A Bucket of Blood (1959)

Director:

Roger Corman

Writer:

Charles B. Griffith (screenplay)

Release Date:

21 October 1959 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

A Comedy of Errors! A Comedy of Terrors!

Plot:

Walter Paisley, nerdy busboy at a Bohemian café, is jealous of the talent (and popularity) of its various artistic regulars...

Plot Keywords:

Busboy | Artist | Sculptor | Sculpture | Beatnik

Cast

Dick Miller	...	Walter Paisley
Barboura Morris	...	Carla
Antony Carbone	...	Leonard de Santis
Julian Burton	...	Maxwell H. Brock
Ed Nelson	...	Art Lacroix
John Brinkley	...	Will
John Herman Shaner	...	Oscar (as John Shaner)
Judy Bamber	...	Alice
Myrtle Vail	...	Mrs. Swickert (as Myrtle Damerel)
Bert Convy	...	Lou Raby (as Burt Convy)
Jhean Burton	...	Naolia
Bruno VeSota	...	Art Collector (as Bruno Ve Soto)
Lynn Storey	...	Sylvia (as Lynne Storey)

Runtime:

66 min | Argentina:75 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Unrated | Argentina:Atp | Australia:M | UK:15 (video rating) (1996) (uncut) | UK:X (original rating) (cut)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Alta Vista Productions

Trivia:

At the time of its original release there was a promotion in the newspaper's movie section advertisements that made the offer, "If You Bring In A Bucket Of Blood To Your Local Theater's Management (Or Ticket Booth), You Will Be Given One Free Admission."

Goofs:

Boom mic visible: When Walter and Carla are walking to the Art show, the shadow of a boom mic is visible on the bushes behind them.

Quotes:

Maxwell H. Brock: Life is an obscure hobo, bumming a ride on the omnibus of art.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Schlock! The Secret History of American Movies (2001)

Soundtrack:

The Ballad of Tim Evans

Horror comedy of different clay!

Not including almost every entry in the terrific Edgar Allen Poe cycle he did, "A Bucket of Blood" unquestionable is Roger Corman's best and most entertaining film. And – coincidentally or not – this movie also contains many references towards Poe (a walled-up cat!!), so maybe Corman simply needs the legendary horror author's oeuvre in order to deliver great movies? "A Bucket of Blood" is a truly slick and ingenious little quickie that terrifically blends the classic terror premise of "Mystery of the Wax Museum" with the typical psychotronic-humor that Corman largely invented himself. Corman regular Dick Miller (terribly underrated throughout his whole career) gives away a near-perfect performance as Walter Praisley, a clumsy waiter and wannabe artist whose biggest wish to get as famous as the talkative stars he serves coffee to every day. His dream accelerates rapidly and unexpectedly when he covers his landlady's dead cat in clay and people proclaim it an art-masterpiece. Walter naturally enjoys his easily earned artist-status but he also realizes that he'll have to move on to bigger (read: bloodier) projects if he wants to stay in the picture. Dick Miller's exhilarating acting together with Charles Griffith's wit scripting skills, makes this a very fun production that every cult-film fan will enjoy watching. Although chuckles clearly have the upper hand in "A Bucket of Blood", Corman doesn't ignore the horror entirely and some of the death-sequences are definitely more chilling than the ones featuring in other contemporary and "serious" horror movies.