stranger with a sick skin full of scars is abducted by a man that was hired by a collector to peel his skin. The stranger tells the story of the PhD college professor and writer Mary Florescu (Sophie Ward), who investigates paranormal phenomena with her technical assistant Reg Fuller (Paul Blair). When the newcomer student Simon McNeal (Jonas Armstrong) attends her class, she recognizes him as a clairvoyant boy that was a sensation in the media years ago when he foresaw the death of his older brother in a car accident. Mary invites Simon to team up with Reg and her in the investigation of the Tollington House, a creepy house where a teenager was slayed a couple of years ago, since she believes that Simon would be capable to "open" the house to communicate with the spirits. When the souls apparently write "Don't mock us" and other advices on the wall; cause interference in Reg's equipment; and beat Simon, Mary believes she has succeed in collecting evidences of the afterlife. However, she finds first that everything is a fraud; but later she realizes that the dead have highways and the Tollington House is located at the intersection between worlds. Further the dead want someone to listen to them and tell the world through a book of blood. Tales of haunted house seemed to be an exhausted theme for horror movies; however, Clive Barker reinvents the terror of this theme in "Book of Blood". The intriguing screenplay is very well developed in a slow pace, supported by a great direction and performances, using a bleak cinematography and good special effects. This movie is underrated in IMDb with the User Rating of 5.2 (39 votes only) and deserves to be discovered by fans of genuine horror movie. My vote is eight. Title (Brazil): "Livro de Sangue" ("Book of Blood")