Of Books and Blood
Clive Barker’s Book of Blood
(UK DVD release: 26/10/2009)
Paranormal researcher Mary Florescu’s investigations lead her to Simon McNeal, a college student who appears to be channelling messages from the dead. As their erotic relationship develops the line between the worlds of the living and the dead become blurred and finally collapse in a stunning and astonishing climax.
This, the frame for the Barker’s Books of Blood novels, is the seventh story to be adapted from the series, the others being:
- Rawhead Rex (filmed in 1986)
- Cabal (released in 1990 as Nightbreed)
- The Forbidden (filmed in 1992 as Candyman)
- The Last Illusion (filmed in 1995 as Lord of Illusions)
- The Body Politic (filmed in 1997 within Quicksilver Highway for TV)
- The Midnight Meat Train (released in 2008 and starring Vinnie Jones)
Barker has recently claimed that this film will be followed by Dread, Pig Blood Blues, and then Madonna.
I’m looking forward to this with unusual optimism, having been a Clive Barker fan since reading and being captivated by Cabal (which became the confused disappointment Nightbreed) and The Hellbound Heart (which became the phenomenal Hellraiser).
Much like Stephen King, Barker’s literary visions don’t always translate well to film – the fantastical scope and detail in both author’s novels is a blessing and a curse. There have been mixed results in movie output for both.
Hellraiser gradually nosedived into utter farce (a fact that Barker seems burned by – there’s a whole section on his website dedicated to “sequels”), and successive Barker releases seemed understated, or overlooked. Where was the great fanfare for Midnight Meat Train? Where are the announcements for Book of Blood? It won’t receive a theatrical release in the US or UK.
There have been more shoddy adaptations of Stephen King novels, but by law of averages we are more forgiving of King than Barker.
We can forgive the forgotten failures because of countless greats like The Shining, Carrie, Christine, Maximum Overdrive, Stand By Me, and The Mist. For every Barker conversion of Hellraiser, Candyman and Midnight Meat Train, there’s um … Hellraiser III, IV, V et al, Nightbreed, and most of the other output.
King’s books, however fantastical, have a grounding in reality. Barker less so, but why can’t that excite a director and encourage him to run with the idea? Aside from being a SFX guy’s theoretical dream – and practical nightmare – his visually rich books are invariably full of promise and scope for interpretation. Get thee behind me, Hollywood conservatism.
The lack of Barker buzz is disappointing – not solely on the merits of the forthcoming Book of Blood film (having received mixed reviews at best), but because buzz stands alongside, and can perhaps take some of the blame for, the continuation in lacklustre adaptations.
Hype around a film always contributes to its success (read financial success), which means more investment next time around. In Barker’s case, the lack of publicised expectation around his work becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Here’s hoping for better things when Dread (still – still! – doing the rounds of film festivals) is released properly. It has a slated date of January 2010 for the US market, so we’ll see.
I am a meat popsicle
