References in Blood

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"Our influences are as varied as the genre. You will recognize traces of masters such as Stephen King, Clive Barker, Edgar Allen Poe, Sam Raimi, George Romero, John Carpenter, and, of course, HP Lovecraft. Because we are all such aficionados of horror films and literature, you can expect as many subtle tributes as we can come up with." — Blood Website

This article is to list the various references to outside media within the Blood series. For references made to Blood in third-party works see: "Blood in Other Media".

References in Blood[edit]

Metal drums containing corpses as seen in "E1M2: Wrong Side of the Tracks"

Miscellaneous[edit]

The Three Graces
The occult All-Seeing Eye Cabal symbolism as seen in E1M4 and E1M5.
  • The All-Seeing Eye - This ancient religious and mystical symbol used by occultists such as Aleister Crowley (and controversially utilized in the modern mainstream media and politics) is referenced in the appearance of the Eye key; the Life Seed and Fire Armour items; on the hanging Cabal tapestries and decorations such as in E6M6; the eye lying on the table in Credits screen and via the One Eyed Monks Rule bloody graffiti found on some levels. In Blood II, it is directly referenced via the All-Seeing Eye item which acts as a portable remote camera.
  • Vasilisa the Beautiful - The Life Leech bears a striking resemblance to the "Skull Lantern" from this Russian fairy tale.
  • Near Dark - This 1987 film featured a mid-western, cowboy hat wearing protagonist named Caleb who, after meeting an attractive young woman and being lured into her cult of vampires, was subsequently betrayed, leading him to have a showdown against his own clan. This basic premise is quite similar to the backstory of Blood, and may have been an inspiration.
  • Ophelia Price's surname has been speculated to either be in reference to Monolith founder Garrett Price or famous horror actor Vincent Price.

Miscellaneous Caleb Quotes and Songs[edit]

Cheat Codes[edit]

  • MPKFA is inspired by a cheat code in Doom called IDKFA (ID for id Software, MP for Monolith Productions). The Doom cheat code gives all weapons, keys, and armour, while Blood one MPKFA grants invincibility (IDDQD in Doom).
  • I WANNA BE LIKE KEVIN, another invincibility cheat - Kevin Kilstrom is one of the main programmers of Blood.
  • (NO)CAPINMYASS grants you (in)vulnerability, as you do not want "a cap in your ass" - a probable hip hop/rap reference.
  • VOORHEES grants temporary invulnerability, and is the last name of the main antagonist in the Friday the 13th series.
  • GRISWOLD is the last name of the family featured in National Lampoon's Vacation movies. It is also the name of the armourer/weapon merchant in Blizzard Entertainment game Diablo, released a few months before Blood (GRISWOLD is a Super Armour cheat).
  • CLARICE is the main character in The Silence of the Lambs.
  • A SPORK is a plastic utensil which combines the tines of a fork with a spoon. 'Two in one', hence possibly why it's a 200% health cheat.
  • COUSTEAU is the last name of a renowned French oceanographer, filmmaker, and co-inventor of aqualung, who died around the time of the game's release. This code grants 200% health and a diving suit.
  • KRUEGER is the last name of the main antagonist in the Nightmare on Elm Street film series. Krueger died by being burned alive. The code gives you 200% health and sets you on fire.
  • MCGEE is the last name of the main character from Stephen King's book Firestarter. Charlie McGee is a girl with pyrokinetic abilities. The code sets the player on fire. McGee might also be a reference to The Cremation of Sam McGee, a well known poem by Robert W. Service often read in Canadian schools.
  • EDMARK - Nick Newhard, Jason Hall, and Brian Goble all previously worked in Edmark Corporation.
  • KEVORKIAN is the last name of a doctor (in)famous for performing assisted suicides. The code causes instant death.
  • JOJO makes you temporarily drunk, and is referenced throughout the game as an Idiot Circus Boy - which has been variously supposed as homages to JoJo the Dog-Faced Boy, the film Tommy Boy or other sources.
  • FORK BROUSSARD - George Broussard is one of the people listed under 'Special Thanks' in the credits.
  • FORK YOU - probable euphemism of F*CK YOU.
  • STERNO is a chemical fuel designed to be burned from a can to heat small objects. It contains a chemical that can be used to produce an potent alcoholic drink, often used in poorer communities like moonshine. This drink can cause methanol poisoning, one of the symptoms being permanent blindness.
  • ONERING grants invisibility. This is a reference to The Lord of the Rings, and its predecessor The Hobbit, where the eponymous ring grants invisibility to the wearer and is referred to as the "one ring".
  • EVA GALLI is a featured character in the movie and novel Ghost Story. The code allows you to walk through walls like a ghost.
  • THE GOONIES is a movie about a group of children who find a map to pirate treasure.
  • MARIO is the main character from the Nintendo made Super Mario Bros. series (and associated games). The code allows you to warp levels, a feature of the Mario games.
  • CALGON is a water softener company. It's slogan used to be "Calgon, take me away!"
  • SPIELBERG is the last name of a famous Jewish movie director.
  • FRANKENSTEIN - After Dr. Victor Frankenstein, the main character of 1818 horror novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley.
  • TEQUILA refers to Chow Yun-fat's character in the John Woo movie Hard Boiled. The cheat gives you the Guns Akimbo powerup, a reference to Tequila's trademark dual pistols.
  • BUNZ gives you Guns Akimbo in some versions of the game. Sounds like guns (gunz) and may represent the 'buns', (i.e. asses) you will bust caps in.
  • MONTANA - Another gun-related cheat, probably a reference to Tony Montana, the main character of 1983 crime drama Scarface.
  • LARA CROFT is the main character in the Tomb Raider series.
  • LIEBERMAN - Possible reference to former US Senator Joe Lieberman, who used to blame violent videogames for increasing crime rates.

