The Complete History of Fake Blood in Film and Television

Theatrical blood has a long and fascinating history, even before its use in cinema and television. Originally, theater productions would rely on a simple red cloth to represent the blood, but as audiences demanded a more convincing portrayal of bloody scenes, new methods were employed to create stage blood.

Grand Guignol Theater

In the late 19th century, the Grand Guignol Theater in Paris popularized the use of gruesome special effects, including fake blood, in their horror plays. While the exact recipe used at Grand Guignol is unknown, it’s believed that they used a mixture of various ingredients, such as powdered carmine pigments from crushed cochineal insects and glycerin, to produce realistic blood.

During the black-and-white film era, filmmakers faced unique challenges and opportunities in creating practical special effects blood that looked both realistic and fantastical.

In the 1950s and 60s, as the standards began to loosen, Hollywood movies prioritized dark colors and high-viscosity materials for fake blood. Often, chocolate syrup was used as a substitute for blood, as it produced a dark and viscous liquid that looked convincing on screen.

Additionally, Kurosawa experimented with pressurized carbonation for dynamic spurts of fake blood in sword wounds.

With the advancement of Technicolor and color films, fake blood had to evolve to appear more realistic. The need for a more convincing blood effect led to the development of Kensington Gore, a mix of clear Karo corn syrup, red food dye, corn flour, and water.

Kensington Gore

Kensington Gore, named after a street in London, became the earliest bespoke fake blood recipe. It was cheap and easy to modify, so it quickly became a standard for fake blood in stage and film.

This solution became Hollywood’s standard for fake blood and opened the floodgates for experimentation with color and consistency. Thus, a new era of special effects blood began.

Kensington Gore revolutionized the way filmmakers depicted blood on-screen, forever changing the cinematic landscape.

The Rise of Splatter Films

Splatter films in the 1960s and ’70s introduced a new demand for visually shocking blood and gore. These films relied heavily on realistic-looking blood to emphasize violence and shock audiences, setting a new standard for special effects makeup and practical effects in the industry.

Dick Smith

This new blood formula was created by a special make-up effects artist named Dick Smith. His blood recipe was used in classics such as The Exorcist, Taxi Driver, and The Godfather. Though it was highly poisonous, its realistic appearance made it the go-to blood effect for years to come.

Edible variations were also possible via the use of non-dairy creamer or other substitutions.

Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960) is a classic in the history of fake blood, as it features the iconic shower scene where Marion Crane (played by Janet Leigh) is brutally murdered. While the onscreen killing is violent and horrific, the amount of blood in the scene is actually very limited.

In Sanjuro, director Akira Kurosawa introduced the world to the blood geyser that would go on to become a staple of nearly all samurai films afterward.

The 1963 horror film Blood Feast holds an infamous place in cinema history for its outrageously gory scenes of dismemberment and torture. Directed by Herschell Gordon Lewis, it is considered the first-ever “splatter” film, setting the stage for an entire graphic horror subgenre.

George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead is the film that kicked off the modern zombie genre. As zombies devour their victims, the liberal use of fake blood creates shocking imagery that has become a hallmark of the genre. While quite tame in comparison with more recent zombie films, the use of fake blood and special makeup effects depict gruesome carnage convincingly.

At the end of the 1960s, Sam Peckinpah’s The Wild Bunch pushed the boundaries of what could be depicted on screen with its realistic and graphic violence. As a group of outlaws battle their way through Mexican villages, gallons of fake blood spill across landscapes to create tension and shock viewers.

Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather is known for its brutal and realistic portrayal of violence. Its infamous “horse’s head” scene uses Dick Smith’s fake blood to create an intense and gruesome moment in the movie.

The Exorcist, directed by William Friedkin, showcases a combination of special makeup effects and realistic fake blood and other fluids. Dick Smith’s fake blood pushed the boundaries of realistic depictions of blood on screen at the time.

Brian De Palma’s adaptation of Carrie, by Stephen King, showcased the infamous prom scene in which Carrie is drenched in pig’s blood. This shocking visual helped establish the film as a pivotal moment in the use of fake blood in horror movies.

Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver is known for its gritty realism and brutal violence. In the film, fake blood is featured prominently in the climactic shoot-out, where anti-hero Travis Bickle (Robert De Niro) goes on a vigilante rampage.

Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining, based on yet another Stephen King novel, has several memorable moments involving lots of fake blood. The most famous scene is the elevator sequence, where a torrent of blood pours out of the opening elevator doors, filling the hallway with a river of blood.