Halloween comes but once a year—so, as it approaches, it’s clearly time for a Clive Barker gorefest.
Hulu will premiere a new horror anthology film, Books of Blood, based on the English author’s short-story collections from the 1980s, on Oct. 7. Here’s the streamer’s somewhat-graphic trailer (which may not be safe for work):
It’s unclear, from the trailer, which specific tales will appear in the film, other than a version of “The Book of Blood,” about a man, Simon McNeal, who claims to have the ability to communicate with ghosts. He’s played in the film by Rafi Gavron, who appeared in last year’s Hulu miniseries adaptation of Joseph Heller’s Catch-22. The story also features a paranormal researcher, portrayed in the movie by Pushing Daisies’ Anna Friel.
A Variety story last year gave indications that the film’s other tales would draw on new material, created by writer/director Brannon Braga. Several other works in Barker’s original collections have been made into movies before; “The Forbidden,” for instance, became 1992’s Candyman, and “The Midnight Meat Train” was made into a 2008 film starring Bradley Cooper. Even “The Book of Blood” has appeared onscreen in the past, in the 2009 movie Book of Blood.
Barker, who’s credited as an executive producer on the new film, wrote and directed the 1995 movie Lord of Illusions, based on his own Books of Blood story “The Last Illusion.” He also notably helmed the 1987 horror classic Hellraiser, based on his 1986 novella, The Hellbound Heart; his latest novel, 2015’s The Scarlet Gospels, is a sequel to the latter.
The new movie also stars Britt Robertson, who co-starred in the Christian romance film I Still Believe earlier this year, and Yul Vázquez, who recently appeared in the HBO miniseries The Outsider, based on the Stephen King novel.
David Rapp is the senior Indie editor.
