News

Horror Legend Clive Barker and Brannon Braga Talk ‘Books of Blood’

Published

4 years ago

October 7, 2020

Books of Blood inspired by the works of Clive Barker is out on Hulu today! It’s easily one of the most-anticipated films of the year for fans of Barker’s writing. In advance of its release, iHorror sat down with the author and writer/director Brannon Braga to discuss bringing these particular stories to the screen in an anthology film.

This new film is hardly the first adaptation from The Books of Blood. The six-volume collection of short stories placed Barker firmly on the genre legends map, and among other things, introduced the world to Candyman.

So what is it that draws people back to this collection over and over again, not only as readers, but also to adapt for other mediums?

“Part of the whole idea of writing a collection of short stories is that each one is a bit different from the others and in the case of the Books of Blood I think very different often,” Barker said. “I think that’s in part what draws people. This is not werewolves. This is not vampires. This is something fresh.”

“I think I speak for tens of millions of people who are already fans of this collection of stories in that it’s Clive’s writing,” Braga added. “It’s Clive’s imagination. It’s the transgressive nature of these stories. These are things you’ve never seen or thought about. These are very intimate stories, often humanistic. Just a remarkable collection of stories. I’ve been a fan since they came out. I stood in line for two hours to get Clive’s autograph.”

In fact, as Barker pointed out Braga was the eighth person in the United States to receive a signed copy of one of his books. The exchange took place at A Change of Hobbit, a genre bookstore in Santa Monica that sadly is no longer open.

As the two reminisced about their meeting, it was impossible not to notice their genuine admiration and respect for each other, not only as creators but also as human beings. This only became more apparent as we turned to their current project and how it came to life.

While one of the stories featured in the anthology film comes directly from the original Books of Blood, the other two are new stories based on ideas that Barker has kept locked away for years. Some weren’t even written down.

“Imagine as a fan, sitting in a room, one on one with Clive Barker and him telling you, ‘Hey I’ve got some ideas for stories that you’ve never heard,'” Braga said. “Obviously, the first story in the first volume had to be in this because that’s the origin story of the Books of Blood. The other two kind of just fit. Clive came up with this idea of a haunted neighborhood where some kind of Chernobyl-like supernatural event happened and that turns out to be Mary’s house where the highways to the dead are open and we fashioned a story out of that about two criminals who wander into the wrong story.”

“The interesting thing about this–the part which is exciting to me–is that instead of being on my own fashioning these things, I’m with someone else who can add a phrase to my phrase and make something new,” Barker continued. “Two minds that make a third mind which resembles neither of us exactly but it’s a new horror imagination that appears when we get together.”

Of course it helped that they were also able to bring together a phenomenal ensemble cast to embody the stories, and Braga says that even he was surprised by their luck in that department while giving credit to the casting department.

“They just brought amazing people,” the director explained. “You never know, when you have a script, particularly when you have a script with intense subject matter who is going to be interested. Who is going to want to play Jenna? This mentally unstable girl who turns out to be a very complex individual, and it turns out we got Britt Robertson. I couldn’t even believe it. I was a fan of Britt’s. I guess there’s a little self-loathing in this. That feeling of why would anyone want to be in this movie? The ensemble cast that we have is really great.”

As our time together came to a close, both men turned a bit reflective, looking back over a year where many films have been postponed or their paths to finding an audience have been rerouted numerous times.

From Braga’s point of view, Books of Blood has been extremely lucky in this area. Hulu was not a consolation prize. The streaming platform was not “plan b.” This was where they were headed from the beginning and they’ve arrived on time.

And for Barker, who turned 68 over the weekend and who says he has more horror coming for readers in 2021, he hopes that this natural progression leads to more adaptations working together with Braga.

“The whole point is to get people watching so that we can do more,” he said. “There must be a lot of disappointed filmmakers around this year because a lot of things have been canceled or postponed and I feel very sorry for those guys. We had to cut back on our plan somewhat, but our real plan was to get it in front of a television audience which is going to happen. It’s the best birthday present I could get. It’s a lovely chance to get a wonderful piece of work in front of an audience. That’s more exciting than anything. The audience is there and we’re ready. It’s something very special.”

You can see Books of Blood on Hulu today. Let us know if you’ll be watching in the comments below, and stay tuned for more horror news on iHorror.com!

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Movies

‘The Strangers’ Invaded Coachella in Instagramable PR Stunt

Published

10 hours ago

April 17, 2024

Timothy Rawles

Renny Harlin’s reboot of The Strangers isn’t coming out until May 17, but those murderous home invaders are making a pit stop at Coachella first.

In the latest Instagramable PR stunt, the studio behind the film decided to have the trio of masked intruders crash Coachella, a music festival that takes place for two weekends in Southern California.

