Blood Simple
“Passion led to Adultery. Adultery led to Murder. It all seemed so simple...”
Synopsis
The owner of a seedy small-town Texas bar discovers that one of his employees is having an affair with his wife. A chaotic chain of misunderstandings, lies and mischief ensues after he devises a plot to have them murdered.
Trailers, Teasers & Extra Featurettes
Official promotional previews, behind-the-scenes footage, and exclusive clips.
New TrailerOfficial
Type: Trailer • Published 2026-09-08
Top Cast
Explore Star Directory →
John Getz
Ray
Frances McDormand
Abby
Dan Hedaya
Julian Marty
Samm-Art Williams
Meurice
M. Emmet Walsh
Private Detective
Deborah Neumann
Debra
Raquel Gavia
Landlady
Van Brooks
Man from Lubbock
Señor Marco
Mr. Garcia
William Creamer
Old Cracker
Loren Bivens
Strip Bar Exhorter
Bob McAdams
Strip Bar Senator
Shannon Sedwick
Stripper
Nancy Finger
Girl on Overlook
William Preston Robertson
Radio Evangelist (voice)
Holly Hunter
Helene Trend (voice) (uncredited)
Barry Sonnenfeld
Marty's Vomiting (voice) (uncredited)
Release History & Theatrical Window
Toronto International Film Festival
Festival / Special Debut
January 18, 1985
Wide Cinema Exhibition
September 18, 2001
Physical Home Media
Financials & Box Office Performance
Production Budget
$1.5M
Filming & production cost
Worldwide Gross
$4.2M
Total global ticket sales
Box Office Return
2.82x
+$2.7M net gain
Theatrical Status
Profitable
Box office tier
Key Information & Fast Facts
- Director
- Joel Coen
- Screenplay & Story
- Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
- Original Score
- Carter Burwell
- Original Title
- Blood Simple
- Country of Origin
- United States of America
- Spoken Languages
- English
- Runtime
- 1h 37m
- Production Budget
- $1.5M
- Worldwide Gross
- $4.2M
- Production Studios
- River Road Productions, Foxton Entertainment
Creative Leadership & Key Crew
Joel Coen
Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Carter Burwell
Barry Sonnenfeld
Ethan Coen, Don Wiegmann, Joel Coen
Ethan Coen, Daniel F. Bacaner
Department Leadership Roster
Ethan Coen
Producer
Joel Coen
Director
Ethan Coen
Editor
Carter Burwell
Original Music Composer
Barry Sonnenfeld
Director of Photography
Joel Coen
Writer
Ethan Coen
Writer
Jane Musky
Production Design
Sara Medina-Pape
Costume Design
Don Wiegmann
Editor
Joel Coen
Editor
Age Classification & Content Advisories
Official viewer rating standards and content warnings across international classification boards.
R: Restricted — Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.
International Certification Matrix
FSK 16 — Restricted to viewers aged 16 and older.
Interdit aux moins de 12 ans — 12+ only.
Suitable only for adults 18 years and over.
Restricted — Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.
Production Stills & Gallery
Official cinematic photography and background stills for Blood Simple.
Featured In Curated Collections
Editorial lists, community rankings, and cinematic collections featuring Blood Simple.
Watchlist
North American Cinema
Auto-generated by festival-lists — do not edit by hand.
Movie Collection
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Movies
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The Complete Criterion Collection. The Criterion Collection is a video distribution company that sells 'important classic and contemporary films' in editions that offer the highest technical quality. This list contains only the featured films released on DVD, BluRay and 4K Criterion releases — no supplements are included. Organized by spine number with the newest releases first. CC标准收藏完整收录版： 收录标准收藏（Criterion Collection）发行的重要经典及当代电影。仅包含正片（涵盖 DVD、蓝光及 4K 版本），已排除花絮补充内容。按 CC 发行编号倒序排列（最新发行在前）。 *注：榜单源数据中包含部分剧集/迷你剧，由于本片单只收录纯电影，故不再收录以下非电影条目：* • [#214] Mangrove (2020) • [#215] Lovers Rock (2020) • [#216] Red, White and Blue (2020) • [#217] Alex Wheatle (2020) • [#486] Eight Hours Don’t Make a Day (1972) • [#647] Dekalog (1989) • [#944] World on a Wire (1973) • [#1187] Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980) • [#1338] Fanny and Alexander (1984) • [#1341] Tanner '88 (1988) • [#1371] Scenes from a Marriage (1973) *注：以下影片因 TMDB 尚未收录，暂不在此片单中展示：* • [#531] First (2012) • [#1699] Ulysse (1983) *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-11 07:39:08 UTC+8)*
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Frequently Asked Questions About Blood Simple
Quick factual answers about cast, synopsis, director, box office, and release information.
What is Blood Simple about?
The owner of a seedy small-town Texas bar discovers that one of his employees is having an affair with his wife. A chaotic chain of misunderstandings, lies and mischief ensues after he devises a plot to have them murdered.
Who directed Blood Simple?
Blood Simple was directed by Joel Coen.
Who stars in Blood Simple?
The principal cast of Blood Simple includes John Getz, Frances McDormand, Dan Hedaya, Samm-Art Williams, M. Emmet Walsh.
When was Blood Simple released and how long is it?
Blood Simple was released in 1985 with a total runtime of 1h 37m.
What was the box office and production budget of Blood Simple?
Blood Simple had a reported production budget of $1.5M and grossed $4.2M at the worldwide box office (2.82 return on budget, classified as a commercial hit).
Who composed the musical score for Blood Simple?
The original motion picture soundtrack for Blood Simple was composed by Carter Burwell.
What is the age rating and content advisory for Blood Simple?
Blood Simple holds official age classifications: AU: R 18+; DE: 16 (FSK 16 — Restricted to viewers aged 16 and older.); FR: 12 (Interdit aux moins de 12 ans — 12+ only.); GB: 18 (Suitable only for adults 18 years and over.); US: R (Restricted — Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.).