Trivia / Blood Simple

• Breakthrough Hit: For The Coen Brothers.
• Cast the Runner-Up: Holly Hunter had auditioned for the role of Abby, but turned it down because she was performing a play in New York at the same time. So she encouraged her roommate Frances McDormand to go and audition for the role. She's the voice on Meurice's answering machine.
• DVD Commentary: The Coen Brothers typically avoid commentary tracks, but the original DVD has one by fictional artistic director Kenneth Loring, written by The Coen Brothers themselves, that essentially spoofs commentary tracks themselves. Loring generally alternates between waxing rhapsodic about the framing of certain shots ("the human face... we all... have one"), telling rambling off-topic stories, and offering up spurious details on how certain effects were accomplished (he claims a scene where two characters are driving in the rain at night had to be filmed in reverse with the actors hanging upside down — the fact that their hair doesn't appear to be standing up is attributed to copious amounts of hair spray). The Criterion Collection release of the film eschews the gag commentary for a proper academic select-scene commentary with the brothers and cinematographer Barry Sonnenfeld.
• The Other Marty: A teaser trailer for the film was shot long before the movie was in production. It featured Bruce Campbell (filling in for the role later played by Dan Hedaya) bloody and crawling down the road, just like the movie.
• Romance on the Set: Co-director Joel Coen and actress Frances McDormand. Almost 40 years later, they're still together!
• Screwed by the Lawyers: The original video version couldn't get the rights to use Four Tops song "Same Old Song" (which essentially became the theme for the film). It was instead replaced with the Neil Diamond cover song of "I'm a Believer." Later DVD and Bluray releases restore the Four Tops song.
• Star-Making Role: For Frances McDormand.
• Voice-Only Cameo: Holly Hunter's voice is heard on the answering machine.
• What Could Have Been: Ellen Barkin turned down the role of Abbie.

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