Book of Blood

Mary is a paranormal professor who investigates the house’s murderous past with Reg. She experiences vivid visions of the dead and forms a complex connection with Simon, whose claimed powers become central to the haunting. As the investigation deepens, she confronts questions of truth, manipulation, and the ethical boundaries of storytelling. By the film’s end, she navigates fame from the stories and remains undaunted by the grisly aftermath.

Reg is Mary’s practical partner and a paranormal investigator who leans on scientific methods to explain phenomena. He helps coordinate the investigation, challenges illusions, and provides steadiness amid escalating danger. He ultimately dies in the climactic confrontation with the house’s forces. He serves as a grounding influence for Mary and a counterpoint to Simon’s enigmatic claims.

Simon is a seemingly clairvoyant young man who becomes the living map for the dead’s stories. He claims some powers faded in adolescence but have begun to return, creating a volatile dynamic with Mary. As the story unfolds, he becomes central to the house’s ritual—the ‘book’ on which the dead write. His fate is sealed when Wyburd completes his contract and takes Simon’s skin.

Wyburd is a hooded mercenary hired to remove Simon’s skin and collect payment. He remains unmoved by the chaos around him, delivering a cold, businesslike performance of his dark task. His emphasis on a clean outcome contrasts with the moral ambiguity of the investigators. In the end, he is overwhelmed by the blood-flooding building and drowns, a grim echo of the horror he helped unleash.

Janie is the teenage victim whose brutal assault catalyzes the house’s haunting. Her murder sets the stage for the investigators to confront a past filled with violence and trauma. The repercussions ripple through her family and linger as part of the house’s memory, influencing the living characters’ actions.

Janie’s Father embodies the grief and protectiveness of a parent faced with the loss of his daughter. His reactions underscore the human cost of the haunted past and the enduring impact on those left behind. He embodies the real-world consequences of violence that the house mirrors.

Janie’s Mother shares in the family’s trauma and tries to cope with the tragedy that haunts their house. Her experiences highlight the emotional toll of violence and the way a community responds to a family’s loss. She stands alongside other adults grappling with fear, memory, and unresolved sorrow.

Dr. Nigel Blake is the medical-scientific voice in the analysis, providing laboratory findings that corroborate or challenge the investigators’ observations. He helps explain the physical aspects of the phenomena, such as substances on the walls. His input grounds the investigation in empirical detail even as the supernatural elements push beyond science.

The unnamed child figure represents the many innocent victims implied by the house’s violent history. The child’s presence appears in visions and serves to heighten the sense of lost lives and unresolved trauma. This character underscores the themes of memory, innocence destroyed, and the enduring specter of violence.