[Book Of Blood]
Plot:A paranormal expert while investigating a gruesome slaying, finds a house that is at the intersection of "highways" transporting the souls in the afterlife.

Cast:Doug Bradley, Simon Bamford, Sophie Ward, Jonas Armstrong.

My Thoughts:Twisted, gory, and intriguing in typical Barker fashion!

Review:"Book Of Blood" is the latest Clive Barker adaptation film to grace the genre. The film, which was directed by John Harrison, follows a paranormal investigator/professor named Mary (Ward), who believes very strongly in the supernatural. Despite her beliefs however, her partner Reg (Blair) in these endeavors doesn't believe, and is the constant skeptic. One day, she encounters a student named Simon (Armstrong), who she feels a strong connection with.

But who she also believes might be the key to unlocking what she seeks to discover in her next investigation. Which is into a strange gothic old house. A house which she believes is harbors an intersection of highways, which the dead use to travel back and forth through the afterlife. An intersection which also spills over into our world. But the question is, is Simon really the key to unlocking Mary's sought after discovery, or is he just more fuel for the skeptical fire of her partner Reg?

Or perhaps, a little bit of both? "Book Of Blood" does wonders for the supernatural horror sub-genre. A sub-genre which has been on life support for awhile. Especially when it comes to indies. This film doesn't have the feel of an indie flat out, but it will debut on the syfy channel, that is already known. Not in cinemas. But the film is certainly above that of the typical indie horror production. It doesn't look cheaply made, or shoestring-budgeted either.

The film has some nice visuals, and doesn't have the look, tone, or feel of something that was strapped for cash, so to speak. The performances were not very strong, but they work nonetheless due to the story being very intriguing, and dark. It's dark enough to be interesting, and intriguing enough to keep your attention from start to finish. Despite the characters being somewhat immature, and at times annoying.

Their interactions with each other are also very predictable and mapped out, so when a certain twist between two of the films main characters happens, it probably won't surprise you. But there are also many parts that will, most of which come within the films final act. Which is where we get the full meaning of the title, and a complete personality change by one of the films main characters.

A change which the movie slowly builds up little by little until it fully pushes forward with the particular plot arc. There's not a ton of blood and gore in this film, which will come as a shocker considering it's a Barker adapt, and this film comes after "Midnight Meat Train" which was blood-soaked to be honest. But it does have it's bloody moments. They just aren't as flaunted and held up for display as much as they would be in the typical Barker adaptation film.

This movie instead chooses to set up an interesting and eerie storyline. And then slowly build it up in a gothic, dark tone. Using three characters as the catalyst for it's beginning, middle, and end. Then it moves more into a graphic mode, which for what it's worth is a pretty good and pretty diverse way to script a horror film. Definitely not what most genre fans are used to getting these days. The Simon character is the most interesting character of the three.

Mary and Reg have their moments, but their relationship, coupled with a few moments of banter, kind of make them seem like immature teenagers instead of adult educators. The films ending is a real shocker though, and it gives the film a big impact and a grand finish overall. "Book Of Blood" is a horror film which balances story, scares, and graphic violence very nicely. It follows the blueprint of the traditional horror film, and succeeds in most of what it sets out to do.

Positives:Good story with some interesting in's and out's. Fantastic ending, and a very polished format.

Negatives:Mary and Reg can be annoying at times.

Overall:Three and a half out of four stars.





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