Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Moderate
- macabre
- sardonic
- campy
- cult movie night
- halloween viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as an inventive, funny, and poignant low-budget satire whose macabre horror targets Beat culture and the art world.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Walter gains prestige among bohemian café regulars despite lacking artistic talent, while the film caricatures their artistic pretensions.
Walter's accidental sculpture is celebrated, forcing him to manufacture increasingly horrific works to preserve his newfound status.
The 66-minute production was made rapidly on reused youth-film sets, pairing constrained production with grotesque comic invention.
Walter is treated as a brilliant sculptor when his plaster-covered murder evidence is mistaken for intentional art.
Films like A Bucket of Blood, and why
The Little Shop of Horrors
shared macabre comedy, artistic satire, and low-budget horror sensibility
The Raven
shared Roger Corman authorship, campy horror-comedy tone, and comic outsider protagonist
The Masque of the Red Death
shared satire of bohemian artistic circles, murder, and darkly comic social commentary
Movie Details
- Director
- Roger Corman
- Release Date
- 1959-10-21
- Runtime
- 66 min
- Rating
- 6.6 / 10 (170)
Cast
- Dick Miller
- Barboura Morris
- Antony Carbone
- Julian Burton
- Ed Nelson
- John Brinkley
- John Herman Shaner
- Judy Bamber
- Myrtle Vail
- Bert Convy
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, Brew, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus, Shudder, Shudder Amazon Channel, Screambox Amazon Channel, FlixFling, Cultpix, Shudder Apple TV channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Midnight Pulp Amazon Channel, Bloodstream, Chilling
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home, FlixFling
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home, FlixFling
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is A Bucket of Blood about?
- A timid café busboy becomes a celebrated sculptor by turning murder victims into macabre artworks in Roger Corman's sharp-edged cult horror comedy.
- What is A Bucket of Blood like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of A Bucket of Blood as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is A Bucket of Blood violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in A Bucket of Blood as moderate.
- What did critics think of A Bucket of Blood?
- Critics broadly regard the film as an inventive, funny, and poignant low-budget satire whose macabre horror targets Beat culture and the art world.
- Which films are like A Bucket of Blood?
- Films with a similar feel include The Little Shop of Horrors, The Raven, and The Masque of the Red Death.
- How long is A Bucket of Blood?
- A Bucket of Blood runs 66 minutes.
- Where can I watch A Bucket of Blood?
- In United States, A Bucket of Blood streams on Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, Brew, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, MGM Plus, Shudder, Shudder Amazon Channel, Screambox Amazon Channel, FlixFling, Cultpix, Shudder Apple TV channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Midnight Pulp Amazon Channel, Bloodstream, Chilling.
