Review: ‘Books of Blood’
A fun, nostalgic ride through different bygone eras of horror, this loose adaptation of Clive Barker’s iconic horror anthology classic is a welcome reprieve from today’s brand of more lowkey horror.
Based on three short stories from horror legend Clive Barker’s horror anthology collection of the same name, ‘Books of Blood’ was written by ‘Salem’ producers Adam Simon and Brannon Braga, with direction from Braga himself. It stars an eclectic ensemble cast that features Britt Robertson, Anna Friel, Freda Foh Shen, Rafi Gavron, Cory Lee and Yul Vazquez.
The first of the three stories revolves around Bennett (Yul Vazquez), a professional hitman in search of a priceless book that may have hidden connection to a dark supernatural force. The second centers on Jenna (Britt Robertson), a hypersensitive young woman dealing with the trauma of a mysterious incident that left her hospitalized for months. Seeking a fresh start away from her overbearing mother and indifferent stepfather, she books a room at a small bed and breakfast that may be hiding a terrifying secret. The third story, meanwhile, tells the story of Mary (Anna Friel), a psychologist reeling from the death of her young son. Simon (Rafi Gavron), young man claiming to be a psychic medium, reaches out to her, saying he has a message for her from beyond the grave. But things soon start to take a turn for the worse when she builds a personal connection with Simon that threatens to destroy her life.
‘Books of Blood’ is nothing groundbreaking and it doesn’t pretend to be, going through the same beats and motions of the many horror films that came before it. Chock-full of loud jumpscares and gorey imagery, it’s a refreshing watch, especially in a climate inundated by more lowkey horror fare, and will be incredibly fun to experience in a group setting. Its first story – which also acts as its main framing device – is not as intriguing or thrilling as its other two, which makes the decision to adapt it a confusing one when the source material is so rife with more interesting one. But it is still ultimately a thrilling experience that, despite the inclusion of supernatural and body horror elements, is deeply human at its core, exploring themes of grief, greed and mortality. Due to the short runtime given to each installment, Simon and Braga only barely scratch the surface of these topics. It would have been interesting to see how they could have been expanded on if they were executed as a television series instead of a standalone movie but the underwritten materiel is elevated by a great cast that give it their all.
Britt Robertson, in particular, delivers a heartbreaking performance as a young woman forced into terrible situations, going to great lengths in order to make sure that audiences can sympathize with her. She is the closest thing the film has to a lead in terms of runtime and she completely throws herself into the role, turning in a layered performance of a complicated woman that is not at all what she may appear to be. Anna Friel is fantastic as a psychologist struggling to process the loss of her child. Her grief is palpable and her enthusiasm at getting the opportunity to communicate with her son, who she thought was long gone, is more than inspiring, which makes the proceeding haunting events somewhat difficult to watch. The rest of the cast do an adequate job with the smaller roles they are given, with Freda Foh Shen and Nicholas Campbell in particular making a huge impression as a mysterious couple in the film’s second story.
Ultimately, ‘Books of Blood’ is a fun, thrilling if underwritten horror movie with jumpscares galore, making it prime viewing material this coming Halloween.
Rating: 3/5
‘Books of Blood’ debuts on Hulu on October 7.