A Bucket of Blood (1959)

Directed by Roger Corman. Starring Dick Miller, Barboura Morris, Antony Carbone, Julian Barton, Ed Nelson, Judy Bamber, John Herman Shaner, John Brinkley, Myrtle Vail.

Slow and impressionable cafe waiter Miller creates a sensation among the hip, artsy crowd with his startlingly life-like sculptures; little do they know that he honed his technique through death—accidental at first, then murderous. Wry black comedy with tinges of horror takes lots of satirical potshots at the art community and the Beat milieu, and provides B-movie mainstay Miller with possibly the best role of his career (in turn, he gives one of his finest performances). Low-budget Corman at his best, shot in five days for about $50,000, though the second-rate production values and short shooting schedule deprives the film of the style and quality that could have made it a true winner. Remade in 1995 for cable.

65/100