Books of Blood, directed by Brannon Braga and written by Braga and Adam Simon, is based on the series of horror fiction collections written by British author Clive Barker. The film ties the stories of Jenna, Miles, and Bennett together in a dreadful knot and dissects themes associated with trauma. It features solid performances, especially from Britt Robertson, good usage of practical and digital effects, and some scare tactics that would’ve worked brilliantly back in the 2000s.
What is Halloween without horror movies or TV shows, right? Yes, yes, I know what you think. I am an Indian so why am I in the mood for Halloween. Well, the simple answer is that I’ve grown up watching Hollywood movies that have ingrained the concept of associating October with horror movies. Hence the excitement. Back to the topic. Halloween isn’t complete without horror movies and TV shows. It’s the time where we completely give into our supernatural imaginations and believe in ghosts, poltergeists, and even a teleporting killer wearing a William Shatner mask. At any other time of the year, those tend to flop. But during Halloween, it’s perfect. However, when any of those movies or TV shows try to tether me to reality, I get bummed out. Books of Blood dangerously tows that line while dealing with some truly macabre ideas.
Books of Blood is co-written and directed by Brannon Braga and co-written by Adam Simon. It is shot by Michael Dallatorre, edited by John Duffy, and the score is by Joel J. Richard. The production design is by Matt Likely, art direction by Mike Ryan Hall, set decoration by Brian Enman, the costume design is by Megan Oppenheimer, special effects by Mark Lawton, and VFX by FuseFX. It stars Britt Robertson, Anna Friel, Rafi Gavron, Yul Vazquez, Andy McQueen, Saad Siddiqui, Cory Lee, Brett Rickaby, Etienne Kellici, and Seamus Patterson. The story begins with Jenna (Robertson) who runs away from her home and takes shelter in an Airbnb-esque place where things get a little weird. Then there’s Mary (Friel) who, despite making a career out of calling out frauds, gets into the supernatural territory after meeting with Simon (Gavron). And then there’s Bennett (Vazquez) and Steve (McQueen) who are after the titular Book of Blood.
Braga and Simon center their movie around the first story in Carver’s series and swerve into problematic territories.
As shown in the trailer (I am saying that just so that you know that I am talking about the things that have been revealed already), Jenna has a neurological problem due to which she’s irritated by sounds. Very realistic. Mary is grieving due to her son’s ailment. Very realistic. I am not going to talk about Bennett and Steve because it will give away a little too much but their problems are pretty realistic as well. Here’s the issue with all that, and it’s probably a personal issue: using horror or any other supernatural elements to tackle them or justify its existence, is a bad combination in my books. Because we as a society still have a long way to go in terms of dealing with the stigmas around mental health. Therefore, even a little step, like the one the movie takes, against it just doesn’t sit well with me. And, going by my cursory research, these plot points are not from the books and are the filmmaker’s choices. So yes, minus points for that.
All that said, the writers do take some surprising turns that I found to be interesting. For example, the driving force of the family that accommodates Jenna is that they’re technically afraid of being alone at their old age. And hence they’re reading to go to any lengths to keep their family together by hook or by crook. That’s something that I have seen unfold before my very eyes and, hypothetically speaking if it’s turned to eleven, I can totally see that happening. The plot twist in Mary and Simon’s story is cathartic. It suffers from dialogue-writing that doesn’t sound well on-screen because it is trying to hard to dissuade the audience from the aforementioned twist and therefore ends up sounding hollow. Real, realistic, or hyperrealistic people do not talk like that. Finally, I think Bennett and Steve’s story had the most potential (Maybe because I’m doing a re-run of Supernatural). Their story has a lot of loose ends that generate intrigue. But since they’re cut short so quickly, you’re left thinking, “Well, what was the point of setting those up then?”
Braga makes a bold opening and then takes you on an uneven ride.
This might sound like an overstatement but I think could’ve watched an entire movie based on Jenna’s character. Yes, it probably might’ve needed more elements to make it a feature-length film but I would’ve watched it. From the get-go, the sound design in this segment absolutely slaps. You truly feel the anxiety inside Jenna building up until it overflows. And then when it is muffled due to the noise-canceling earphones, you’re anxious that maybe she’s going to miss something creeping up on her. Guess what? It does during an excellently edited, shot, acted, and scored sleep paralysis scene. I was literally (And I mean literally) holding my breath during that entire segment. In addition to that, everything from the production design, the set design, the costumes, the camerawork, the special effects, and the practical effects are dynamic and alludes to the self-contradictory tones of the story. Braga takes his own merry time to set it up. I mean, 35 minutes of no horror in a horror can be off-putting. However, since he caps it off with some quality stuff, I can overlook the initial slow pacing.
