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Book of Blood main poster

Book of Blood

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5.4/10 • 198

2009-03-071h 36m

HorrorDramaMysteryThriller

The dead will not be silenced.

Based on the wraparound story penned by Clive Barker in the author's "Books of Blood" collection, the story centers on a paranormal expert who, while investigating a gruesome slaying, finds a house that is at the intersection of "highways" transporting souls to the afterlife.

Directors
John Harrison
Editors
Harry B. Miller III

Top Billed Cast

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  1. Jonas Armstrong

    Jonas Armstrong

    Simon McNeal

  2. Sophie Ward

    Sophie Ward

    Mary Florescu

  3. Clive Russell

    Clive Russell

    Wyburd

  4. Paul Blair

    Paul Blair

    Reg Fuller

  5. Romana Abercromby

    Romana Abercromby

    Janie

  6. Simon Bamford

    Simon Bamford

    Derek

  7. Doug Bradley

    Doug Bradley

    Tollington

  8. Gowan Calder

    Gowan Calder

    Janie's Mother

  9. Graham Colquhoun

    Graham Colquhoun

    Simon's Father

Reviews1

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CinemaSerf Avatar

CinemaSerf

Jan 22, 2025

5/10

Fresh from his success as tea-time totty "Robin Hood" for the BBC, Jonas Armstrong takes on something altogether more sinister here in this low brow adaptation of Clive Barker's "Book of Blood" stories. He is "Simon" who becomes the fascination of writer "Mary" (Sophie Ward) who works with her electronics expert buddy to track down the paranormal. Of course the vast majority of her cases end up fakes, but she senses something legit about her new pal and when they all find themselves in a really creepy Edinburgh house, she thinks that just perhaps they are slap bang in the middle of a super spooky highway where souls commute from here to there! Thing is, is he the real deal or is it all smoke and mirrors? He's not a shy man and is semi-naked for much of this film; Ward isn't far behind and those increasingly smouldering elements of sexual chemistry are heavily relied upon by director John Harrison to keep us awake. Otherwise, this is a singularly dull ghost story that really plods glacially along until the last fifteen minutes when we finally get some sort of action. To be fair to Armstrong, he has committed much to the part and for a lot of it his body looks like it's in considerable pain covered, as it is, in inscriptions that look like they've been carved straight onto his skin using a school compass. Some stories are just best read and left to our imagination, and these Barker stories are probably those. It'll probably do in a cinema at Halloween if you've had a few beers, but otherwise is all just a showcase for two handsome people who don't mind getting their kit off. Lord only knows how they managed to spend £5 millions on the production.

Media

  • Book of Blood poster
  • Book of Blood poster
  • Book of Blood poster
  • Book of Blood poster
  • Book of Blood poster

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
--
Revenue
--
Keywords
afterlifelast judgmentparanormal