The Blob

3 more reviews

1. ›The Blob: 1988 (film) - Not a fantastic film, but embodies 80's horror so well@netflixr935d

   I was a big fan of cheesy horror films in the late 80's and early 90's so it is a surprise to me that I never managed to see this one until yesterday. I will say this right out of the gate: This is NOT a good film. However, it does have all the elements of typical horror films from the 80's and that for me, was kind of a fun trip down memory lane. If you were alive in the 80's, you might end up feeling the same way that I do about it and if you were not alive during that time it could be a fun little cinematic history lesson of sorts.

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   Our film begins the same way that any horror film from the 80's would: By introducing all of the character's and briefly explaining their backstory with stereotypical characteristics. We have the jocks, the good girl cheerleaders, the stoic sheriff and his loose cannon deputies, and of course the outcast bad boy that isn't interested in being in parts of any of those cliques.

   Of course all of the major characters are high-school students that are played by actors and actresses in their late 20's and early 30's as was typical in the 80's.

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   My favorite character in the entire production is "Brian" who is played by Matt Dillon. I'm just kidding, that's Matt's far less accomplished brother Kevin. The way in which they introduce him is so hilariously bad. They needed to present him as the bad boy type so what better way of accomplishing this than having him leather-clad, alone in the woods, drinking a beer and uncaringly chucking the empty can into the woods. Then, while still smoking a cigarette, he decides with no one else watching that he is going to jump over a broken bridge on his motorcycle..... and fails. Don't worry, this is exposition of something that will be "important" later.

   Some old man who lives in the woods is introduced in this same scene as he laughs at Brian for his failure to make the jump, then picks up his discarded beer can and puts it into his recycling bag. Finally, someone with some sense of environmentalism. This same old man later stumbles upon something that crashed to earth in the woods and well, I am sure you can guess what that something is.

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   The blob initially attaches to the old man in the woods, but because it is necessary to the storyline, he eventually ends up in a hospital, carried there by none other than Bad Boy Brian, and this is where the blob starts to gain momentum and size. There is an extremely silly point in the film where the old man, who was carted in by three teenagers for the doctor to look at, and his body, that the entire staff saw carted in intact, is all of a sudden badly decomposed and cut in half. Therefore, the police immediately assume that Bad Boy Brian did this, even though it is completely impossible that he could have done such a thing. This is such amazing police work.

   There is a particular scene where the Blob is chasing Bad Boy Brian and the innocent cheerleader and they run into a walk in freezer where the blob reels back in terror as it touches the cold. To me, in reality this would be the end of the problem. It is obvious from this point forward that cold is what will kill the blob. Yet, because the movie needs to be 90 minutes long, they don't even bother to tell anyone this for a while and when they do, of course no one believes them because they are just stupid 30 year old teenagers.

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   I will say this though: The effects in this movie are actually extremely good considering the fact that CGI was in its beginning stages at that point in time so any of this that happens had to be meticulously done by hand. There is some CGI in the film, but it looks pretty terrible.... but then again, this is what makes the movie kind of fun. It is obvious that the thing pursuing the hapless teenagers is not actually in the scene with them, and their reactions to something that wasn't actually in front of them while they are acting can be hilarious at times.

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   The only real twists that this film has is that there are some characters that seem extremely important to the story that are unceremoniously killed off in a flash. We are lead to believe that they are major parts of the story and than whammo! They are turned into jelly and increase the size of the blob in the process.

   Nothing that happens in this film is particularly scary, it is more of a gore-fest that was likely quite difficult and expensive to pull off in 1988.

   Should I watch it?

   Honestly, I think for most people that this movie is going to fall flat and they are not going to enjoy it. The story itself is stupid and nonsensical. It is frustrating to watch a film of this type and not just get upset by the stupid decisions that every character in it makes... well all except for Bad Boy Brian, who seems to have the answer to everything even though he is reviled by most of the other characters in the movie.

   For fans of gore flicks I suppose this could be ok and like I mentioned before, this is a good laugh for anyone out there that remembers how ridiculous all of the American-made horror films were from that period of time. This is really the only reason to watch this movie. For me, it was unintentionally a comedy and I think for other people who think like I do, it can be the same.

   _{The only place that I am aware of where you can legally watch this film is on Vudu}

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2. ›The Blob a horror movie from the 50's@petercurator1020d

   [Source](https://www.pinterest.es/pin/489907265700896316/)

    

   ""The Blob" is a 1958 science fiction/horror film directed by Irvin Yeaworth.

