Books of Blood
Books of Blood (film)
| Books of Blood | |
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 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Brannon Braga |
| Produced by |
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| Screenplay by |
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| Based on | Books of Blood by Clive Barker |
| Starring | |
| Music by |
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| Cinematography | Michael Dallatorre |
| Edited by | John Duffy |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Hulu |
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Running time | 107 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Books of Blood is a 2020 American anthology horror film directed by Brannon Braga and co-written by Braga and Adam Simon. It is based on Books of Blood by Clive Barker and the second film adaptation after Book of Blood (2009). The film premiered at the 2020 Screamfest Horror Film Festival on October 6, 2020, and was released on Hulu on October 7, 2020.[1][2] This was the final production by Touchstone Television before being folded into 20th Television.[3]
The film tells three stories, two of which are loose adaptations from the titular horror fiction anthology: "The Book of Blood" ("Miles") and "On Jerusalem Street" (a postscript) ("Bennett").
Jenna[edit]
Jenna is a college student suffering from mental illness. Unhappy at home, she decides to run away after becoming noncompliant with her medication. She begins to suspect that someone is following her and takes refuge at a bed and breakfast run by older couple Ellie and Sam. Jenna bonds with a fellow guest named Gavin, as well as with Ellie, particularly after she begins to experience delusions of bugs and continues to see someone following her. She is horrified when she discovers that the couple have been turning their guests into vegetables, utilizing Ellie's skills as a former health practitioner and a belief that their actions are providing their victims with a better life. These victims are kept in their walls, where they are cared for by the couple.
Jenna is saved by her stalker, revealed to be the father of Jenna's former boyfriend who committed suicide. He is murdered by Ellie and Sam, during which time Jenna manages to get away. She returns home, but is guilt ridden by her memories of deliberately goading her boyfriend into killing himself. She chooses to return to the couple and become one of their victims as a way of making up for her actions.
Miles[edit]
Mary is approached by a psychic named Simon, who claims that he is communicating with her dead son Miles. While she is skeptical, Mary truly wishes to speak to her son and decides that this could be a beneficial experiment for her work. The experiment is seemingly successful and the two end up becoming a couple, also launching a foundation together. This happiness does not last, as Mary eventually discovers that not only is Simon unfaithful but he also faked the entire experiment. Later a devastated Mary sees her son's ghost and watches as a message entreating her to repeat the experiment with Simon.
Simon is initially unwilling to participate but does so when she mentions that it is necessary to raise funding for work. She then watches as multiple ghosts appear and carve their stories into his flesh.
Bennett[edit]
A bookseller owes money to shady people and Bennett has been hired to collect, along with his driver Steve. When he is unable to produce what is owed, the seller attempts to save his life by telling Bennett of the "Book of Blood", a rare tome worth a million dollars, that's located in an abandoned town. Bennett is intrigued by the story, but still kills the bookseller.
Together with Steve, Bennett travels to the abandoned town where both men experience inexplicable and supernatural phenomena. Steve is driven to shoot himself after hearing the voice of his dead mother, while Bennett is chased by their car. When he arrives at the purported location of the book, he discovers Mary, Simon, and the ghost of Miles. Bennett is unwilling to believe that Simon is the book, particularly after Mary tells him that he is now one of the stories. He is then chased outside, where he is tormented by visions until he stabs himself. Though severely wounded, Bennett manages to escape but is unfortunate in that he ends up at Ellie and Sam's home, where he becomes another person ensconced in their walls.
Cast[edit]
- Britt Robertson as Jenna
- Anna Friel as Mary
- Rafi Gavron as Simon
- Yul Vazquez as Bennett
- Freda Foh Shen as Ellie
- Nicholas Campbell as Sam
- Andy McQueen as Steve
- Kenji Fitzgerald as Gavin
- Paige Turco as Nicole
- Saad Siddiqui as Dan
- Glenn Lefchak as Balsam
- Brett Rickaby as Bookseller
- Matt Bois as Peter
- Etienne Kellici as Miles
- Cory Lee as Chelsea
Reception[edit]
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 26% based on 23 reviews, with an average rating of 4.80/10.[4] Metacritic reports a score of 42 out of 100 based on seven critic reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[5]
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