Book of Blood

Released - 2008
Genre - Horror
Director - John Harrison
Starring - Jonas Armstrong, Sophie Ward, Paul Blair, Romana Abercromby, Doug Bradley, Clive Russell

A paranormal investigator is researching material for a new book and she stays in a supposedly haunted house in Edinburgh. She has a colleague to record footage and enlists the help of a student who claims to have psychic powers. Strange things soon start to happen in the house. What's not clear is whether it's for real or the whole thing is an elaborate hoax. This is based on two short stories from Clive Barker's Book of Blood collection. It is a faithful adaptation but unfortunately the stories are far from his best. The main characters are very unsympathetic and the mood, despite some gore and sex, is decidedly dour. The direction is good, the cast are competent and the plot is fairly engaging and yet the end result is a bit lacklustre. Clive Russell gave the best performance in a small part and there was a cameo for Barker favourite Doug Bradley.

© 2008-2015 Eat Horror