How-To: Blood

Blood and gore are what makes a zombie. Until there's at least a little blood, you're just dressed funny. Below, we'll discuss both commercially available fake bloods and recipes to make your own, but first here are some things to keep in mind.

WARNINGS / TIPS:

• ASSUME THAT ALL BLOODS STAIN ALL MATERIALS
  Some will wash out of some materials, but don't count on it.
• Stage blood is COLD as it dries.
  Just letting you know before you pour that whole "Pint O' Blood" bottle  down your back on a chilly October evening
• If you have a hairy chest, don't let corn syrup based blood soak into your shirt.

Now on to the fun stuff!

Commercial Blood Products

There are several kinds of commercially available bloods. Pick what will work best for your application.

Corn Syrup Based

• Thick and sticky
• Designed to be applied and stay in place or drip moderately
• Generally safe around the mouth
• Good for makeup work (if you don't mind being a little sticky)
• Mehron's  Stage Blood #152 in their "Dark Venous" color is really nice
• Ben Nye has a mint flavored blood

Non-Corn Syrup / Squirt Bloods

• These include the Pint O' Blood bottles, the little tubes of Halloween blood with a vampire on the package, and professional theatrical "squirt" bloods from companies like Mehron and Ben Nye
• Designed to flow like blood
• Good for large smears and splatters on costumes
• Can usually be squirted out of a spray bottle for splatter effects
• Read the label for any special warnings

Gels & Scab Blood

• Very thick and stays in place
• Simulates dried blood and gore
• Great for gruesome makeup effects

Novelties

• Blood Capsules
  Skip the worthless powder-filled Halloween ones and go with good liquid filled capsules from a name brand company like Ben Nye
• Aerosol Blood
  Canned air...with blood. It's an interesting toy to try if you're into splatter trails across your clothing...And blood fights with friends are kind of fun.

Homemade Blood

Starch Blood - A Zombie Walk OKC original

• Sta-Flo Concentrated Liquid Starch (big blue bottle; found mine at Homeland)
• Red Food Coloring
• Green or Blue Food Coloring

Mix the starch with some red coloring and add some green or blue to darken it.

It takes a while to dry, but it leaves a nasty, stiff, non-sticky bloody mess on clothing that looks really great. For a less stiff finish, dilute the starch with a little water.

Starch Blood Revisited

Substituting cheap store bought Pint O' Blood style blood for the red food dye gets a better color while still getting the nice stiff crustyness of the starch after it dries. If you let it sit out and evaporate a little you get a thicker blood that's easier to deal with.

Try using this darkened blood along with some smears of unmodified stage blood. The two shade effect is better than either blood by itself!

Syrup Recipe #1

• 1/2 Cup Water
• 1 Tablespoon Cocoa Powder
• 3 or 4 Tablespoons Corn Syrup
• 1/2-1 Teaspoon Red Food Coloring
• 2 DROPS Yellow or Green Food Coloring

The cocoa powder is supposed to cause this one to cake and leave convincing stains as it dries

Syrup Recipe #2

• 2/3 Cup Corn Syrup
• 1/3 Cup Water
• 5 Tablespoons Corn Starch
• 3-5 Teaspoons Red Food Coloring
• 2 or 3 DROPS Green Food Coloring

Syrup Recipe #3 - Bulk Blood

• 1 Liter Corn Syrup
• 5 Liters Water
• 2 or 3 Tablespoons Red Food Coloring
• 1/2 Teaspoon Green Food Coloring