(Note that carmine dye isn’t much less murderous than actual blood: it’s made by boiling cochineal bugs.)Īs entertainment shifted from stage to screen, technology and censorship guided American cinematic bloodshed until the mid-1960s. Their mixture of carmine dye and glycerine would sometimes congeal after splattering, like real blood, and inspired the modern genre of horror. The Théâtre du Grand Guignol, nicknamed “the Theatre of Blood and Horror,” was a small venue in Paris known for big scares around the turn of the 20 th century. Real (animal) blood also coagulates quickly, making it unsuitable for the multiple takes of modern storytelling. While blood is a rather free-flowing (no pun intended) byproduct of animal agriculture, the fake stuff is preferred on stage and set for ethical and sanitary reasons, as well as the emotional health of the actors and crew. The greater the spectacle, the larger the profit. Legend has it that actors in the time of Shakespeare used real blood and animal entrails on stage, though costumes were expensive and we all know that blood is tricky to get out of fabric.įor years, actors would use a red handkerchief to signify blood during a death scene, but audiences (and theaters) craved more. The representation of blood in entertainment is likely as old as entertainment itself – and we’re not even talking about the Roman gladiators or deadly Mesoamerican ball games. We generally focus on the life-giving possibilities of blood at Bloodworks through our research, collection, and patient care.īut Halloween is a time for spooky fun, and we need fun more than ever this year-and are likely consuming more media indoors.įor some of us, gory horror is fun, stimulating, and even comforting: a reminder that our blood is where it belongs, even if a fictional character’s is all over the walls. Because of this, the sight of blood often elicits an involuntary, primal reaction.īlood, when you don’t expect it, is scary. When it’s not, something is often very wrong: life’s exit. Unless it’s a pint voluntarily given by one of our generous donors in a neat little bag, blood is generally supposed to be in your body.
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