×
Alerts & Newsletters

By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy. We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

‘Blood Simple’ Trailer: Bruce Campbell Stars in This Early Version of the Coen Brothers’ Classic Debut

The new restoration from Janus Films and Criterion hits theaters this week.
Bruce Campbell in 'Blood Simple' Concept Trailer from Janus Films

Soldiers of cinema that they are, the fine folks at Janus Films are releasing a 4K restoration of the Coen Brothers‘ “Blood Simple” this week. As an added bonus, the art-house stalwarts have also unveiled the two-minute trailer a certain Joel and Ethan put together as a means of securing financing for their debut feature. They got the idea from their friend Sam Raimi, whom they knew from “The Evil Dead” — which is also why the trailer features Bruce Campbell in the role that eventually went to Dan Hedaya.

READ MORE: We Combined All the Coen Brothers Rankings

“Sam taught us that if you call on the phone and ask people to invest in a movie they’ll tell you to go hell,“ Joel explains in an interview from this fall’s Criterion Collection release of the noir thriller. (Janus and Criterion are longtime partners.) “But if you tell them ‘I have a piece of film to show you,’ then some of the would let you come into their living room and set up your little projector and show it to them.” It worked: the Coens raised $550,000 this way.

READ MORE: Kieslowski, ‘Cat People,’ and the Coen Brothers Lead The Criterion Collection’s September Line-Up

After it makes the theatrical rounds throughout the next few months, Criterion’s restoration of “Blood Simple” will be available on DVD and Blu-ray on September 20.

 

Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.

Daily Headlines
Daily Headlines covering Film, TV and more.

By providing your information, you agree to our Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy. We use vendors that may also process your information to help provide our services. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Must Read
PMC Logo
IndieWire is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2024 IndieWire Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.