Clive Barker’s short story collection, The Books of Blood, which was published from 1984-1986, was genuinely a revelation, rocketing him to the top of the horror heap — and with good reason. Visceral, bloody, outrageously inventive and undeniably powerful, these stories dragged the genre — screaming and gore-splattered — out of the reasonably cosy niche it had been occupying. In many ways, Barker’s books have mellowed since then, at least comparatively, but these stories retain their potency, particularly for anyone with a sense of history.
The new ghost film Book of Blood [aka Clive Barker’s Book of Blood] (US-2008; dir. John Harrison) is based on two stories from the collection, “Book of Blood” and “On Jerusalem Street”. The former kicked off Volume One of the six-volume collection, acting as a sort of catalyst — and “On Jerusalem Street” did a bit of a recap at the end of the final volume, giving the story a wrap-around quality.
The story follows Mary Florescu (Sophie Ward), a professor and psychic researcher who recruits a team of paranormal investigators to study a haunted house. Among them is Simon McNeal, a student and supposed-medium, who quickly becomes a living catalyst for the angry spirits – with very gruesome results. (Dread Central)
The story centers on a paranormal expert who, while investigating a gruesome slaying, finds a house that is at the intersection of “highways” transporting souls to the afterlife. (IMDb)
Trailer:
- Source: TrailerAddict
