Color Me Blood Red

DVD Something Weird Video/Image Entertainment
1965, 79 minutes
Unrated 

review by Lee Peterson

    The final entry in Herschell Gordon Lewis (director/cameraman) and David Friedman (producer/soundman)'s notorious, groundbreaking "Blood Trilogy"  (following Blood Feast and Two Thousand Maniacs—thematically unrelated except for the copious amounts of grue), Color Me Blood Red is usually given short shrift when compared to its two predecessors. True, it's not as nightmarishly odd as Blood Feast or as disarming (no pun intended) as Two Thousand Maniacs, but it is more professionally acted, and plays as the most serious and introspective character piece of the trilogy. There are fewer gory set-pieces, but a nasty disembowelment ranks as one of the most extreme and nasty effects in all of Lewis' ouvre.

   The main idea is a variation on Roger Corman's A Bucket of Blood.
Frustrated artist Adam Sorg (Don Joseph—real name: Gordon Oas-Heim) is sneered at by art critics (including Scott Hall from Blood Feast). When his girlfriend accidentally gashes her hand on one of his discarded paintings, Sorg discovers the blood is the red pigment he's always been looking for. He slices open his fingertips, and when his own blood runs out, he turns to his girlfriend (accidentally killing her in the middle of a domestic quarrel), and then goes after the neighbors and tourists. 

   Don Joseph (who committed suicide several years ago) was an accomplished stage actor, and brings a degree of professionalism to the role that is uncommon in an H.G. Lewis film (the part was originally to
be played by Lewis regular Bill Kerwin, but they both decided he was
too "All-American"). Joseph (who resembles a sweaty, demented Anthony Hopkins) later appeared in Andy Warhol's BAD (1977), and played the butler on the mercifully short-lived The New Monkees TV series in 1987 (!).

   Something Weird Video's full-frame transfer is outstanding (though visually a tiny, tiny bit softer than the other two‹I still cannot believe how good Two Thousand Maniacs looks!). Obviously, this film has
never and will never look better.

   The audio commentary (Lewis and Friedman are accompanied by Mike Vraney, the mastermind of Something Weird Video and Jimmy Maslin of Shock Films) is a gas, but like the other two, is poorly recorded. Lewis' and Vraney'¹s voices are recorded too loud, while Friedman's and Maslin's are barely audible. The only way you can catch everything is with headphones—a very minor complaint in an otherwise exceptional package). Lewis and Friedman'¹s long professional relationship ended during Color Me Blood Red's post-production, with Friedman taking over the editing and distribution, assisted by their longtime collaborator, Bob Sinese (father of actor Gary Sinese!). The story behind the split is finally revealed, once and for all. It's a long story, but it'¹s worth the price of the disc just to hear it finally put to rest. Lewis and Friedman even reveal a promise to work together again, on a sequel to Blood Feast (if they can
get the financing!). All told, there'¹s over four hours of commentary on the three DVDs. I could easily sit through 40 more.

   Also included on the DVD are about ten minutes of outtakes (which probably comprises every single frame of exposed film that wasn't used
in the movie!), a "gallery of exploitation art" (the same set of 68 posters, lobby cards and ad mats that're on the other two discs), and a great trailer ("Ša blood-spattered study in the ma-carrb!").The trailer¹s tagline ("you must keep reminding yourself it"s only a moviŠ") anticipates Last House on the Left's campaign by 8 years! 

   Something Weird Video has a HUGE catalog of  H.G. Lewis and David Friedman titles which they'll be cleaning up and releasing on DVD in the near future. 

   If it all happened tomorrow, it wouldn't be soon enough.

Official Website:

www.image-entertainment.com