AllMovie

Roger Corman's classic A Bucket of Blood is faithfully updated in this remake which was originally produced for the Showtime cable network. It's no surprise that Death Artist can't measure up to the bizarre genius of the prototype. Anthony Michael Hall plays Walter with a much more psychotic edge than the hapless schlep that Dick Miller portrayed back in 1959, and he robs the role of any quirkiness or humor. Justine Bateman spends her time onscreen as Carla speaking with a ridiculous accent that veers constantly between Russian and French. Death Artist does boast welcome (if inconsequential) cameos from old-school exploitation vets Paul Bartel and Mink Stole as well as Mr. Show's David Cross who appears as a trend-hopping cafe regular who hails Walter's Dead Cat sculpture as "phat." Although executive producer Corman was probably pleased to see his work refashioned with the gratuitous gore and nudity he couldn't use the first time around, Death Artist is fairly pointless.