On the advice of Sam Raimi, the Coens went door-to-door showing potential investors a two minute 'trailer' of the film they planned to make. They ultimately raised $750,000 in a little over a year, enough to begin production of the movie.
The original video version of Blood Simple couldn't get the rights to use The Four Tops song "It's the 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 Blu-ray releases restore the Four Tops song.
The Directors' Cut is actually three minutes shorter than the feature release.
Joel Coen and Frances McDormand first met when she auditioned for the part of Abby. They married after the release of the film.
Holly Hunter: voice on Meurice's answering machine. 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.
Shannon Sedwick: the lower part of her legs are seen playing "the stripper." Sedwick founded the musical comedy troupe Esther's Follies, and has become a matriarch of Austin, Texas' theatre community. She is best known in recent years for her musical portrayal of Hillary Clinton.