''Color Me Blood Red'' is a 1965 American
splatter film
A splatter film is a subgenre of horror films that deliberately focuses on graphic portrayals of gore and graphic violence. These films, usually through the use of special effects, display a fascination with the vulnerability of the human body a ...
written and directed by
Herschell Gordon Lewis
Herschell Gordon Lewis (June 15, 1926 – September 26, 2016) was an American filmmaker, best known for creating the " splatter" subgenre of horror films. He is often called the "Godfather of Gore" (a title also given to Lucio Fulci), though h ...
about a psychotic painter who murders people and uses their blood as paint. It is the third part of what the director's fans have dubbed "The Blood Trilogy," including ''
Blood Feast'' (1963) and ''
Two Thousand Maniacs!'' (1964).
Plot
Adam Sorg is a struggling artist who lives on a house near to the beach and suffers from anger issues as a result of his critics making fun of his poor use of color. He thus often takes out his frustrations on those around him, chief among them his girlfriend Gigi. Adam's struggles are mainly derived from his inability to find the perfect shade of red.
One day, local gallerist Mr. Farnsworth has a meeting with Adam at Adam's house, which ends after Adam smashes one of his paintings in frustration. After Farnsworth leaves, Gigi accidentally cuts her finger on a nail whilst picking up the broken painting, and stains the painting with her blood. Suddenly, Adam realizes that this is the red tinge he's been looking for, and asks Gigi to spill more of her blood from her wound. She reluctantly does so, and he immediately begins working on an unfinished painting using her blood. As his obsession grows more and more, Adam cuts his fingers with a razorblade to obtain more blood, and continues working feverishly until he collapses from
anemia
Anemia (also spelt anaemia in British English) is a blood disorder in which the blood has a reduced ability to carry oxygen. This can be due to a lower than normal number of red blood cells, a reduction in the amount of hemoglobin availabl ...
.
The next day, Gigi chastises Adam over his usage of blood for paint, and also gets mad at him for coaxing Farnsworth into giving a positive review of a painting of his that he hasn't even finished. In a fit of rage, Adam stabs Gigi with a
painting knife, killing her, before proceeding to use her blood to finish his painting. The next morning, after disposing of Gigi's body, Adam heads to the gallery and unveils his new painting to Farnsworth. Art critic Gregorovich, whom had previously considered Adam unworthy as a painter, offers high praise and declares it to be Adam's masterpiece, and requests Adam to create another painting.
Returning home, Adam prepares to draw blood for his new work of art, when he sees a couple out on the beach riding his own
hydrocycles. Adam gets into a motorboat and speeds after the couple, murdering them and using their blood to create a new painting that he exhitbits at the gallery the next mornining.
Some time later, local teenage girl April Carter goes on a trip to the beach with her boyfriend Rolf and her friends Jack and Sydney. Whilst getting changed, April encounters Adam, whom she recognises. She tells him about how her mother has been desperate to purchase one of Adam's paintings, despite his repeated claims that they are "not for sale". Adam tells April that he is "looking for a model", and that he will give her mother a painting of his for free if she poses for his latest work. After some consideration, April agrees. After letting her inside, Adam ties April's wrists to a rope suspended over a ceiling beam, telling her that it will help her hold the desired pose.
Meanwhile, Jack and Sydney end up discovering Gigi's decomposing corpse in the sand, and Rolf goes to the house to call the police. There, he discovers a crazed Adam preparing to kill April with an axe. In the ensuing scuffle, Rolf grabs a shotgun from the mantle, and shoots Adam in the face, killing him. The scene fades to Farnsworth burning one of Adam's paintings, which mysteriously appears to bleed as the movie ends.
Cast
* Gordon Oas-Heim as Adam Sorg
* Candi Conder as April Carter
* Iris Marshall as Mrs. Carter
* Elyn Warner as Gigi
* Scott H. Hall as Mr. Farnsworth
* William Harris as Gregorovich
* Jerome Eden as Rolf
* Pat Finn-Lee as Sydney
* Jim Jaekel as Jack
Production
During the making of ''Color Me Blood Red'', Lewis and Friedman considered making a fourth "Blood" film to be titled ''Suburban Roulette''. Friedman felt that the "super blood and gore" film market was nearing the saturation point, and decided stop working in the series.
When asked about acting in an interview, Lewis related a brief note about Gordon Oas-Heim, who had appeared in a key role for this film along with ''Moonshine Mountain'' (1964) for Lewis. He described him as "a fine acting talent but an impossible personality" when it came to trying to get as much filming done as possible.
Critical reception
Allmovie
AllMovie (previously All Movie Guide) is an online database with information about films, television programs, television series, and screen actors. , AllMovie.com and the AllMovie consumer brand are owned by RhythmOne.
History
AllMovie was ...
called the film dull and lacking in comparison to Lewis' two previous efforts; "very little distinguishes ''Color Me Blood Red'' from its parent productions except a lack of enthusiasm, brashness, and irreverence, something that can't be said for the remainder of Lewis' oeuvre."
The critical reception of "Color Me Blood Red" was generally mixed to negative upon its release. Critics at the time often criticized the film for its low budget, amateurish acting, and excessive gore, even by the standards of exploitation cinema. Some considered it to be tasteless and gratuitous.
However, it's important to note that Herschell Gordon Lewis's films, including "Color Me Blood Red," have gained a cult following over the years, and their notoriety has grown. They are often seen as significant in the history of horror and exploitation cinema for their pioneering use of explicit violence and gore. Lewis is sometimes referred to as the "Godfather of Gore" for his contributions to the genre.
See also
*
List of American films of 1965
A list of American films released in 1965.
''The Sound of Music'' won the Academy Award for Best Picture.
Box office
January-March
A–D
E–I
J–R
S–Z
See also
* 1965 in the United States
Notes
References
*
External lin ...
References
External links
*
{{Herschell Gordon Lewis
1965 films
1965 horror films
1960s American films
1960s English-language films
1960s exploitation films
1960s serial killer films
1960s slasher films
1960s psychological horror films
American exploitation films
American psychological horror films
American serial killer films
American slasher films
American splatter films
Films about fictional painters
Films directed by Herschell Gordon Lewis
English-language horror films
English-language crime films
Blood in culture