(2009) ***1/2A man hideously scarred from head to toe is abducted. A collector hired an assassin to take the man's skin. His abductor makes him an offer, tell the story of how he became that way and he promises a quick death. Turn him down and it will be long and painful. So he tells the story of how he was sanctioned by his college professor to take part in a paranormal investigation. He was chosen due to paranormal experiences he had as a child. The house is the scene of a brutal murder and also has a history of strange and violent happenings. The investigation process is long and slow to build but eventually the pay off comes and we discover the source of his skin condition.
I really enjoyed this film although it has received many mixed reviews. As with so many Clive Barker films they don't always deliver the goods quite like his stories. Having been adapted from a short story, there are some lengthy scenes that feel a bit too much like filler. Still, Book of Blood is intriguing, suspenseful and brings a solid conclusion. One thing I hate is when a film that has brought a decent amount of supernatural phenomenon suddenly explains it all and there is nothing supernatural about it. That just zaps the magic out of it for me. At one point this film does just that but almost immediately redeems itself with great vengeance much to the surprise of myself and the characters.
1 comment:
I remember reading the Books of Blood in high school. I'm surprised that the director of this movie chose only one story and then padded it rather than making a Creepshow-like anthology.
I agree with you, as soon as all the supernatural stuff is explained it ruins a film for me.
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