Levels[edit]

E1M1: Cradle to Grave

The grave of Eric Draven in "E1M1: Cradle to Grave"
  • Phantasm - the Morningside Funeral Home is of the same name as the funeral parlour featured in the movie, as well as both mortuaries being infested with zombies. The Cultists may have also been partially inspired by the hooded "lurkers" from the film.
  • Army of Darkness - "I live... again!" is said by Deadite Ash as he rises from the grave.
  • The Crow - There is an empty grave with a tombstone labelled "Draven". James O'Barr's movie The Crow features the main character Eric Draven, who is a resurrected man seeking vengeance on those who killed him (similar to the theme of the game).
  • Macbeth - Caleb uses a bloody sink in the morgue and says "Out, out, damned spot!", a popular misquote.
  • Repeated tries to use the sink results in "But I like my hands bloody!", a variation of a popular childhood excuse for not washing one's hands.
  • Kool-Aid - When drinking from an IV filled with blood, Caleb says "this is better than Kool-Aid". Kool-Aid is a drink made from a powdered fruit concentrate and sugar, invented in 1927 (called Kool-Ade at the time, and only one year before the setting of Blood). A knockoff brand of Kool-Aid, called Flavor Aid, with added cyanide, valium, and other similar stuff was used during the Jonestown Massacre for poisoning.

E1M2: Wrong Side of the Tracks

  • Re-Animator - Miskatonic Station is a reference to H.P. Lovecraft's Miskatonic University, where Re-Animator takes place.
  • The Simpsons - The person on the ringing phone says "May I speak to Mr. Jass, first name Hugh?". This is a reference to the prank calls that Bart would perform on Moe in the early seasons of The Simpsons.
  • Single White Female - Poster of a single white female, which Caleb will respond to.
  • The Simpsons - On seeing the canisters of corpses, Caleb says "Hmm, fresh victims for the ever-growing army of the undead." This was from Treehouse of Horror IV in "Bart Simpson's Dracula".
  • Demolition Man - Looking at rats cooking on a grill, "Mmm, rat burgers." In the movie, residents of the slums make hamburgers out of rats. Could also be a reference to the 1986 b-horror movie Troll, where a similar quote was used.
  • The Cask of Amontillado - Cask Of Amontillado Pub & Grille is the name of eating place at the station, and another Poe reference. Also appears in E5M2: Old Opera House.
  • Pickman's Model - Pickman's Rare Books And Maps is a reference to the H.P. Lovecraft short story "Pickman's Model".

