Book of Blood (2009)

A paranormal expert discovers a house that is at the intersection of so-called "highways" transporting souls in the afterlife.

Director:

John Harrison

Writers:

John Harrison (screenplay), Darin Silverman (screenplay),

Stars:

Jonas Armstrong, Sophie Ward, Clive Russell

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jonas Armstrong	...	Simon McNeal
Sophie Ward	...	Mary Florescu
Clive Russell	...	Wyburd
Paul Blair	...	Reg Fuller
Romana Abercromby	...	Janie
Simon Bamford	...	Derek
Doug Bradley	...	Tollington
Gowan Calder	...	Janie's Mother
Graham Colquhoun	...	Simon's Father
Marcus McLeod	...	Janie's Father
James McAnerney	...	Doctor Nigel Blake
Joy McBrinn	...	Waitress
Charlie McFadden	...	Joanne
Jack North	...	Simon (age 11)
Andrew Scott-Ramsay	...	Male Student

Storyline

A paranormal expert discovers a house that is at the intersection of so-called "highways" transporting souls in the afterlife.

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Plot Keywords:

intersection | foaming at the mouth | hearing voices | fellatio | jukebox | 

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for bloody violence, sexuality/nudity and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 May 2009 (Turkey)

Also Known As:

Clive Barker's Book of Blood

Filming Locations:

Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Matador Pictures, Midnight Picture Show, Plum Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Clive Russell refers to Simon's skin as a 'bolt'. A bolt is traditionally fabric of 35 or more yards.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Mary Florescu: 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.

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Soundtracks

"Unchain My Heart"
Performed by Natasha Miller

User Reviews

A tale worth hearing

The imagination of Clive Barker has always fascinated me. His greatest work is, indeed, the 6 Books of Blood. An unnerving and fascinating anthology. So going into this, I was confused as how they would adapt it. I expected it to be an anthology comprising of some of the more memorable stories, but what I got was quite different - and ultimately I was quite pleasantly surprised.

The movie itself is not based on The Books of Blood, but rather the eponymous "Book" itself - a man named Simon. It must have been a tricky process as this portion of the actual Books was short and only served as the introduction; never truly mentioned again. However there is enough creativity here to make the story interesting.

One of the strengths of this picture is that while it embraces cliché at time, it knows how to use classic spooks and suspenseful tones rather than blood and gore. There is some gruesome imagery - especially with a murder taking place at the beginning, but this is not a film where guts are spilled regularly. This is a clever and inventive ghost story, and like the ghosts in this film; it is a story that is begging to be heard.

The film follows Simon McNeal, a humble but troubled man with an interest in the supernatural. He agrees to take up an offer granted by his tutor, Mary Florescu, to investigate a home in which two very unnerving deaths have occurred that is flocking with supernatural activity.

The film explores an interesting take on the afterlife. There are "Intersections" that cross their world with ours, and the dead are trapped in these intersections... begging for their tales to be told. However - no one will Listen, and the story mostly follows Simon, Mary and her partner Reg as the dead begin to take interest in Simon and the revelations of their intents. It is well thought out, clever, and the ending is quite smart.

There are flaws. The acting is a mixed bag, and while the film can use cliché to its advantage (Actually making classical ghost effects somewhat creepy again) the use of it in some of the scare scenes don't work. It's also strange and even uncomfortable when sex scenes come in to play, as they always seem to play out at an inappropriate time; usually directly after the more disturbing events.

All in all... you should give Book of Blood a chance. It is one of the better films based on a Clive Barker piece, and it has the imagination of all the other stories that were told. It makes a great companion to the books themselves - and it saddens me that this is relatively obscure.