10 Things You Didn't Know About Blood Simple

10. The Title Is Derived From A Phrase From A Dashiell Hammett Novel

Blood Simple may be a confusing title to viewers, but the phrase actually originates from the Dashiell Hammett novel, The Red Harvest (1929).

Joel Coen states that the phrase details “what happens to you psychologically when someone commits murder”, and this seems a rather fitting title for the finished movie.

Hammett ended up playing an important part of the Coens’ filmography, as his other novel, The Glass Key (1931) became a huge inspiration for their third feature, Miller’s Crossing (1991).