E1M3: Phantom Express

  • Ghost - On entering the passenger car, Caleb says "Get off my train!" This line is spoken by Vincent Schiavelli in the movie. Air Force One also features Harrison Ford's character speaking similar line ("Get off my plane"), but was released soon after Blood.
  • Something Wicked This Way Comes - Before opening the door to the passenger car, you can hear a cultist call out "Next stop, Green Town." Green Town is the city where Something Wicked This Way Comes takes place, which refers to the next level, Dark Carnival.

E1M4: Dark Carnival

The dismembered corpse of Duke Nukem found in a secret area of "E1M4: Dark Carnival"
  • The Fugitive - In a secret area within the train wreckage, there is an orange jumpsuit hung on the wall, labelled "Kimble". Dr. Richard Kimble is the main character in The Fugitive, a falsely-accused convict who escapes from a wrecked train to seek out the man who killed his wife.
  • Kool-Aid - Caleb says "this is better than Kool-Aid" when discovering the secret with a Life Seed.
  • Something Wicked This Way Comes - The merry-go-round refers to the carousel in this novel, Cooger & Dark's Pandemonium Shadow Show, which makes people get younger as they ride.
  • Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation - The merry-go-round's title "Happy-go-pukey" is a reference to a similar ride in the Tiny Toon's movie.
  • Freaks - In the freak show, there are ambient voices chanting "One of us! One of us!" This iconic chant is said when the members of the freak show are toasting the new (normal) bride of one of the freaks.
  • Duke Nukem 3D - The iconic character, Duke Nukem, can be found behind the snake pit in JoJo arena. He is dismembered and wrapped in chains, hanging from the ceiling. Upon seeing him, Caleb says "I've don't got time to play with you!" (a reference to Duke Nukem's line "Don't have time to play with myself" from the game's first level after encountering an arcade machine with Duke Nukem II). If the player presses the use key, Caleb will make his body swing on the chain and say "Ooh, shake it baby!" (one of Duke Nukem's signature lines, said to strippers, that game's equivalent to Innocents). Duke Nukem 3-D was the precursor to Blood on the Build engine.
  • A Fish Called Wanda - After killing a mime, Caleb says "pathetic insects!"
  • Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls - Caleb says "boo hoo, no one wants to play with me!"
  • Raising Arizona - When the player presses the Use key on the balloons, Caleb says "Do these blow up into funny shapes?" The actual quote from the film goes "These blow up into funny shapes and all?" and is said by Evelle Snoats (played by William Forsythe).

E1M5: Hallowed Grounds

  • The three doors, and phrase "Woah, wrong door", are direct references to the Necronomicon scene from Army of Darkness.

E1M6: The Great Temple

  • Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey - After falling off the side of the temple, a note on the wall can be found saying "Whoa, this is like, a really deep hole." The actual quote from the film, "Dude, this is a totally deep hole", is said by Bill Preston (played by Alex Winter).
  • Duke Nukem 3D - Near the end of the level, a section of the map is made out in the shape of the radioactive symbol prevalent in DN3D.

E1M7: Altar of Stone

Blood cutscene shot evocative of a scene in Evil Dead 2.
  • Hamlet - Upon seeing the corpse of his loved one, Caleb yells "Ophelia! Noooo!"
  • Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn - The camera shot where Caleb presses his shotgun to Cheogh's temple is exactly the same as a similar scene in Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn.

