This delicious black comedy is one of the films that Roger Corman used to make before he got a bigger budget and went on to do fantastic adaptations of Edgar Allen Poe stores, starting with 'The Fall of the House of Usher', the year after this was made. A Bucket of Blood stars Dick Miller, whom you may know as 'that guy from Gremlins', which Dante almost certainly cast him in due to his affiliation with Corman, as he plays a character named Walter Paisley in both The Howling and A Bucket of Blood. Anyway, in this film he has been cast a busboy for a public house, who is also an aspiring artist. However, Walter lacks creativity and is looking for an idea when he inadvertently kills his landlady's cat, which he then proceeds to cover in plaster and present as a piece of art. The art world is filled with weirdo's, and because of that, this sculpture becomes an instant hit and Walter is now very much 'in'. One masterpiece isn't enough, however, and Walter must add more to his collection to gain the fame he wants...but where is that next masterpiece going to come from?

Aside from being a cheap black comedic exploitation thriller, A Bucket of Blood is also a commentary on the art world. Anything can pass for a masterpiece when it comes to being 'creative' (shown by that strange woman with a bed in real life),and a dead cat certainly fits that bill. The film also comments on the fact that one masterpiece isn't enough for an 'artist' to cement themselves in the annals of history and thus they need several. Dick Miller's portrayal of the aspiring artist at the centre of the tale isn't award worthy, but he does a very good job. The character is naive, with an air of pathos, spanning from a need to be accepted, and Dick Miller captures this essence so well that you cant imagine anyone else in the role. I really enjoy seeing Miller on screen and it's a shame he didn't get more roles as he has a lot of potential for playing characters of this sort.

This film is an obvious predecessor to many other indie themed exploitation thrillers, such as The Driller Killer and is important for that reason. The jazz styling makes a nice atmosphere for the movie and it helps to capture the pseudo-cool jazz trend that is often associated with art in the late 50's and early 60's. And, aside from everything I've said so far; this film is just really good. It's a lot of fun and many of things shown on screen are really funny. There's also some lovely death sequences including, most notably, someone being cut in half with a buzz saw. Naturally (considering this was made in 1959),we don't get to see the death, but it still happens and it's not Corman's fault he couldn't show it. This film is a damn good time and it's a shame that it hasn't gained itself a more established following the forty-five years since it's release. Recommended viewing.

The film begins in a beatnik coffee house where the customers love to listen to bad poetry and revel in their own senses of self-importance! In this locale, we have Dick Miller who is a somewhat simple-minded waiter who desperately wants to fit in but is mostly laughed at by the stupid customers. After accidentally committing a murder AND wanting to fit in, Miller becomes an artist by covering a hapless cat with clay. Well, these self-absorbed boobs were amazed at the sculpture and proclaimed Miller's genius--not knowing that a REAL cat resided within. But, needing to produce more "great works of art", he feels compelled to kill humans for the sake of art. Fortunately, as his first human victim he chooses Bert Convey--not a bad choice, really, as I never particularly liked this 1970s game-show regular and frequent guest on The Love Boat! While this is NOT a great film by any objective standard, I can see why due to its oddness and silliness that it's become a cult favorite. As you would expect from early Roger Corman films, the budget is negligible and the film was designed for drive-in crowds (i.e., 1950s teenagers),so you know it can't be especially deep. However, considering just how low the expectations should be for such a small film, it was a pleasant surprise--offering excellent writing, a great sense of humor and generally decent acting. While it isn't nearly as silly or as fun as the original LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (which co-starred Dick Miller),it does have some similarities and is well worth your time.

A Bucket Of Blood is Roger Corman's ode to the beatnik scene of the late Fifties, the first outcropping of the counterculture. It's also laced with a little bit of Edgar Allan Poe.

Dick Miller who is best remembered for owning the kid's favorite hangout in the TV series Fame plays young Walter who is a busboy in another favorite café, this one favored by the beatniks and their pretensions to art. Poor Miller wants to fit in really bad, probably in high school he would have given anything to fit in with the cool kids. The beatniks laugh at him.

But when he accidentally kills his landlady's cat and then immortalizes it in plaster, the preserved pussy actually gets him noticed as an sculptor with a real eye for anatomy. What to do, but go with the flow and move on to human subjects. It's like he's invented a new art form.

Corman certainly didn't have much of a budget and in his early days it was a hit or miss proposition with his films. Every now and then Corman did produce a classic, but A Bucket Of Blood isn't one of them.

As for the ending it is really taken from The Tell Tale Heart. Crazy Man.