Blog-Off 2008: Rated “R” For An Abundance Of Outrageous Gore

So today’s Blog-Off challenge is a tough one — write something for our work blog that is actually NSFW — Not Safe For Work.

And, boy, were we up for the challenge. Behold New Zealand’s Braindead*, generally thought of as the goriest movie ever made. Though Robin and I are not big fans of splatter flicks, we appreciate one striking fact about this zombie comedy — or “zom com,” as we’ve taken to calling it — it’s currently the world record holder for most fake blood used in a single movie.

So, without further ado, we give you the bloodiest scene from Braindead. We guarantee you’ll never look at a lawnmower – or a blender – the same way again. (It’s seriously bloody…but also campy enough that even Robin could stand to watch most of it.)

WARNING: THIS VIDEO IS ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY NOT SAFE FOR WORK. OR ZOMBIES.

After watching that, I’m sure it won’t surprise you to know that fake blood was being pumped at a rate of 5 gallons a second during that scene, bringing the total amount of blood used to approximately 300 liters.

So, if every blood donor gives approximately 1 pint when they donate, that means that it would take 634 donors to equal the amount of blood used in just that one scene. And that much fake blood could have saved about 1,900 fake lives.

Fortunately, some horror film directors recognize their wasteful use of such a precious substance and make it a point to give back. For the last several years, the SAW franchise has held Halloween blood drives in partnership with the American Red Cross. Last year they collected a stunning 36,306 pints from film fans nationwide. You can see this year’s promo poster below:

You can’t have a bloodbath without blood. As the SAW folks say, give ’til it hurts!

Helpful Fake Blood Links:

The Official Splatter Movie Guide
Tips On Making Blood Effects

* Also known as Dead Alive and directed by Peter Jackson. Can you imagine what the producers of the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy thought when they took a look at his resume?
See what the Water Blog posted here, and vote for your favorite in the comments below. And please remember to be good sports – if you don’t have anything nice to say, just vote for the other blog.

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