A Bucket of Blood (1959)

If anyone is fed up with the pretentious nitwits that dictate what is good art, chances are you'll enjoy this classic campy tale. The protagonist is a weakling who works as a waiter at a beatnik coffee shop and hangs around psuedo artist snobs, sucking up their every last syllable as if it is a mocha frapuccino. He wants very much to carve a niche for himself in this group of losers and manages to do so when he makes a sculpture out of his landlady's dead cat! True to herd mentality, everyone is soon basking in this guy's coolness, singing his praises, and generally kissing his talentless behind. Only problem is, he keeps making sculptures from bodies! By the time these Bohemians catch on to the fact that this guy may not be so hip after all, the death toll has risen and laughter is abound. Also make sure to look out for the fat bearded character Maxwell, this guy is a total riot. The sad thing is every time I go to an open mike I meet some "poet" who is just like him. Great sardonic humor from the master of the macabre Roger Corman. 8/10

Fmovies: A Bucket of Blood is a nice little Corman horror film. It plays better than many of his other non-Poe, non-Price films. It's the story of a "backwards" busboy in a beatnik dive trying to fit in by becoming an artist. His creations are the talk of the joint. But just how is the seemingly talentless busboy able to create such realistic images of death?

Dick Miller plays the busboy in one of the few feature roles I remember seeing him in. The mix of emotions he imbibes into his character is a highlight of the film. At one moment he's confused, the next a raving lunatic. Corman kept the screenplay simple and it works. I've seen too many low budget directors try to creative effects, etc. that their budgets just do not allow. Corman doesn't do this. This one is definitely recommended to fans of the 50s quickie horror films.

Walter Paisley is a dim-witted busboy who works at a coffee shop that's populated by beatniks reciting their poetry, playing their jazzy music, throwing around their words of wisdom and praising each others' work. Walter really wants to be part of this crowd, but they don't take him seriously. So he goes home to make something out of clay, but his stopped because of the constant meowing from the landlady's cat that's stuck in the wall. Trying to get it out, he accidentally kills it, so he decides to cover with clay and take it to the coffee shop to show off his work. Everyone is impressed, but they want more. Which, Walter does deliver.

Now this is what you call an entertaining horror/comedy B-movie that delivers on what it promises. Thank you Roger Corman for such an humorlessly offbeat offering that has personality. 'A Bucket of Blood' is a drive-in quickie that mocks that of the art society in the late 50s to 60s with such blackly laced humour in a tongue-in-cheek approach. The spoof elements seem to fuse impeccably well with the amusing satirical attacks on the beatnik culture. It's hard not to grin at how pompous this lifestyle is with them finding masterpieces in the strangest things, then labelling the artist some sort of master who's got to continue his budding work. Also there's their intellectual lingo that supposedly has a deeper meaning to it allÂ… far out! You could say that this beatnik generation lives in their own little world, but their artistic shallowness definitely moulds itself into the picture.

Now you're probably wondering when does the horror come in. Well, the wry humour might be heavy, but the violence has a rather bitter and twisted feel as it becomes an obsession for Walter to knock off people to advance his social status in the art world and to please those artists who see big things in him. The deaths are executed rather well, actually. They do hold such a chilling and grisly sting, because the victims are obliviously to what's going to happen and we see the cold, obsessed transformation of Walter taking hold. Dick Millar nails down the part beautifully in depicting a character that might not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but it's his unstable patterns that come to the forefront. Millar's performance was very memorable, but the rest of the cast were very good too with a nice mixture of animated characters ranging from the variety of zesty beatniks to Walter's interfering landlady. The cheap budget seems to do wonders on the dreary atmosphere. That of Walter's gloomy, but cosy apartment where he does the finishing touches (the nitty gritty stuff) to his work, which shows the true loneliness and why he wants to be accepted.

Surrounding the film is a hip and jazzy score that manages to spice up proceedings by gelling together with its artistic context. Director Corman manages to keep things moving at a reasonable pace with it flying by quick enough. He succeeds in making a fun satire that has whole range of surprising developments and he knows when to tighten the screws with some razor edge thrills, which makes way for a satisfyingly, ingenious outcome. No way is life imitating art here.

