"Listen" is what the message in this movie made of a great book by the same name, Book of Blood by Clive Barker, is all about. He was born on 5 October 1952 in Liverpool England to a set of heterosexual parents that may or may not have ever imagined their son would become one of the most interesting metaphysical fantasy and fictional horror writers of all time, in my Epinion.

Clive is an author, film director and visual artist who takes cinematography to another genuine level of gorey brilliance. He started with short stories in the mid-1980s earning him acceptable status as a leading young horror writer. Since then he has penned many novels and of course is the ‘strange mind’ behind the Hellraiser series.

In Book of Blood, which I caught tonight on Syfy channel (59 in my area for cable) I watched an interesting if not completely gross with the blood, scrapes, deep wounds and eerie chanting kind of horror flick. It is not for the faint of heart or those squeamish about watching dead bodies seemingly tearing at flesh and soul. It is not about zombies but rather about being ‘stuck’ in a place between death and the after-life but having some sort of ‘connection‘ with the living that can acknowledge existence beyond physical life.

Book of Blood was released in Turkey on May 8th 2009 , directed by screenplay writers John Harrison and Darin Silverman. The DVD premiere comes out in two more days so I thought I should get this review in before too many buy it without knowing what they are getting into. It is not your average horror flick, well average in blood and gore and maybe even the topic if you are not even remotely interested in clairvoyants or portals. The highways for the dead are as exceptional as the crossroads the living come to and each meets their destination head on in this horror film.

A cast of actors and actresses I have never heard of allows this film to still be entertaining; however if you are not into the paranormal, you will not find it anymore exciting than maybe Texas Chain Saw Massacre ! I, however, enjoyed it because of the paranormal and metaphysical aura it dabbled so empirically in.

The lead character played by Jonas Armstrong, a rather good-looking almost thirty year old Irish chap (of Teachers 2004 and The Ghost Squad 2005 fame) is rather bland at first because he is so timid, quiet and holding a very dark secret. That is until an interest of his newest female professor of parapsychology decides to use him. The character Simon McNeal is unique. He is a bona fide clairvoyant !

For those of you that do not know what a clairvoyant is, well I am kind of one. I am sensitive to sensing, seeing and being more aware of metaphysical presences than most and with this so-called gift, I am more receptive to weirdness and such. With clairvoyance comes a lot of casualties, lucid dreams and a very vivid imagination if people don’t want to believe in this sort of thing.

Sophie Ward of British heritage born in London December 30 1964 (of Crime and Punishment 2002, Wuthering Heights 1992 and A Summer Story 1988) does a good job of being determined to prove a field that is usually difficult to make one believe in: the paranormal. “The absence of proof does not necessarily prove the negative” and “do not close your mind” are casual statements that are dropped in her class but in reality the message is clear. I feel just because something is not explainable does not mean it does not exist, and so does her character, Professor Mary Florescu.

There is a fine line between physical death and the after-life as an in-between realm before going to a final resting place is tossed into this mix of blood and other bodily fluids. With Book of Blood it is like telling your own story of immortality versus mortality. As I watched I cringed although realizing it is just a movie but knowing the material discussed is not at all imaginary.

Of course the female parapsychologist does have an assistant, Reg Fuller, played quite well by Paul Blair (of Cowboys and Indians 2002 and Outpost also 2008 fame), who is the epitome of a ‘mad scientists‘ greatest side-kick. He rummages through the results gained from using EMF‘s and EVP machines which are supposed to record and playback frequencies and visuals not usually picked up or seen by the regular human ear or eye. Fascinating stuff here and yes the EMF’s and EVP’s are genuine technology that most paranormal investigators spend tons of money on just so they can get that ’proof’.

I found this little tidbit interesting as I offer something similar at
my paranormal webpage of my site. The original TriField ® Meter does combine all the features needed for quick, reliable and verifiable measurements of electromagnetic fields. It independently measures electric and magnetic field, and is properly scaled to indicate the full magnitude of currents produced by each type of field inside a conductive body. As a result, it "sees" much more than any other electromagnetic pollution meter. Reg knows how to use the equipment but throughout the movie it is evident so do other beings.

Book of Blood is filmed in Edinburgh Scotland, originally released with English sub-titles in the Phillipines and offers dark secretive alleys, cobbled walkways, gorgeous steeples from various churches, romantic piazzas and huge mansions that lend to the paranormal activity already rich in the culture of both Ireland and England. The theme is the investigation of a house, a mansion, that holds many secrets and possibilities if you believe in this sort of stuff. A couple of unexpected guests both flying and floating make for eerie gore and tasteful horror infliction. But again if you are of the faint of heart, don’t buy this, rent or watch, unless you are really intrigued.

For 96 minutes the viewer is given a premise of sound entertainment and probably great fodder for the eternal requiem cannon but should not intimidate those that believe death is the final straw. It is an eye-opener if you can exercise that closed mind of yours and discover the possibilities Clive Barker and his characters embody. The shadows, weird voices, chanting presumably in Latin and the not very bright colors might hinder the films savoir faire; yet I believe it stands as good as some of John Carpenter, Stephen King, even Washington Irving (Legend of Sleepy Hollow) or Nathanial Hawthorne’s (House of Seven Gables) classics.

This is not recommended for any children and maybe not even for some adults who just think blood, and I mean lots of blood, I.e. the title which strongly indicates our own Akashic record can be grisly, is yucky ! There is a suppression of desires held precious by Professor Mary and the relationship that ensues between her, Reg and especially Simon is a juxtaposition of almost sick and twisted rather than romantic and compassionate. However, I will leave that differentiation up to you the reader of this review and eventual buyer of this flick.

Or not . . .

Thank you for reading and

Enjoy !

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age