Conan O’Brien’s show becomes a bloodbath

Stunt coordinator Steven Ho dropped by “Conan” on Tuesday night to show host Conan O’Brien how killings with samurai swords are done in the movies. But the result definitely pushed O’Brien’s show into PG-13 territory.

O’Brien got fitted with a clear tube that was used to pump fake blood through his shirt when the retractable sword was pushed into him. Ho, who knows a thing or two about samurai swords (he was a stunt performer on “The Last Samurai”), cautioned O’Brien that, even though the prop sword was retractable, there was still a little pain involved.

“It doesn’t hurt too much,” Ho said as he pressed the sword into the floor of the studio.

O’Brien had a protective cover over his stomach, where the sword was to appear to pierce him, but he was still nervous. Especially after Ho told him that if he moved and the sword missed the pad, it would puncture him.

“So no one would come to my rescue because blood would shoot out, you would think the effect is going perfectly and I would die,” O’Brien said.

“Possibly,” Ho said.

But trouper that he is, O’Brien went ahead with the stunt. And when it came time for the blood to flow, it really flowed. Buckets of blood. Blood all over the stage (all fake, of course). But much credit goes to O’Brien, who really sold the effect with his screaming and writhing.

Perhaps dying on screen could be a whole new career chapter for him?