Color Me Blood Red

Gallery owner Farnsworth takes a painting outside and burns it. Blood pours out of the canvas as it burns.

Artist Adam Sorg is having trouble with his work. He is unsatisfied with every color he has. Gigi, Adam's girlfriend, reminds Adam he is expected at the Farnsworth Galleries for a showing with critics. At the showing, Gregorovich, an art critic, criticizes Adam's use of color. Adam argues with him and leaves, passing Mrs. Carter admiring Adam's work.

The next day, Farnsworth goes to Adam's house to pick up a new painting. He tells Adam that he agrees with Gregorovich's criticism, but takes a painting and leaves. Adam destroys another canvas and leaves the wreckage on the floor. Gigi cuts herself while cleaning it up, smearing blood on the canvas by accident.

Later, Adam sees the blood and compares the color to his other paintings. He asks Gigi to re-open the cut and begins another painting using her blood. She eventually tells him to use his own blood. Adam cuts his fingers and paints with his blood until he collapses from blood loss.

When he wakes up, Gigi tells him that he phoned Farnsworth and bragged about his new painting. She wonders where he will find enough blood to finish the painting. Adam stabs Gigi in the face and uses her blood to finish the painting. He buries Gigi's body near his house. The next day, he takes the painting to the gallery. Gregotovich declares it Adam's finest work. Mrs. Carter offers to buy the painting for $15,000, but Adam refuses. Gregotovich challenges Adam to paint another masterpiece and Adam agrees.

The next day, Mrs. Carter's daughter April goes on a picnic with her boyfriend Rolf, and two other friends, Jack and Sydney. Adam prepares to cut himself for a new painting when he sees April and her friends on the beach near his house. Adam prepares to ambush them, but is diverted by another couple on the beach. The pair go into the water, where Adam approaches them in a motorboat. He kills the man and abducts the woman. Later, Adam paints a new canvas with the woman's blood. The following day, he takes it to the gallery but again refuses to sell it. Adam storms out of the gallery, and Gregorovich notes that the painting is still wet.

Mrs. Carter wonders why she hasn't heard from Adam in weeks; he has become a recluse. Adam spies on April and her friends having another beach party. When April ventures near Adam's house, Adam goes to talk to her. He tells April he is looking for a model. He introduces himself and she tells him that her mother is the Mrs. Carter who wants to buy some of his paintings. Adam tells April that if she poses for him, she can have one for free. April returns to her friends. She tells them about meeting Adam and her plans to see him again that evening.

That evening, April inadvertently angers Adam by making a joke about blood in his paintings. She wants to leave after his outburst, but Adam convinces her to stay. He has her stand on a small stepladder and ties her wrists.

Meanwhile, Jack and Sydney find Gigi's badly decomposed corpse on the beach. They show the body to Rolf, who runs towards Adam's house. Inside, Adam lifts up an axe to kill April. Rolf runs inside and sees Adam with the axe. Rolf grabs a nearby shotgun and points it at Adam, keeping him at bay as he unties April. Adam knocks the shotgun out of Rolf's hands and says he is immortalizing people by using their blood in his paintings. Jack and Sydney run into the house and distract Adam. Rolf grabs the shotgun and shoots Adam, killing him.

Farnsworth is burning Adam's paintings. His use of blood has become public knowledge. Gregorovich arrives, and Farnsworth says this is Adam's funeral pyre.

• Gordon Oas-Heim as Adam Sorg
• Candi Conder as April Carter
• Elyn Warner as Gigi
• Pat Finn-Lee as Patricia Lee
• Jerome Eden as Rolf
• Scott H. Hall as Farnsworth
• Jim Jaekel as Jack
• Iris Marshall as Mrs. Carter

During the making of Color Me Blood Red, Lewis and Friedman considered making a fourth "Blood" film to be titled Suburban Roulette. Friedman felt that the "super blood and gore" film market was nearing the saturation point, and decided stop working in the series.[1]

Allmovie called the film dull and lacking in comparison to Lewis' two previous efforts; "very little distinguishes Color Me Blood Red from its parent productions except a lack of enthusiasm, brashness, and irreverence, something that can't be said for the remainder of Lewis' oeuvre."[2]

• List of American films of 1965

• Color Me Blood Red at IMDb
• Color Me Blood Red at AllMovie