Clive Barker's Books of Blood: Volume One
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THE INSPIRATION FOR THE HULU ORIGINAL FILM Rediscover the true meaning of fear in this collection of horror stories from Clive Barker, New York Times bestselling author and creator of the Hellraiser series. Everybody is a book of blood; wherever we're opened, we're red. In this tour de force collection of brilliantly disturbing tales, Clive Barker combines the extraordinary with the ordinary, bringing to life our darkest nightmares with stories that both seduce and devour. As beautiful as they are terrible, the pages of this volume are stained with unsettling imagery, macabre humor, and visceral dread. Here then are the stories written on the Book of Blood. Read, if it pleases you, and learn.... This Volume includes: “The Book of Blood” • “The Midnight Meat Train” • “The Yattering and Jack” • “Pig Blood Blues” • “Sex, Death and Starshine” • “In the Hills, the Cities”
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My initiation to the legendary Clive Barker's books—I'm well versed in his films—and easily one of my new fave collection of horror shorts. There are six stories within this titular Books of Blood—averaging about 30-50 pages per—and I'd rank them from best to least liked as follows:
- The Midnight Meat Train (terrific film adaptation)
- Pig Blood Blues (Stephen King-esque prison setting)
- Sex, Death, and Starshine (pseudo Agatha Christie with a supernatural twist and a dash of raunch)
- The Yattering and Jack (comedic locked-room Christmas vibe thriller)
- The Book of Blood (Poe with less prose; the film adaptation is okay)
- In the Hills, the Cities (Lovecraftian but a bit convoluted)
I look forward to diving more into his written works, as I really dig the manner in which Barker details the intricacies of his horror, backed by some good old fashioned wit. As countless others before him and after him, I'm certain that Barker was influenced by Edgar Allen Poe and HP Lovecraft among others, as there is a solid gothic cosmic blend to many of his shorts. I'd love to see Pig Blood Blues and get film/show adaptations, as my fave of the lot here, Midnight Meat Train already has a great more expansive scope film starring a young pre-fame Bradley Cooper. I think a Love + Death + Robots animated anthology collection would work wonders with Barker's short stories!