E1M8: House of Horrors

  • Twins - Going through the first tunnel, Caleb mutters "Over the lips and through the gums, look out tummy, here I come!"

E2M1: Shipwrecked

  • Jaws - Upon starting the level, Caleb says "You're going to need a bigger boat."
  • Frankenstein - Caleb is on a wooden ship sailing to the arctic north. In the book Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, the monster does the exact same thing to escape civilization.
  • Frankenstein - The name of the wrecked ship is "HMS Victor". Dr. Victor Frankenstein is the creator of the monster. It has also been suggested that it might be named after the actions of Edward St John Daniel on a ship called the HMS Victor Emmanuel.
  • Dead Calm - There is a dog nailed to the wall with a harpoon. In the movie Rae accidentally shoots her dog instead of her attacker, Hughie, with a harpoon gun, nailing it to the cabin door.

E2M2: The Lumber Mill

  • Star Wars - When Caleb falls down a toilet he says, "What a wonderful smell I've discovered." This is based on a line said by Han Solo when he falls into the Death Star's trash compactor.

E2M3: Rest for the Wicked

  • Psycho - There is a silhouette in the window of a house. In Psycho, Norman Bates's mother is only seen as a silhouette in their house. This appears to use the same sprite movement as the Cloak of Shadow.

E2M4: The Overlooked Hotel

Jack Torrance's frozen corpse in "E2M4: The Overlooked Hotel".
  • The Shining - Caleb says "Come out, come out, wherever you are!" Jack Torrance says this when searching for his wife and child.
  • The Shining - In the hedge maze, Caleb comes upon a frozen corpse holding an axe, upon which, Caleb says "Heeeeeeere's Johnny!". This corpse is Jack Torrance, who died in the same way in the movie. In the code, there is an alternate sound clip of Caleb saying "Heeeeeeere's Caleb!" This scene also appears in Blood II; when the player finds the original Blood being played on computers in the sequel they are showing this scene.
  • The Shining - The entire level of a snow-covered haunted hotel is based on the movie (the hotel in this film is the Overlook Hotel in the mountains in Colorado, while this level is in the arctic).
  • The Shining - There is a zombie in one of the bathtubs.

E2M5: The Haunting

  • The Haunting - is a 1963 horror film based on a haunted mansion.

E2M8: The Lair of Shial

  • Army of Darkness - On starting the level, Caleb says, "Hey she-bitch! Let's go!"
  • Andrew Dice Clay - The line "Along came a spider sat down beside her and said: 'What's in the bowl, bitch?'" is from the stand-up act of comedian Andrew Dice Clay.
  • New Testament - Caleb's final words before drinking Gabriel's blood are taken from John 6:53.

E3M1: Ghost Town

  • High Plains Drifter - On entering the main city, Caleb says, "I'm gonna paint the town red".
  • Se7en - There is a secret room with a blood stain on a bed, air fresheners hanging from the ceiling, and the word 'Sloth' painted on the wall. In the movie Se7en, in which a serial killer commits murders based on the seven deadly sins, the victim for sloth is killed by being bound to his bed for a year.

E3M4: The Sick Ward

The baby carriage secret from "E3M4: The Sick Ward"
  • It's Alive - In a small corner, Caleb encounters a baby carriage, with a single demonic hand hanging out.
  • Gone With the Wind - In the same room as above, when Caleb encounters the carriage, he says "I don't know nothin' 'bout birthin' no babies, Miss Scarlett!" This is said by Precious, the slave when Melanie is about to have her baby and there are no doctors present.

E3M7: The Hall of Cerberus

  • Stephen King's Cujo - When the level starts, you hear a dog barking in the distance, and Caleb says "Cujo?"

