
From Macbeth’s post-decapitation drippings to the gratuitous goriness of a slasher film, fake blood runs through the veins of many productions, both onstage and onscreen. Whether you’re going for a subtle trickle or a full-blown Carrie-at-prom experience, mastering the art and science of making fake blood is a must. Ready for a bloody good time? Let’s explore the best ways to paint the town (or at least the set) red.
What is fake blood?
Fake blood is a carefully crafted concoction that mimics the look and consistency of real blood, without the inconvenience of actual exsanguination. It can take many different forms and come from a variety of recipes, depending on what’s desired of the practical effect. For a vampire film, fake blood might need to be edible, while for a medical student educational video, it better look pretty darn realistic.
Here’s our roundup of the best edible, sprayable, oozing, washable, and overall fake blood recipes.
Best edible blood: Say a character is punched in the teeth and needs blood pouring out of their mouth. This means the fake blood needs to be edible, so the recipe may be as simple as combining:
- 1 part corn syrup
- 1 part red food coloring
Best sprayable blood: For slasher films and other wannabe bloody messes, you may need your blood to spatter. To make it thin, light, and oh-so-sprayable, you can mix:
- 1 cup water
- 16 drops red food coloring
Best oozing blood: A thicker, more viscous product may be needed for a scene in which blood drips down slowly. One recipe for that approach is stirring together:
- 4 tablespoons corn syrup
- ¼ teaspoon cocoa mix
- 4 drops red food coloring
Best washable blood: As VFX expert Paul Carnegie notes in his tutorial, fake blood made with food coloring can create stains. This can present problems that go beyond you summoning your best Lady Macbeth by shrieking, “Out damned spot!” “I can’t have my actor’s skin stained for the next scene,” Carnegie explains. “I need them to immediately be able to clean off.” To avoid stains, he recommends using flocking powder (a substance that uses tiny bits of vinyl to create a washable pigment) and blending:
- 1 cup glycerin
- 16 ounces light corn syrup
- Red flocking powder (for color, or as needed)
Best overall blood: We’re partial to this recipe conjured up by STEM educator Steve Spangler that works wonders—and doesn’t taste too bad, either:
- ½ ounce red food coloring
- 8 ounces powdered sugar
- 4 ounces water
- ½ tablespoon cocoa powder
To make Spangler’s recipe:
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First, pour your water into a blender.
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Add powdered sugar and blend.
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Add red food coloring and blend again.
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Add the cocoa powder. Blend completely so there is no chunkiness (unless your character has hyperviscosity, in which case keep the chunks!).
And that’s it! You’re ready to make your next blood-soaked scene.
Fake blood has a long dramatic history filled with many different attempts at making gore look real.
If you’ve read any of Shakespeare’s tragedies (and some of his comedies), you’ll know that even theatrical productions from centuries ago got pretty bloody. Experts surmise that Elizabethan actors used paint, vinegar, or vermillion to create the appearance of blood—or used real animal blood to approximate that of humans.
In the 19th century, the famously gory Théâtre de Grand-Guignol pioneered new versions of fake blood for its ghoulish productions. It’s said that the blood’s realistic red appearance came from grinding up dried bugs to produce carmine, though the exact recipe is unknown.
Creating convincing gruesome slop was initially much easier with film; because movies were originally in black and white, fake blood simply had to be a dark goopy substance. For the shower scene in “Psycho” (1960)—which was filmed in black and white to cut costs—Alfred Hitchcock opted to use chocolate syrup.
But with the popularity of color film also came the need for red fake blood. Arguably the most famous early fake blood recipe was John Tynegate’s Kensington Gore, which consisted of syrup, food dye, corn flour, and water.
Fake blood recipes proliferated as effects became more complex and filmmakers demanded more realistic gore. Today, many practical effects magic-makers use store-bought theatrical makeup products to create bloody scenes. Prosthetic makeup artist Howard Berger (“Inglourious Basterds,” “Kill Bill,” “The Walking Dead”) told New York Magazine that he uses the Fleet Street line of drying blood, while makeup artists Maralyn Sherman (“The Northman”) and Sarah Graalman (“Bodies Bodies Bodies”) swear by Joshua Turi’s No Trace Blood.
Alternatively, many filmmakers opt for CGI blood, since it’s far less messy and easier to control—making it possible to shoot multiple takes without getting bogged down in the gore.