A man looking for a priceless book, a young girl looking for redemption, and a mom looking for answers cross paths on a dark journey that leads to the unknown.
Have you ever wondered what distinguishes a film from a TV movie? Is it the narrative or the way the story is told? Is it the photography? The editing? The acting? Something else? Despite what I believe or I may know, give it some thought while watching this one.
Books of Blood has the 80s scent, and how could it not? It is from Clive Barker, after all. Well, the source, anyway… The first story is ultimately all over the place. It seems that there is no beginning, middle, or end. And what disguises as an end does not give enough justice to what could have been a true Barker story on screen. The sound somewhat annoyed me. I know it was meant to be disturbing for Jenna, but it was literally getting on my nerves on occasion. The Night Terror is, arguably, the best sequence, even though the tribute to The People Under the Stairs (1991) was quite suspenseful.
The second story is a lot tighter. No one deserves to die from cancer, much less a young kid. So yeah, a single mom having to deal with that qualifies it as a strong drama. But the horror of what happens at the end of it is also strong. Shame that digital visual effects take away the atrocity it was meant to deliver. Regardless, consider the punishment’s gravity, especially regarding what he says afterwards. Did he deserve it?
The third story smartly stitches everything together, and while watching it, you might realise that my review is as misleading as the stories themselves and that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Or not. As I said, it is from Clive Barker, after all.
Enjoy Halloween!
P.S. You would never think to see Seth MacFarlane sitting at the producer’s chair next to Barker’s. It must be 2020…
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