Now, since the first segment is so well done, the rest feels kind of bloated. The only reasons why I didn’t angry enough about it that I burst a nerve is because of the brisk pacing, the acting, and the brilliant use of practical and special effects. As I mentioned before, the Miles segment of the story tries incredibly hard to convince the audience that there’s no twist on the way. What they’re seeing is what it is. It actually plays out like a movie based on a self-help book (I hate self-help books. They’re too pretentious and lack self-awareness. If you like self-help books, I hate you and that book). Scenes start and end abruptly. The score goes into elevator music mode for no reason. Some of the scenes are over-saturated to make it look shiny and optimistic so that the darkness of the twist sweeps you off your feet. But here’s the thing. We’re intelligent enough to predict that. Don’t treat us like idiots. That said, the twist is executed perfectly. It’s horrifying to watch. And that’s exactly why Bennett’s segment falls a little flat because it comes at a point where all the cards are on the table and, apart from a nifty edit involving a gun flash, Braga plays it all a too plainly.
The cast is consistently good with Britt Robertson undoubtedly taking the cake.
Across the board, I think that all the performances in Books of Blood are great. Jenna’s parents played by Paige Turco and Siddiqui have little screen-time. But they aptly exhibit the ignorance that comes with tons and tons of privilege and money. Freda Foh Shen and Nicholas Campbell as the couple who give shelter to Jenna are absolutely the right mix of sugar and salt and probably acid? Especially Foh Shen because she has to play it cool without giving it all away. Glenn Lefchak as the ominous figure following Jenna does some commendable work. Anna Friel’s performance as Mary is absolutely heart-breaking (I mean that in a good way). You really feel the desperation she holds inside her and how the slightest indication of positivity sucks her into a torrid mess. Rafi is so good as Simon that I wanted to punch him. He plays his character like a proper schmuck. It’s annoying in a laudable way is what I mean. Yul and McQueen’s chemistry is so on point that I simply wanted more of them. I think there’s room for a Yul and McQueen led mini-series. If I had the money, I’d green-light it.
Then there’s Britt Robertson. Holy hell, this woman shows range from the get-go. She pulls no stops and plays Jenna perfectly. She is the thread that holds this movie together, in my very honest opinion. Yes, her character is the most well-rounded out of the lot and has the maximum amount of screen-time. But it’s because Robertson utilises properly that the work that’s done on Jenna truly blossoms. As I was talking about earlier, the sleep-paralysis scene is on point from a technical standpoint. However, ultimately it is Robertson’s petrified acting that sells the helplessness and horror of the situation. And, without spoiling anything, there’s a scene involving her and a syringe (It’s in the trailer, don’t worry about it) and she goes full-on Leonardo-DiCaprio-in-The-Wolf-of-Wall-Street-getting-into-a-car. And the best part is that DiCaprio played it for laughs while Robertson isn’t. Then again, her character has a pretentious angle which she exudes in a way that will certainly make you rethink your undying support for her all throughout the first act of the movie. If that’s not mind-blowing, I don’t know what is. Well done, Britt, well done.
Final verdict.
Books of Blood is a perfect movie to watch during Halloween season. It is scary enough. It is eerie enough. It is ominous. It will give you the heebie-jeebies. It will keep you engaged. It will gross you out. It will make you stare at your bedroom ceiling at night and wonder if a pair of eyes are staring back at you. It will trigger some traumatic sleep paralysis events (Oh yes! I have events. Not episodes. Events). But if you put down your pumpkin spice latter (I am assuming that’s what people have during Halloween) and look at it through a non-festive lens, the problems will overwhelm you and make the viewing experience a tad bit tepid. Still, I think you should give it a watch. It’s problematic, yes. However, there are a lot of things to appreciate which can be expanded in sequels (If they’re planning any, of course).
Books of Blood is available on Hulu from October 7
SEE ALSO: In Defense Of 2000s Horror, An Age Of Torture, Tank Tops And Wikipedia
Cover artwork by Bhavya Poonia/Mashable India
