Ok let's get this out the way first. The Books of Blood by Barker have never been equalled since publication.
They are also almost impossible to translate into film. Most of their horror derives from an existential terror of something beyond our understanding.
From the grisly horror of "Rawhead Rex" to the sublime "In the Hills, the Cities" all of the separate stories spin us around in search of a tether we never find.
This is a pretty good adaptation of a series of books that defy translation into something as safe as cinema.
There are moments of horror and some dread. I can feel Barker behind it but it just can't reproduce the terrible beauty if the writing. Nothing ever did. Hellraiser was close because Barker was still in that mindset when he directed it.
This is good. The Miles sequence is the most faithful if transposed and altered. But i enjoyed it and just want to read the stories again.
Do yourself a favor. Go find them and read them too. It's quite an experience. Good luck
Review of Books of Blood