This type of publicity began when Paramount did the same thing with their horror movie Smile in 2022. Their version had seemingly ordinary people in populated places look directly into a camera with an evil grin.

Harlin’s reboot is actually a trilogy with a more expansive world than that of the original.

“When setting out to remake The Strangers, we felt there was a bigger story to be told, which could be as powerful, chilling, and terrifying as the original and could really expand that world,” said producer Courtney Solomon. “Shooting this story as a trilogy allows us to create a hyperreal and terrifying character study. We’re fortunate to be joining forces with Madelaine Petsch, an amazing talent whose character is the driving force of this story.”

The movie follows a young couple (Madelaine Petsch and Froy Gutierrez) who “after their car breaks down in an eerie small town, are forced to spend the night in a remote cabin. Panic ensues as they are terrorized by three masked strangers who strike with no mercy and seemingly no motive in The Strangers: Chapter 1 the chilling first entry of this upcoming horror feature film series.”

The Strangers: Chapter 1 opens in theaters on May 17.

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Movies

‘Alien’ Returning to Theaters For a Limited Time

Published

11 hours ago

April 17, 2024

Timothy Rawles

It’s been 45 years since Ridley Scott’s Alien hit theaters and in celebration of that milestone, it is headed back to the big screen for a limited time. And what better day to do that than Alien Day on April 26?

It also works as a primer for the upcoming Fede Alvarez sequel Alien: Romulus opening on August 16. A special feature in which both Alvarez and Scott discuss the original sci-fi classic will be shown as a part of your theater admission. Take a look at the preview of that conversation below.

^{Fede Alvarez and Ridley Scott}

Back in 1979, the original trailer for Alien was kind of terrifying. Imagine sitting in front of a CRT TV (Cathode Ray Tube) at night and suddenly Jerry Goldsmith’s haunting score begins to play as a giant chicken egg starts to crack with beams of light bursting through the shell and the word “Alien” slowly forms in slanted all caps across the screen. To a twelve-year-old, it was a scary pre-bedtime experience, especially Goldsmith’s screaming electronic musical flourishes playing over scenes of the actual movie. Let the “Is it horror or sci-fi?” debate begin.

Alien became a pop culture phenomenon, complete with kid’s toys, a graphic novel, and an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. It also inspired dioramas in wax museums and even a frightening setpiece at Walt Disney World in the now-defunct Great Movie Ride attraction.

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The film stars Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, and John Hurt. It tells the tale of a futuristic crew of blue-collar workers suddenly awakened out of stasis to investigate an undecipherable distress signal coming from a nearby moon. They investigate the source of the signal and discover it’s a warning and not a cry for help. Unbeknownst to the crew, they have brought a giant space creature back on board which they find out in one of the most iconic scenes in cinema history.

It is said that Alvarez’s sequel will pay homage to the original film’s storytelling and set design.

_{Alien Romulus}

^{Alien (1979)}

The Alien theatrical re-release will take place on April 26. Pre-order your tickets and find out where Alien will screen at a theater near you.

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News

Home Depot’s 12-Foot Skeleton Returns with a New Friend, Plus New Life-Size Prop from Spirit Halloween

Published

13 hours ago

April 17, 2024

Cameron McFarland

Halloween is the greatest holiday of them all. However, every great holiday needs amazing props to go with it. Luckily for you, there are two new amazing props that have been released, which are sure to impress your neighbors and frighten any neighborhood children who are unfortunate enough to wander past your yard.

The first entry is the return of the Home Depot 12-foot skeleton prop. Home Depot has outdone themselves in the past. But this year the company is bringing bigger and better things to their Halloween prop lineup.

This year, the company unveiled its new and improved Skelly. But what is a giant skeleton without a loyal friend? Home Depot has also announced that they will release a five-foot tall skeleton dog prop to eternally keep Skelly company as he haunts your yard this spooky season.

This bony pooch will be five feet tall and seven feet long. The prop will also feature a posable mouth and LCD eyes with eight variable settings. Lance Allen, Home Depot’s merchant of decorative Holliday gear, had the following to say about this year’s lineup.

“This year we increased our realism within the animatronics category, created some impressive, licensed characters and even brought back some fan favorites. Overall, we are most proud of the quality and value we are able to bring to our customers with these pieces so they can continue to grow their collections.”

But what if giant skeletons just aren’t your thing? Well, Spirit Halloween has you covered with their giant life size Terror Dog replica. This massive prop has been ripped out of your nightmares to appear frighteningly on your lawn.

This prop weighs in at almost fifty pounds and features glowing red eyes that are sure to keep your yard safe from any toilet paper throwing hooligans. This iconic Ghostbusters nightmare is a must have for any fan of 80s horror. Or, anyone who loves all things spooky.