After recently re-reading all six installments of Clive Barker's Books of Blood, I decided to watch the various movies adapted from the short stories in those collections. While I have seen all the movies, I thought it would be cool to re-visit them with their source material fresh in my mind.
Book of Blood This was the logical starting point, since it is the first story in Volume 1. The material being adapted here, Book of Blood and On Jerusalem Street, serve as the book ends for the six volumes, and is extremely brief. As a result, the script expanded the original stories to create a feature length film. While there is a considerable measure of invention, the script remains largely faithful to the material. Simon and Mary have their relationship re-interpreted, becoming a full-blown romance that serves as the spine of the film. Erotic moments and dashes of gore help punctuate the film's glacial pacing. At the end of the day, Book of Blood, is a creaky haunted house story, and that's exactly what John Harrison crafted, even if it's a little bloodier than usual.
The Midnight Meat Train As a short story, Midnight Meat Train is a bad ass motherfucker. It's lean, mean and full of gore. Thankfully, the film adaptation is every bit as gore-drenched as Barker's short, even if it doesn't quite pick-up the same critical mass the story did. Here our protagonist, Leon Kauffman (essayed by Academy Award nominee Bradley Cooper) is transformed into a struggling photographer obsessed with capturing the true essence of the city. In Barker's original short, he's an office worker, but the change is a smart one. It allows the film to present Kauffman's obsession with New York City to the audience in a believable way. While this change works, other changes don't come off as inspired. Kauffman's girlfriend and best friend, both of whom were created for this adaption, slow the proceedings and get in the way during the finale. Vinnie Jones simply is Mahogany. With his physical presence and grim appearance, he's an absolute force and truly brings Barker's subway butcher to life. Director Ryuhei Kitamura breaks out the cinematic pyrotechnics, delivering some great shots and amazing camera work. I do wish he had left the CGI gore effects at home, though.
Dread Dread is my favorite Clive Barker short story. It's unique among Barker's work in that there are no supernatural elements at play; the central monster is decidedly human. Again, to successfully build a feature film the original material had to be expanded upon. Unlike Midnight Meat Train, Dread's expansion feels entirely organic, accentuating the core themes of dread and fear, and never getting in the way of the film. Shaun Evans makes a fine Quaid, delivering a psychopath that is charming, sadistic, intense and sometimes over the top. Just as in the short story, the major set-piece remains the fate of Cheryl. Director Anthony DiBlasi imbues the experiment with the same type of creeping dread Barker managed to deliver on the page. Easily the strongest out of the recent Barker adaptations, Dread is a strong psychological horror flick with a decided mean streak and well worth checking out.
With three films down, I have three left; Rawhead Rex, Candyman and Lord of Illusions. Since I bought the Blu-Ray a few months ago, I'm particularly excited about checking out Candyman again. It was my favorite Barker adaptation, so I hope it holds up.
I think it works better when you find a theme, and stick with it.
