Dungeons & Dragons 3: The Book of Vile Darkness
Third installment in the Dungeons & Dragons film series.
In 2012, a British dark fantasy adventure film titled *Dungeons & Dragons 3: The Book of Vile Darkness* was released directly to video. Gerry Lively directed this third entry in the *Dungeons & Dragons* movie series. Filming took place in Bulgaria during 2011. The movie came out on DVD in the United Kingdom on 9 August 2012, and later aired in the United States as a Syfy Original Movie on 24 November 2012.
The story begins with the evil sorcerer Nhagruul the Foul, who spread misery during his life. Nearing death, he traded his soul to demon lords of the Abyss. His skin became pages, his bones a cover, and his blood the ink, creating the Book of Vile Darkness. Anyone who gazed upon it turned evil. The kingdom of Karkoth fell to this corruption until the Knights of the New Sun, armed with amulets from the god Pelor, used their pure hearts to channel divine light and destroy the ink. However, Nhagruul’s followers hid the pages and cover, and as people forgot him, the Knights’ power faded.
Two thousand years later, a new paladin named Grayson joins the Knights but, like all recent recruits, fails to receive the amulet’s power from Pelor. While he discusses this with his father, barbarians slaughter the Knights and abduct his father. To rescue him, Grayson joins a crew working with the barbarians to find a horn that leads to the Book’s cover. The crew includes Akordia, a Shadar-kai sorceress; Seith, a human assassin; Vimak, a Goliath barbarian; and Bezz, a human Vermin Lord.
The horn is guarded by a wyvern, which Grayson kills, saving Akordia and sparking her love for him. The group is hailed as heroes in a nearby town, where Grayson and Akordia spend the night together, Vimak enjoys many women, and Seith steals all the town’s treasure. The mayor blocks their departure; Grayson negotiates a compromise to keep half the treasure, but Bezz murders the mayor, triggering a fight that kills the townspeople. Later, Grayson poisons Vimak with a purchased vial, stuffs his body and the treasure into a bag of holding, and throws it into a lake. Seith threatens Grayson for the horn but is killed by Bezz.
The horn leads the remaining three to an undead child called a Slaymate. To prove they are free of decency and worthy of the Book’s cover, they must let it feed on their negative energy. The morally bankrupt Bezz satisfies it easily. Grayson’s unlawful deeds are enough t
- director
- Gerry Lively
- release_date_UK
- 9 August 2012
- release_date_US
- 24 November 2012
- country_of_production
- United Kingdom
- series
- Dungeons & Dragons film series
- format
- Direct-to-video; Syfy Original Movie
Lore & Background
The film's plot centers on the Book of Vile Darkness, created from the skin, bones, and blood of the evil sorcerer Nhagruul the Foul. Anyone who looked into the Book became evil. The kingdom of Karkoth was consumed by evil until the Knights of the New Sun, using amulets from the God of light Pelor, destroyed the ink but could not recover the pages or covers. Two thousand years later, a new Paladin named Grayson joins the Knight order but is not granted the amulet's power. After barbarians kill the other Knights and abduct his father, Grayson joins a crew—Akordia (a Shadar-kai sorceress), Seith (a human assassin), Vimak (a Goliath barbarian), and Bezz (a human Vermin Lord)—to find the horn that leads to the Book's cover.
Reader's Guide
The film represents the third and final entry in the original Dungeons & Dragons film trilogy, produced as a direct-to-video release with a lower budget than its theatrical predecessors. Shot in Bulgaria, it was distributed by IM Global, a company later merged into Global Road, which went bankrupt in 2018. The film's narrative explores themes of purity, corruption, and redemption, with Grayson ultimately receiving the power of Pelor after refusing to lose hope. The ending leaves Bezz escaping as a cloud of insects, and Grayson and Akordia parting ways due to their different natures. Though not a major theatrical release, the film has found an audience among fans of the franchise and remains a notable artifact of the Dungeons & Dragons film series.
Did You Know?
- The film was shot in Bulgaria in 2011.
- The Book of Vile Darkness was created from the skin, bones, and blood of the sorcerer Nhagruul the Foul.
- The film's distributor, IM Global, later merged into Global Road, which went bankrupt in 2018.
- The character Bezz escapes at the end as a cloud of insects.
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