E4M1: Butchery Loves Company

E4M3: Charnel House

E4M4: Crystal Lake

  • Friday the 13th - The entire level is based on the Friday the 13th film series. There is an ambient sound of "ki, ki, ki, ma, ma, ma." In one of the cabins, a hockey goalie mask and machete hang on the wall and there is a decapitated head on a table, surrounded by candles (Pamela Voorhees, Jason's mother). Finally, there is raft floating in the middle of a lake, a homage to the end of the first movie.
  • X-Files, The Host episode - "The Flukeman Was Here" is written on the wall inside the secret with the 2 trapped souls where you have to blow up the gate underwater to get in.

E4M5: Fire and Brimstone

E4M8: Hall of the Epiphany

  • Army of Darkness - On killing Tchernobog, Caleb mutters "Good... bad... I'm the guy with the gun." Ash says the same line after killing his evil twin.

E4M9: Mall of the Dead

The Kmarché store as seen in "E4M9: Mall of the Dead"
Phantasm of the Opera

CP02: Old Opera House

CP04: Lost Monastery

  • Duke Nukem 3D - The body of Duke Nukem can also be found on this level. Unlike on E1M4, Caleb does not make any exclamations about it and cannot 'shake' the body.
  • Hexen: Beyond Heretic - The ringing of the bell is a reference to the first level of Hexen.
Velociraptor cage

CP05: Steamboat

CP09: Castle

References in Blood II: The Chosen[edit]

"There are tons. You can find a hidden room in the first sewer that has the predator's chamber from Predator 2. In there are heads from Alien, Predator weapons, Predator's mask, and a poster that says 'I Love Skarrj' which is a reference to UnReal. You can find Freddy Kruger's (Sp?) boiler room from 'A Nightmare on Elm Street' later on in the game, you see his knife glove hanging on the wall. Caleb's line 'Good, Bad, I'm the guy with the gun' is from 'Evil Dead 3:Army of Darkness'. There are more, but I can't think of them right now." — Jesse LeFort, alt.game.blood

Miscellaneous[edit]

  • The Hand is a reference to Evil Dead 2, where Ash's hand becomes infected with evil and gains a mind of its own. Ash cuts it off, but it continues to move around on its own.
  • The Hand constantly says "I'll swallow your soul", a repeated line in Evil Dead 2.
  • Innocents say to the player, "God damned creatures of the night", and one man next to a burning barrel says "Halloween's not 'til mañana!" These are both taken from the 1994 film The Crow. Gideon's name is also shared by one of the antagonists of the film.
  • Several weapons use cans of insecticide called "Die Bug Die" as ammunition, either as incendiary devices or as a poison. This is likely a reference to the The X-Files episode "War of the Coprophages", where similar cans of pesticide can be seen. A juvenile novel called Die Bug, Die! was also written by Les Martin based on the episode.

Miscellaneous Caleb Quotes and Songs[edit]

  • "Rain drops on roses and whiskers on kittens. Bright coppered kettles and warm woolen mittens. Brown paper packages tied up with string. These are a few of my favourite things! ...god what a crappy song....." - "My Favourite Things" from the musical The Sound of Music.
  • "Here he comes. Here comes speed racer. He's a devil on wheels..." - The theme song from Speed Racer.
  • "Groovy." - said by Ash after arming himself in Evil Dead 2.
  • "'Point away from face and fire'...sounds easy enough." - From Spies Like Us.
  • "You kids shouldn't play so rough...somebody's gonna start crying." - From Reservoir Dogs.

Levels[edit]

CL1L1: Cabalco Transit System

C1L2: Pickman St. Station

C1L3: Lafayette Museum of Antiquities

C1L5: Steam Tunnels

The secret room in "C1L5: Steam Tunnels", containing Predator and Unreal references.
  • Predator - In the underground maintenance tunnels, there is a secret room which appears to belong to a Predator from the movie series. There is green glowing blood on the floor, several wall-mounted skulls with spinal columns attached, a round disc weapon on the table, and two Xenomorph heads (ala Alien versus Predator; also a later subject for LithTech powered Monolith game). There is also a poster for the computer game Unreal.
  • Nightmare On Elm Street - The glove of Freddy Krueger can be found on a wall in the underground tunnels. This reference was also made in the previous game.

