Box Office Spectaculars released Color Me Blood Red on 13 October 1965. This was in Baltimore, Maryland. I assume at the Bengies Drive-In Theatre.
It is the last of the Blood Trilogy. I think it is the best of the films. The first, Blood Feast, is so silly. And the second, Two Thousand Maniacs, is so cruel. As a result, I enjoy this film about a twisted but likeable artist.
The story is simple. Critics dismiss an artist because of his bland use of color. So he uses his own blood for red. And the critics love it! But you can only bleed yourself so long. So he kills his models and uses their blood. What’s not to like?
The cast is led by Gordon Oas-Heim in the central role of Adam Sorg. Oddly, Oas-Heim used “Adam Sorg” for his screen name in the other Herschell Gordon Lewis film he was in, Moonshine Mountain. Here he is Don Joseph.
He gives a spirited, idiosyncratic performance. And this really sells the whole film.
According to producer David F Friedman, the demand for gore films faded. It didn’t make sense to produce more. It’s also worth noting that both Friedman and Lewis must have been wealthy at this point.
But Color Me Blood Red delivers. It is still very much a Lewis-Friedman production with ugly design, mostly amateur acting, and lots of gorgeous gore. All psychotronic fans should watch it at least once. And today is the day given it was released exactly 60 years ago!
Color Me Blood Red (1965) poster via Wikipedia under Fair Use.
