Review of Dread (2009) by Jamie F — 16 Sep 2010

F**king hell. This is probably the grimmest of Barker's Books of Blood adaptations yet (and Midnight Meat Train was so grim it made my girlfriend weep and wobble uncontrollably). Its also the first one I've gone into cold without having read the short story first, and the sense of, well, dread is pretty horrible.

Barker to me isn't even a horror writer, he's a fantasy guy who turns his hand to some creepy stuff now and then, but when he does he's so accomplished at getting under your skin that its usually unforgettable. Dread is a brilliantly effective horror movie, not because it'll make you jump out of your seat (although there are a couple of cheap jump scares), and not because of any extreme gore (although it does get icky in places) but because its pretty damn disturbing and won't leave you for a while after watching. Since returning to the Books of Blood for adaptation material Barker's been on a brilliant run of movie form I reckon, and I can't wait to see what he plucks from it next.