A delightfully dark and quirky premise with many memorable performances, but no more than Dick Millar. A very well done production all round by Corman and co.

Side-note: 'The Little Shop of Horrors' was made on the back of 'A bucket of blood' with basically most of the same cast and sets.

A Bucket of Blood fmovies. Daddy O, this is with out a doubt the coolest horror film with beatniks that has ever been produced, one viewing and you'll be pulling your bongos outa the closet and throwing paint at the wall. Beatniks, coffee, art, murder and a Paul Horn soundtrack, It's Crazy Man.

This delicious black comedy is one of the films that Roger Corman used to make before he got a bigger budget and went on to do fantastic adaptations of Edgar Allen Poe stores, starting with 'The Fall of the House of Usher', the year after this was made. A Bucket of Blood stars Dick Miller, whom you may know as 'that guy from Gremlins', which Dante almost certainly cast him in due to his affiliation with Corman, as he plays a character named Walter Paisley in both The Howling and A Bucket of Blood. Anyway, in this film he has been cast a busboy for a public house, who is also an aspiring artist. However, Walter lacks creativity and is looking for an idea when he inadvertently kills his landlady's cat, which he then proceeds to cover in plaster and present as a piece of art. The art world is filled with weirdo's, and because of that, this sculpture becomes an instant hit and Walter is now very much 'in'. One masterpiece isn't enough, however, and Walter must add more to his collection to gain the fame he wants...but where is that next masterpiece going to come from?

Aside from being a cheap black comedic exploitation thriller, A Bucket of Blood is also a commentary on the art world. Anything can pass for a masterpiece when it comes to being 'creative' (shown by that strange woman with a bed in real life), and a dead cat certainly fits that bill. The film also comments on the fact that one masterpiece isn't enough for an 'artist' to cement themselves in the annals of history and thus they need several. Dick Miller's portrayal of the aspiring artist at the centre of the tale isn't award worthy, but he does a very good job. The character is naive, with an air of pathos, spanning from a need to be accepted, and Dick Miller captures this essence so well that you cant imagine anyone else in the role. I really enjoy seeing Miller on screen and it's a shame he didn't get more roles as he has a lot of potential for playing characters of this sort.

This film is an obvious predecessor to many other indie themed exploitation thrillers, such as The Driller Killer and is important for that reason. The jazz styling makes a nice atmosphere for the movie and it helps to capture the pseudo-cool jazz trend that is often associated with art in the late 50's and early 60's. And, aside from everything I've said so far; this film is just really good. It's a lot of fun and many of things shown on screen are really funny. There's also some lovely death sequences including, most notably, someone being cut in half with a buzz saw. Naturally (considering this was made in 1959), we don't get to see the death, but it still happens and it's not Corman's fault he couldn't show it. This film is a damn good time and it's a shame that it hasn't gained itself a more established following the forty-five years since it's release. Recommended viewing.

Roger Corman has a gem here. First, I really dig that Beatnik scene man: groovy! We start off at the cafe with the sax wailing and Maxwell shooting the audience with words of wisdom. It's a great opener to our story. Dick Miller is great as Walter Paisley (great name play there!) who makes you root for our down trodden busboy. Plus, who knew landladys were so controlling back then? Sheesh, a guy can't even bring a dame over! Add great support especially from Julian Burton who's Mr. Brock (please call me Maxwell) really lives it up as the ultimate beat poet and has a terrific time doing it! He kind of reminds me of a Beatnikesque Oliver Reed. Leonard De Santis provides laughs as the stuck up cafe owner who learns to stop belittling Walter if he knows what's good for him. Even Bruno VeSota is an art aficionado. My favorite scene has to be when Walter turns 180 and visits the cafe (love that beret!). Or maybe it's Walter as the triumphant king! All in all, Bucket of Blood is a whole lot of fun.