The Blob (1958)

★ 6.2 1h 22m IMDb

Horror Sci-Fi

A drive-in favorite, this sci-fi classic follows teenagers Steve and his best girl, Jane, as they try to protect their hometown from a gelatinous alien life form that engulfs everything it touches. The first to discover the substance and live to tell about it, Steve and Jane witness the blob destroying an elderly man, then it growing to a terrifying size. But no one else has seen the goo, and policeman Dave refuses to believe the kids without proof.

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Cast

Steve McQueen as Steve Andrews Died 1980 · Beech Grove, Indiana, USA Terrence Stephen "Steve" McQueen (March 24, 1930 – November 7, 1980) was an American actor. His antihero persona, emphasized during the height of the counterculture of the 1960s, made him a top box-of...

Aneta Corsaut as Jane Martin Died 1995 · Hutchinson, Kansas, USA

Earl Rowe as Lieutenant Dave Died 2002 · Riverside, New Jersey, USA

Robert Fields as Tony Gressette Age 87 · Boston, Massachusetts, United States American actor who has appeared in film and television. A life member of The Actors Studio, Fields is known for his role as Daniel in the 1987 drama film ‘Anna’..

James Bonnet as 'Mooch' Miller Age 88 · Queens, New York, USA

Director Irvin S. Yeaworth Jr.

Cast Steve McQueen, Aneta Corsaut, Earl Rowe, John Benson, Robert Fields, James Bonnet, Olin Howland, George Karas, Stephen Chase, Vincent Barbi

Wuchak 8/10 Oct 23, 2021

_**A weird hungry red glob from outer space!**_

Some teens (Steve McQueen & Aneta Corsaut) witness a strange Jell-O-like substance horrifically assault some people in a Pennsylvania town, but the police have a hard time believing their story.

Despite its datedness, “The Blob” (1958) is worth checking out as a window into small town America in 1957 (when it was shot) plus the fact that it was Steve McQueen’s debut starring role, not to mention the movie is genuinely scary in a quaint 50’s way. My only criticism is that Steve is clearly an adult male and not a teenager or youngster. He was 27 during shooting, but looked at least 30.

Larry Hagman did a sequel fourteen years later called “Beware! the Blob” (aka “Son of Blob”) after his rise to TV stardom with I Dream of Jeannie and before his return to popularity as J.R. in Dallas. It throws in quirky comedic bits amidst the serious horror and it is interesting to compare the two movies because of the social changes brought about by the radical events of the 60s. The sequel is an entertaining window into the counterculture of that time (specifically 1971 when the film was shot) and how the hippies or semi-hippies gelled with those of traditional culture. To me, it wasn’t a big deal as there’s always a “generation gap” between young and old in every decade, which can be observed even in the original film.

A quality remake of the original movie came out in 1988 and, like “Beware! The Blob,” walked the balance beam between utter horror and amusing non-horror. It had a bigger budget compared to Hagman’s film, but the addition of a subplot revealing the creature's origins as decidedly earth-centric took away from the Blob's otherworldly and creepy ambiance. Still, it’s a worthwhile reimagining.

The movie runs 1 hour, 26 minutes, and was shot entirely in southeast Pennsylvania in areas west of Philadelphia (Phoenixville, Downingtown, Valley Forge, Royersford & Chester Springs).

GRADE: A-/B+

tmdb93836550 8/10 Oct 29, 2024

The campy theme over the strange title sequence may make you think it will be a very campy horror film that doesn't take itself seriously, you would be half right, but you'd also be half wrong. It is campy, but it takes its self seriously most of the time.

Everytime I watch it it gets a few laughs and giggles out of me, I've been watching it since I was five and I recently watched it for the 7th time.

I would give it a 7.4/10.