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A short story form Clive Barker's classic short story collection Books of Blood, the new film The Midnight Meat Train follows photographer Leon Kauffman (Cooper), who is working on his latest collection – documenting the late night life’s loneliness in the normally bustling New York City … until his camera catches evidence of the deadly side of the city’s subway system. Last stop: an abyss of pure evil.
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OPENS: August 1, 2008 (Limited Release)
RATING: R (Gore, Nudity, Sexual Content)
GENRE: Horror; Supernatural Dark Fantasy; Gore
In the making of Midnight Meat Train, writer Clive Barker and director Ryuhei Kitamura set out to make the a film better than Candyman and scarier than Hellraiser.
According to horror critics, both goals were met.
The story is from Clive Barker’s seminal Books of Blood collection. Barker admits that the off-kilter title came to him after he ate a batch of marijuana brownies a couple decades ago.
Originally set to debut during the early summer blockbuster season, instead LionsGate decided on a limited release for the film before shipping it out on DVDs.
Of the positive reviews, director Kitamura’s English language debut is getting kudos for his stylish scenes and camerawork and his ability to maintain the sense of creepy dread that filled the original short story.
Also getting good reviews are actors Bradley Cooper, Vinnie Jones and Brooke Shields.
WATCH THE TRAILER
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- Called the best Barker film adaptation, ever
- Top-notch cast and direction
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- Only in Limited Release
- Graphic scenes of violence, blood and gore will be too disturbing for most except die-hard horror fans.
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“The Midnight Meat Train, adapted by screenwriter Jeff Buhler from a Books of Blood yarn, turns out to be one hellacious ride — forging deliberately into an abyss that, though naturally of the make-believe variety, nonetheless packs a lingering chill of unease.” – Michael H. Price
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“Easily the best Clive Barker adaptation since the first Hellraiser film.” – Scott Weinberg
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“ I thought that film was a blast and a half, and I’m happy to see that for his first American film, Kitamura seems to have been more or less given a free hand. The film positively oozes style.” - Chris Bumbray
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