The Coen Brothers have an obsession with body fluids. Other than the various vomit scenes in movies like Blood Simple (1984), Miller’s Crossing (1990), and Barton Fink (1991), the Coen Brothers repeatedly use blood in their films. When one thinks about blood in conjunction with the Coen Brothers, usually the first thought that comes to mind is their first movie Blood Simple. In Virgin Film Series: Coen Brothers, Ethan states he was “influenced by the novels of John McCain” (Robson 11). Joel further extrapolates, “the script ‘was also very much inspired by’ horror, particularly in its closing sequence” (Robson 11). One can see these influences by the way the Coens use blood to heighten the effect of tension and horror throughout Blood Simple. In many ways the excessive use of blood becomes a hyperbolic grotesquery fitting the cult-like atmosphere of the film. The cover-up of Marty’s murder by Ray is one of the bloodiest scenes in the movie. Ray uses his jacket to mop up Marty’s blood from the bar floor. Instead of the blood being easily cleaned up, it smears and streaks the floor leaving a larger mess. Since the Coens are influenced by horror movies like Psycho, their use of blood is purposeful. Ethan describes his thoughts on the use of blood: “So, instead of making it an efficient cleanup like [Psycho] does, we made it inefficient” (Robson 12). The disposal of the body scene is extended to the car where Marty’s bloody figure is imprinted on the backseat of his [Ray’s] car. Other bloody scenes involve Ray being shot by Loren Visser, and Abby’s fight for her life scene where she stabs Visser’s hand through the window. Even Visser’s doctored pictures use an excess of blood. These scenes are memorable because the use of blood elevates and enhances the violence and hostility in the movie.

Even though one’s initial thought might be Blood Simple, the Coens use blood in their various other movies like Fargo (1996) and Miller’s Crossing. In contrast to Blood Simple, the film Fargo incorporates blood more judiciously; however, these “blood” scenes are still farcical and absurdist keeping with the tone of the film. One scene that sticks out is the “wood chipper” scene. In the scene where Gaer Grimsrud (Peter Stormare) is caught pushing Carl Showalter’s (Steve Buscemi) leg down the wood-chipper, blood is sprayed across the snow. The contrast between the dark red blood and the white snow is similar to the lighting effects the Coens implement in their films, the contrast between light and dark. The leg actually sticking out of the wood chipper creates a cartoonish, farcical effect. Compared to both Fargo and Blood Simple, Miller’s Crossing uses blood in a very realistic way. Using blood in a realistic and believable way maintains the gangster theme of the movie by keeping the film gritty and real. Blood is mainly used during shooting, fighting, and killing scenes. The amount of blood used is not overly done, so no scene seems truly grotesque or too comical. Overall, the amount of blood used in Coen films is tightly controlled by the brothers. It seems that the Coens decide to use blood in a movie depending on the movie’s genre, tone, and the brother’s personal aesthetics.

Works Cited

Blood Simple. Dir. Joel and Ethan Coen. 1985. DVD. Universal Studios Home Video, 2001.

Fargo. Dir. Joel and Ethan Coen. 1996. DVD. MGM/UA Home Entertainment, 2002.

Miller’s Crossing. Dir. Joel and Ethan Coen. 1990. DVD. 20^th Century Fox Home Entertainment,

2003.

Robson, Eddie. Virgin Film Series: Coen Brothers. Great Britain: Virgin Books, 2007. Print.