Retro Review: Book of Blood

The dead have highways, running through the wasteland behind our lives, bearing an endless traffic of departed souls. They can be heard in the broken places of our world, through cracks made out of cruelty, violence, and depravity. They have sign posts, these highways, and crossroads and intersections. And it is at these intersections where the dead mingle, and sometimes spill over into our world.

I’m proud to say that my first introduction to Clive Barker was his classic horror story collection, The Books Of Blood when I was still in high school. I read the first three volumes in a week and then went back and re-read them again. I was given volumes four through six as a gift for Christmas and read that even faster.The stories kept me on edge and my palms constantly sweating.

The first story simply titled, The Book of Blood got things started with a bang and set the tone for the rest of the stories! A psychic researcher named Mary Florescu hires a fake medium named Simon McNeil to investigate a haunted house. At first Simon fakes his visions but soon the dead come for him and begin to carve their stories onto his body.

It’s my favorite story from the collections and I always thought it would make a great film. I’ve always believed that the stories from the Books of Blood were a perfect fit for Hollywood, but sadly most producers don’t understand Clive’s work. Remember Rawhead Rex? Thankfully though Clive was heavily involved with the film adaptation of The Book of Blood which combines the opening story and its postscript On Jerusalem Street.

For a story that only lasted twelve pages writers John Harrison (who also directed the film) and David Silverman came up with some interesting ideas that brought more complexity to the story and in some ways made it more engrossing. Of course this could’ve backfired on them if they didn’t have a good grasp on the material, but luckily both men understood what new elements they could add to make them work into the world Clive had created.

First off, giving both Mary and Simon bigger backstories made you connect with the characters on a more emotional level. There’s a lot of tension between them, whether it’s mental or sexual, and they both rely on one another throughout the story. From the moment the characters lock eyes with each other the viewer knows that these characters have a destiny together.

Another aspect the filmmakers understood was that the house had to be a very important part of the story. Director John Harrison did a wonderful job in shooting the house in ways that gave it a personality, especially during the more tense moments of the film. In a lot of ways the house reminded me of the claustrophobic feel from the original Hellraiser, especially the attic scenes where Simon is having his “visions” of the dead.

Most of the acting is topnotch. I really enjoyed Jonas Armstrong’s portrayal as Simon McNeil. He had the look of someone you could sympathize with and distrust at the same time. It was hard to read him at any given moment and that’s a testament to Armstrong’s acting.

You could tell Clive Russel was having a blast with his small role as the skin remover Wyburd. He gave the character a creepy arrogance that I found to be charming even though he was a sociopath. I also had a good chuckle when he died at the end as the blood filled up the house.

Actress Sophia Ward gave a mixed performance and was the weakest aspect of the movie for me. I thought she did a great job in the early scenes with Simon but later on when she’s taken over by the house she comes off a little silly. And the white wig at the end just didn’t look good on her.

There were also some nice cameos from in the movie as well. Doug Bradley (aka Pinhead) shows up in a brief scene as character named Tollington. And like Oliver Parker before him Simon Bamford (aka Butterball) plays a mover named Derek.

The ending where the dead begin to write on Simon’s skin lived up to the book and more. The effects in these scenes were very impressive especially the shots showing the vast landscapes of the dead and all the different highways.

The only real problem I had with the film were its last few moments. I felt the film should’ve ended with the drowning of Wyburd as the house filled up with blood. I also believe the last scene with Simon walking off into the world of the dead was unnecessary and gave the film a happy ending that I didn’t think it deserved.

But all in all the film version of The Book of Blood lives up to the source material. I hope we continue to see more of Books of Blood stories adapted for the screen. Jacqueline Ess I’m waiting for you.

Score:

8/10