   "The story revolves around a small town that is terrorized by a gelatinous alien creature that consumes everything in its path.

   "The film stars Steve McQueen in one of his early roles as Steve Andrews, a teenager who becomes determined to stop the Blob from wreaking havoc on the town.

   "As the Blob grows in size and engulfs more victims, Steve and his friends, including Jane Martin (played by Aneta Corsaut), struggle to find a way to defeat the creature before it devours everyone in sight.

   Source

    

   "While "The Blob" may not have received widespread critical acclaim at the time of its release, it has since gained a cult following for its campy charm and iconic scenes.

   "The film's low-budget special effects, including the use of red dye and silicone gel to create the Blob, added to its unique appeal.

   "In terms of awards, "The Blob" did receive recognition at the Festival de Cine de Sitges in 1958, winning the Best Special Effects award.

   "Despite not being a major awards contender, the film's impact on the science fiction and horror genres cannot be denied.

   [Source](https://www.filmmagasinet.no/2021/09/the-blob-english/)

     "The Blob" has since become a classic in the realm of B-movies, appreciated for its nostalgic value and entertainment factor.

   "It has inspired remakes and homages over the years, further solidifying its place in pop culture.

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3. ›Film Review: The Blob (1988)@drax1485d

   

   Most remakes fail, whether at the box office, among the critics or fans of the original. Sometimes that fate is undeserved, like in the case of The Blob, 1988 science fiction horror film directed by Chuck Russell.

   The film represents remake of eponymous 1958 B-film, famous for having silly theme song that became a hit, but even more so for turning young Steve McQueen into a star. The plot of the new version is set in ski resort town of Arborville. One night high school jock Paul Taylor (played by Donovan Leitch) goes on a date with a cheerleader Meg Penny (played by Shawnee Smith), while local vagabond (played by Billy Beck) investigates meteor that crashed in the woods. Brian Flagg (played by Kevin Dillon), motorcycle-riding rebellious teenager prone to trouble with a law, later witnesses that man being affected by strange corrosive substance that stuck at his hand. He asks Paul and Meg to take him to a hospital where it would turn out that the substance is actually a living thing – amoeba-like organism that melts and consumes its victims, growing in the process. While teenagers desperately try to warn the authorities the organism grows and creates murderous mayhem in the town. Group of US government scientists led by Dr. Meddows (played by Joe Seneca) arrive in Arborville, but their mission is not to actually help citizens, but to contain the organism and hush up the affair which started as secret biological weapons experiment conducted in space.

   The 1958 original has developed something of a cult status, making the job of 1988 version’s creators quite challenging. Director Chuck Russell knew that he had to do something different. The easiest thing was to rely on improvements in special effects and The Blob had half of its budget allocated to efforts to make the unstoppable ever-growing monster as impressive and scary as possible. Some of those effects, especially in the beginning, are quite effective, especially when combined with various make-up effects that allow Blob to feature recognisable remains of its victims while moving. The effects, however, look somewhat less impressive at the end and at times give away their age, making The Blob less impressive to the audience accustomed to CGI.

   However, those technical issues are compensated by very intelligent script by Frank Darabont, author who would later became famous for successful film adaptations of Stephen King’s novels. He keeps the general tone of the film serious, while occasionally indulging in satirical jabs directed at conservatism of Reagan’s America (and increasingly hypocritical Hollywood that saw nothing wrong with exposing young audience to violence, while chasing away all sexual content from the big screen). Darabont’s script is, however, best in the way that plays with audience’s expectations. Many characters are established only to be quickly eliminated by Blob, sometimes in very gruesome way. Darabont clearly breeches unwritten rules of Hollywood, providing such fate not only to characters who are supposed to be protagonists, but also to children. His script also add deeply cynical anti-authoritarian tone that describes government in a way that recently could have many people get banned from Facebook and other social network. There are some weak and not particularly needed scenes, but Chuck Russell generally does good directing job and keeps good pace. The epilogue featuring mad preacher (played by Del Close) is hardly surprising to those accustomed to 1980s horror genre rules. The Blob failed at the box office and among the critics, but, as times went by, its reputation grew and nowadays is seen as one of those rare cult film remakes that have built cult status of its own.

   RATING: 6/10 (++)

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