Blood
noun
1. the red liquid that circulates in the arteries and veins, carrying oxygen and carbon dioxide.
2. family background: she must have Irish blood.
3. violence involving bloodshed.
4. fiery or passionate temperament.
5. (dated) a fashionable and dashing young man.
_{from the Oxford English Dictionary}

6. an important part of loads of really cool horror photography!
_{from the RockstarVanity dictionary}



From vampires...


...to random acts of violence...


...to running with scissors (or razor blades)...


...a healthy helping of gore can add an extra eww-factor to your gruesome pictures. If you'd like to get elbow-deep in the red gooey stuff but aren't sure what works, what tastes alright and what won't stain your towels check out these great tutorials.



For more horror-related special effects resources, read the Horror and Macabre Photography FX FAQ and Guide by `Xerces.



There's no right or wrong way to make fake blood, so before you start concocting revolting fluids in your kitchen think about the following:

What body part(s) do you plan on coating in blood?
If your blood is going in someone's mouth (or your own!) make sure you don't use any toxic ingredients! You might want to consider a base of golden syrup or glycerine so that the blood doesn't taste too nasty. While store-bought blood is often non-toxic, it doesn't usually taste that great.

How much blood are you going to need?
If you're going for a full-on blood-bath murder scene, you're going to need large quantities of blood so it may be more economical to make your own blood than to buy gallons of the stuff.

To stain or not to stain?
If you're planning to destroy old clothes for a photoshoot anyway, you probably won't worry too much about whether or not your fake blood stains fabric, but you'll still need to get washed up afterwards and will likely drip at least a little of the blood somewhere it shouldn't be dripped - so remember that food dyes tend to stain fabric and upholstery! It may be worth testing a little bit of your fake blood, whether store-bought or DIY, on a small piece of fabric and try washing it off with water, soap or laundry detergent to see if permanent staining is a real risk.

Staying power
If you're going to have blood on a metal knife (or axe or cleaver or...), go for a thicker formulation so that it rests on the smooth surface and doesn't wash off. Same goes for shooting in bath tubs and shower cubicles.

Allergies
It sounds like a weird thing to think about, but remember that it's possible to be allergic to all kinds of bizarre things so if you're planning on liberally dousing yourself or a model in fake blood it's a good idea to do a small patch test on your (or their) skin, just to make sure the ingredients of your blood don't cause anyone to break out in hives.

Light, colour and effect
The colour of light that you're shooting under will effect the way your blood looks in the finished photograph. Under yellow-toned light, dark chocolate sauce (the cheapest stuff you can buy) will take on a reddish tint making it a cheap, easy and tasty blood substitute. Under blue-toned light, orangey colours will appear darker, making more vivid shades of fake blood look deeper and more realistic. Not everyone goes for a realistic effect when using fake blood in photos. If you'd rather create a classic horror movie bright red gore-fest, then anything from store-bought fake blood to bright red poster paint could suit your purpose. If you're shooting in black and white, forget colour altogether and concentrate on consistency. Chocolate sauce is great for black and white gore shots.



No matter how genuinely blood-like your fake blood looks, someone will always take issue with it's 'realism' (regardless of whether or not your intention was to create a true-to-life-image) and comment with something along the lines of "The blood looks like tomato ketchup/strawberry jam/paint/raspberry sauce/some other red and gooey substance". Blood IS red and gooey, and it looks remarkably different depending on whether it's veinous or arterial, fresh or scabby, seeping across skin or soaked into fabric or dripping off metal etc. Lots of other things are red and gooey too, so for all those people who can't think of anything more insightful to put in the comments box of a horror photo than "The blood looks like...", here are some other red and gooey things to enjoy (and guess what? they look kind of like blood). Tasty!





Just in case I'm giving the impression that blood is essential for creating interesting and effective horror art, I'd like to point out that this is not the case at all. Horror is a state of mind, a form of entertainment, nightmares and dreamscapes and everything in between and, as such, is based firmly in the realms of emotion...as shown in these darkly delicious pieces of bloodless horror photography.






<sub>Not sure if your photo belongs in the Horror & Macabre gallery? ^Katerina423's news article Horror and Macabre Photography Defined covers all bases and should be able to help you out.

And remember that images depicting real-life self-injury are NOT permitted on deviantART!</sub>