Blood is Ancient, Blood is In

HowlRound: The spray of blood has stained the screen in the last few years. Zombies, vampires, and serial killers have butchered the private detectives, lifeguards, and angels of the eighties and nineties. As more blood drips from the screen, it has inevitably pooled on the stage—but wait, it was always already there. In Goethe’s Faust, before Faust signs the wager, Mephistopheles reminds him of the “ink” to be used and tells him: “Blood is a juice with curious properties.” I’d hate to agree with Satan but he is right. Blood is curious, especially on the stage.