It’s not often that something comes across my desk that really blows my socks off. I’ve seen pretty much everything in the horror industry. Some of it has been flat out stupid, some of it pretty cool, some of it just okay, hell, I’ve even seen things that just simply cannot be unseen. I understand that what I’ve just said is a pretty bold statement, but facts are facts. My point is; it’s gotta be pretty damn wicked cool to impress me.
When I opened up a mysterious box from Gravity and Momentum the contents did just that, I was totally blown away by this product.
Blood Jam.
No, it’s not something you put onto your toast for breakfast (although you might could trick a vampire with it). To the untrained eye it may appear to be just some simple stage blood. But I knew better. I knew that there was some deep other-worldly intelligence going on inside these vials. What I held in my hand was the Smartest Stage Blood Ever.
What makes it so smart you ask?
Please allow me to quote a few of the other brands of stage blood that are out there..
“Like real blood this product will stain clothing and certain surfaces.”
“Please test for staining on clothing before applying.”
“only apply this blood to people, clothing you don’t mind having blood-stained.”
“May stain some fabrics; test before use.”
See the common thread there linking all stage blood together? IT STAINS!
Blood Jam knows how to dodge and weave with mad ninja skills and it just refuses to stain!
I took a shirt from the closet (sadly the website shown on it is no longer around), and went to town with some of this Blood Jam…
First I wanted to check it’s look and consistency. It’s thick and has a deep color. It flows nicely, leaving a trail of blood behind. A lot of other stage bloods will “bead up” and they end up making “dashes” instead of lines of blood. Blood Jam leaves a definite trail behind allowing you to drop a good amount on one spot and then “trail” it across your skin.
Next I splashed some into my palm to check out it’s “spreading” factor when very little is used. It didn’t bead up at all, in fact it spread out and clumped giving it an uneven appearance, which is what you want. Quite a few stage bloods out there spread evenly and just tend to look the same uniform color all over. Blood tends to get darker in areas where there is more concentrated; and this Blood Jam does exactly that.
Next I went right for the shirt test, after all their website claims:
“It’s the only stage blood made with food grade ingredients that is safe for the mouth, eyes, and skin AND washes out of any fabric. (most with just hot water!…”
So here I went and started smearing it into my shirt, I mean I ground that Blood Jam into that fabric (Gildan 90% Cotton, 10% Polyester). I dripped some more onto the shirt. I even took the shirt and rubbed two sections together until it was bleeding from one side to the other.
But I didn’t stop there!
I was gonna call Gravity and Momentum’s bluff and let this shirt sit outside for a while before I even considered trying to wash it.
So there the shirt sat, in the sun, day after day. There the shirt sat in the moon, night after night. It probably wondered what it did to deserve such harsh treatment. For two weeks I left it outside.
I kept wanting nature to rain down upon the shirt, but it never did. Instead it just got up to a hot 105°F for a couple of days. I went to check on it about a week in and saw that the Blood Jam was dry. I mean this stuff was caked into the shirt. The shirt was almost stiff because of it.
This morning I brought the shirt back into the house and tossed it into the washing machine, didn’t even give it soap. In fact, I was gonna go totally against what the website said “most with just hot water!” and I used only cold water because I’m such a rebel like that! When the wash cycle was done I grabbed up the shirt, didn’t un-wad it to look and tossed it into the dryer.
What came out was.. just.. magic. There was no stain what-so-ever on this shirt. It was just as clean as the day I took it out of the closet.
Those in the industry will know how revolutionary this actually is. That’s THE biggest problem with stage blood: the stains it leaves behind. As I stated, this Blood Jam is simply the Smartest Stage Blood Ever!
Gravity and Momentum makes 3 different versions of stage blood. Blood Jam, Blood Syrup, and Blood Caplets.
Blood Jam
Blood Jam is what it is; stage blood that does not stain. It can be thinned with water if so desired.
Blood Syrup
Blood Syrup is exactly as it sounds; it’s the same product as the Blood Jam, it’s just oozier.
Blood Caplets
Blood Caplets is also the same product but in a powder form and placed inside a clear dissolvable capsule. Designed to be used in the mouth, these are great for vampires and other mouth bleeding effects.
Armed with this cool product I had to ask the maker some questions..
ZM: What is the shelf-life of the product? IE.. if I use some and store the rest in it’s container, how long will it last before it starts to chemically break down?
Greg: The shelf life is indefinite as long as it is not mixed with water. Over a very long period of time (over 6 months) the red dye will slowly start to brown a bit. All other components will be good to go however!
ZM: The Blood Jam; your website states that it needs to be disposed of after it’s been used, especially after it’s been mixed with water – that it has approximately 12 hours before it needs to be disposed of. Why is this? Is it because of the above; the chemicals will start to break down and separate and stand a chance at setting a stain? or will tiny blob like creatures start to form and attempt to take over the world? what exactly will happen?
Greg: Tiny blob like creatures are the more likely scenario. The base ingredient is Corn Syrup, which is basically sugar. When water gets involved it becomes a very nice environment for life, especially if its been on the skin and picked up some stowaways. If you want to premix the blood for a show or event then its best to either freeze or refrigerate the mixture. I also use cheap vodka to thin out the blood when I need to premix for a show, nothing will grow in that! This would be unpleasant if it gets in the eyes but not necessarily catastrophic. Your best clue is smell (or gremlins). If it reeks then it has to go.
ZM: The caplets; with them being powder, how do they work? Do you open the caplet in your mouth and the magic of saliva turns them to blood; or are the caplets supposed to opened and mixed with water?
Greg: The powder took forever to figure out how to make! Caplets are designed to be broken in the mouth and the saliva will do the work. Sugar is mixed in for taste (way too many unpleasant spit takes until I got that right…) and to attract more saliva into the mouth. 2-3 caplets will create quite a bit of fluid for a nice effect. If you manage the caplet right it can be spit out to look like a tooth or piece of your lip too! You are also able to open the caplets and mix the powder in any liquid medium to turn it red if you wish. If any of the powder is swallowed it will be ok, I just don’t recommend putting it on cereal or on your coffee.
ZM: Do you have (or will you be working on) something to add to this to make it “dry”? For example, perhaps prolonged use on a Halloween costume, or a consistent (non-drippy) look during filming?
Greg: I do know that the Syrup and Jam both have drying effects when left out in the air for a long period of time. Each will get even thicker and more gooey as the very small amount of moisture evaporates away. If the product is smeared into the fabric it will dry with a starchy feel to it and have a consistent look. It’s sort of what happens when I use bar towels to clean up while making the blood and let them fully dry (doubles as a quality test when I wash the towels out!).
All in all folks, this is some amazing stuff. Halloween costumes, vampire effects, blood bags, theatrical applications, you name it; this is the stage blood you want. This stuff can even be made into almost any color you want! Imagine a bright green for trolls (or zombies!), pink if you want to gash open a unicorn, black for goblins, blue if you want to massacre a fleet of Vulcans!
Check it out in our store here: Blood Jam at ZombieMall.com
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June 1st, 2014
ZombieMall 
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