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Books of Blood release date, trailer, cast of Hulu's Clive Barker anthology

Here's everything to know about Clive Barker's adaptation of the horror novel series.

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This article about the horror film Books of Blood was originally published on September 23, 2020 and updated on November 26, 2021 following the film's release. Read on for the original article, with some new changes to reflect the latest updates on this topic.

Just in time for Halloween, Hulu is tapping into the horror genre. There's a lot to choose from with originals like Castle Rock, Into the Dark, and Helstrom. And just in time for Halloween, the streaming service added the horror movie Books of Blood to their slate for October.

Based on the popular 1980s anthology series by Clive Barker, Books of Blood offers trippy, supernatural takes on a few of the author’s short stories. Barker’s anthology has been adapted many times before, the most notable among them being 1992’s Candyman (aka “The Forbidden”) and The Midnight Meat Train starring Bradley Cooper and Brooke Shields.

Here’s everything you need to know about the 2020 adaptation of Books of Blood.

She's in for a rude awakening.

Hulu

What is Books of Blood about?

The anthology series consists of six volumes, each filled with four or five short stories. The movie will follow three of these stories and, per the official synopsis, will take the audience “on a journey into the uncharted and forbidden territory through three uncanny tales tangled in space and time.”

From what we know from the books, the central story that connects the rest involves Mary, a psychic researcher who hires Simon, a medium, to assist in investigating a haunted house. During the investigation, Simon is attacked by a bunch of ghosts who carve the stories of their deaths into his flesh. It’s pretty gruesome, but each vignette thereafter tells one of these stories.

When is the Books of Blood release date?

Books of Blood premiered at the Screamfest film festival on October 6, 2020. It was then released on Hulu the next day, on October 7.

Who is in the cast of Books of Blood?

Per Clive Barker’s website, here are the actors and their character descriptions:

  • Anna Friel as Mary – A brilliant, beautiful psychologist who has gained fame as a skeptic that debunks all theories or beliefs that are not solely scientifically based. She loses her 7-year-old son to leukemia and then meets Simon, who becomes her lover and convinces her that he speaks for her dead child.
  • Britt Robertson as Jenna – A hypersensitive girl who suffers from misophonia – an abhorrence of sound. As she learns her mother is about to send her back to the farm, she steals her mother’s cash and sets out for Los Angeles.
  • Rafi Gavron as Simon – A handsome, charismatic young man who convinces Mary that he is a ghost whisperer who speaks for her dead child.
  • Yul Vazquez as Bennett – A professional killer whose latest hit clues him in on a priceless book that may allow him and his wife to retire permanently. On his search for the tome, his quest leads him straight into supernatural terror.

Is there a trailer for Books of Blood?

Yes, there is! The trailer showcases Mary’s arrival at the haunted house, and she begins to see and hear a lot of strange things. Check it out below!

And here’s the creative movie poster:

A creepy, yet enthralling poster.

Hulu

What did critics have to say about Books of Blood?

Books of Blood has a 21% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and a score of 42 on Metacritic.

Books of Blood premiered on October 7, 2020 on Hulu.

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