C1L6: Center for Disease Management

C1L7: Movin' On Up

C1L8: CAS Revenant

C1L9: CAS Revenant (Interior)

  • Spaceballs - The self-destruct being located in the toilet is similar to a scene in the film.

C1L10: Hard Hat Area

  • Half-Life and SiN - The introductory text says that there is a sign out front that reads "OCT. 30, GIDEON DOES HIS DISSERTATION ON THE RITUAL CRIME OF SIN AND HOW TO GET AWAY WITH IT. GET HERE EARLY AND YOU'LL HEAR HIS MINOR SYMPOSIUM ON A VALVE'S INCREDIBLY ONEROUS HALF-LIFE!" SiN is a computer game released by Ritual Entertainment. Half-Life is a video game developed by Valve Corporation. Both were released at around the same time as Blood II.

C1L11: The Cathedral

  • Inferno - The objective screen states "Abandon Hope, Ye Who Enter Here", a reference to the message at the gates of hell in the "Inferno", the first part of the Divine Comedy by medieval Italian author Dante Alighieri.

C2L2: Cabal Safehouse

Two twin girls in identical dresses through a sniper scope
  • Rambo - Upon leaving the subway station, Caleb comments "I'm not a bad dream, I'm your worst nightmare!".
  • The Shining - In a long corridor, there are two twin girls in identical dresses. If Caleb approaches them, they will disappear, making them hard to spot if the player moves in on them too fast. However, they can be viewed in detail with the sniper rifle scope or binoculars. There is also an axe embedded in a door upstairs. When the player approaches it, Caleb says "Get ready for a surprise. Heeeere is Caleb!"

C2L4: Cabalco Meat Packing Plant

C2L5: Horlock's Station

  • Wayne's World - The menu at the diner offers '"Cream of SumYungGai", a joke taken from the movie.
  • The Simpsons - In the same diner, the kitchen has a barrel containing "Horse Meat - Now With More Testicles!" This is a reference to The Simpsons, where it was served in the school cafeteria.
  • "Ahh, now that's a spicy meatball!" - This is from a famous commercial for Alka-Seltzer, where an actor is forced to eat meatballs for take after take, and grows a stomach-ache.

C2L9: The Underground

  • The level objective text refers to the area as the Saqqara underground, in reference to the Ancient Egyptian tomb complex.

C3L1: Frank Cotton Memorial Bridge

C3L2: Security Check Point

Movie poster for Mad Max and the box art for Get Medieval

C3L3: Temple of Poon

C3L4: Cabalco Enterprises

C5L1: Cold, Cold Grave

  • Hamlet - Gideon is shown narrating as a talking skull, commenting that he may one day "serve as a muse for some unfortunate playwright who wanders this way". This is likely an allusion to both William Shakespeare and the skull of Yorick in his play.

C5L2: Iota Eta Pi

A computer showing The Shining reference from "E2M4: The Overlooked Hotel" in Blood
  • Re-Animator - Ophelia says that her college was invaded by zombies due to the Cabal's anger at one of the genius students creating a reanimation serum. This is a homage to Re-Animator, which has a similar plot.
  • Night of the Creeps - The climax of the movie takes place as zombies attack a sorority house.
  • Computers can once again be found running Blood and showing The Shining reference from "E2M4: The Overlooked Hotel".

C5L3: JoJo's Big Adventure

  • Fiji mermaid - The Fish-Man is likely a reference to the Fiji mermaid, an exhibit that was so unconvincing that it was later marketed by P. T. Barnum as a "genuine fake".
  • JoJo's Bizarre Adventure - The level title may have been a reference to this long-running manga series.

C5L5: Westworld

References in Fan Media[edit]

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