AIP Mines Mirth Out Of Murder
Tongue-In-Cheek Selling For A Bucket Of Blood (1959)
Bragging right was justified in Roger Corman and
AIP having wrapped A Bucket Of Blood over five days for $50,000 (one source
claims $40K). Since results matter most, it's for us to say if Bucket rose
above the rush, though from this end of at long last seeing it, I'd say yes to
all who'd call BoB one of the best things Jim and Sam released during days when
cheapies came in matched pairs (A Bucket Of Blood went out with The Giant
Leeches). "Black comedy" can sometimes not be black enough or
sufficiently funny. Bucket pleased for pretensions of hipness being diced, and
I'd like to think it captures at least a microcosm, given Corman's
micro-budget, of beatnik life. The chill scenes work on that level, Dick
Miller's Walter Paisley a schlep, but a lethal one.
Roger and writer Charles Griffith had a jest
that could pass for a horror movie, but AIP chose to sell it as spoof, which
was no small risk in a marketplace that liked chillers served straight or not at
all. The way had at least been paved by William Castle and comic drawings he
lent to publicity for Macabre and more recent House On Haunted Hill. Nice thing
about A Bucket Of Blood and the Castles was option to take them serious if you
were so disposed, or laugh if spirit was moved. Among most arresting of Bucket
beats is Julian Burton, a spitting voice and facial image for Laird Cregar, whose
character reminded me very much of LC's in Blood and Sand. Direction shows real
flair for get-'er-done tempo, Corman delivering best as always at a run. A Bucket Of Blood
took domestic rentals of $186K, not a lot we'd say, but over three times what
was spent. It didn't take much to keep lights on at American-International.
"Bucket of Blood" was the only movie my mother refused to let my brother see when it was originally released, referring to it as "garbage." Of course she hadn't seen it, so I guess she was going by the title alone.
ReplyDeleteAs I recall from watching "BOB" many years ago, there was a surprisingly good scene with a "beat" poet reciting one of his works in a club. Not only wasn't it played for laughs as you would have expected, it felt more accurate than similar portrayals of its time.
And for what it's worth, Martin Scorsese is said to be a big fan of "BOB." Maybe he'll do a three-hour remake one day.
Weren't the "Bucket of Blood" sets reused for "Little Shop of Horrors"? Or was that another movie?
ReplyDeleteRecently rewatched this with an appreciative audience at Eastman House, along with the Corman documentary. While lavish by no means, the set decoration and photography are pretty amazing considering the threadbare budget.
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