When Blood Simple was first released, two quotes appeared over black, before the opening credits. One was from Dashiell Hammet explaining what "blood simple" meant and the second was from Alfred Hitchcock about how difficult it really would be to kill a man.

The Norwegian version was cut to get a 16 rating.

For the 1998 restoration, the Coen brothers not only remixed and re-recorded new sound effects for the stereo soundtrack, but also made some minor trims to various scenes and dialogue:

• Meurice asking a bar patron at the jukebox what night it is and, realizing it's "Yankee Night," he explains he's from Detroit, thus justifying his intervention of the patron's musical selection.
• Ray sticking his cigarette in the stuffed warthog's nose at Marty's house, and the following lines: RAY: You gonna leave all this stuff? ABBY: It's all Marty's.
• After Marty suggests to the P.I. the "incinerator" as a means of destroying the evidence of his proposed murder, the P.I.'s line: "Sweet Jesus, you're disgusting!" is deleted.
• A couple lines from the landlady showing Abby the studio apartment (mainly assuring her Abby won't be bothered at that location) before she starts yelling at her ex-brother-in-law, are deleted.
• As Marty opens his safe to retrieve the bounty money (and swap the photo) his line: "This is an illicit affair" has been removed, although he can still be seen mouthing it.
• When the P.I. shoots Marty, a couple shots are removed of Marty and the P.I. staring at each other after the gunshot.
• When Ray and Abby are discussing "what happened," in her studio apartment, and Ray feels cold enough to rise from his seat, the shot of him steadying the walrus piggy bank is removed and his dialogue is heard off-screen to cover this change.
• When Abby goes to see Meurice about her concerns, the scene cuts as soon as she enters. In the original version, the scene continues and she is seen inside his place and he pours a drink while assuring her that Marty is not dead, even though she is very worried that he is. Some of the dialogue from inside the house is placed over the shot outside Meurice's door before Abby goes in, in the 1998 version.
• When Marty is rejected by the woman chatting with Meurice at the bar, the dialogue "Now that I've communicated, why don't you get lost" is omitted, along with Marty's reply "I own the place. Why don't you grow up."
• A new page of credits is added at the end, covering the restoration.

A restored version of Blood Simple with stereo soundtrack premiered at the Austin Film festival on October 3, 1998.

In the original theatrical version, as well as the version shown on TV, the Four Tops song "It's the Same Old Song" is played on the jukebox and over the end credits. In the video version it is "I'm a Believer" by Neil Diamond.

The theatrical re-release and the DVD contain a mock introduction of the film by "Mortimer Young of Forever Young Film Preservation."