Hulu has revealed the first poster, as well as a premiere date, for Books of Blood. The new horror anthology movie will be adapting tales from author Clive Barker’s book series of the same name. The good news for horror fans is that it will be arriving just in time for Halloween, with a premiere date set for October 7. The poster was shared on Twitter with the following caption.
Step into uncharted and forbidden territory. Based on Clive Barker’s acclaimed and influential horror anthology book series, #BooksOfBlood, a Hulu Original film premieres on October 7 on Hulu. pic.twitter.com/pMynS6llmN
— Hulu (@hulu) August 10, 2020
“Step into uncharted and forbidden territory. Based on Clive Barker’s acclaimed and influential horror anthology book series, #BooksOfBlood, a Hulu Original film premieres on October 7 on Hulu.”
Brannon Braga (The Orville) is directing, marking his feature debut. Braga also co-wrote the screenplay alongside Adam Simon (Salem, The Haunting in Connecticut). Perhaps most interesting is that Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane is on board as an executive producer. Though he and Braga have worked together closely on The Orville. The cast includes Anna Friel (Marcella), Britt Robertson (For the People), Rafi Gavron (A Star Is Born), Yul Vazquez (Midnight, Texas) and Freda Foh Shen (Basic Instinct).
Books of Blood is based on a short story by Clive Barker along with contributing original material. The anthology “takes audiences on a journey into uncharted and forbidden territory through three uncanny tales tangled in space and time.” It has not yet been revealed which short story is serving as the inspiration for the anthology, or which of his stories may be tapped for inspiration on screen. Several stories from books have been turned into movies over the years. These include Rawhead Rex, The Forbidden, which became Candyman, The Last Illusion as Lord of Illusions, The Body Politic as Quicksilver Highway and The Midnight Meat Train, among others.
Clive Barker, who was once hailed by Stephen King as “the future of horror” is a prolific writer who has had a huge impact on the horror genre during his long career. His story The Hellbound Heart served as the inspiration for the Hellraiser franchise, which has proved to be one of the most enduring in the genre’s history. Barker also directed the first movie. Additionally, Barker directed 1990’s Nightbreed and 1995’s Lord of Illusions. Books of Blood, one of his earliest published works, was originally released between 1984 and 1985.
This Hulu movie should serve as welcome news for horror fans. While movie theaters may be open come time for Halloween season, it probably isn’t going to be like a typical year where we can simply escape to go see a horror movie on the big screen carefree. Hulu has a solid track record in this realm, having produced nearly two full seasons of the anthology horror series Into the Dark, releasing a feature-length movie every month. Books of Blood should help fill the void this year. We should be getting a trailer sooner rather than later, and we’ll be sure to bring that your way as soon as it’s made available. You can check out the poster from the Hulu Twitter account.
