The Blob (1988)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Chuck Russell

Writers:

Theodore Simonson (earlier screenplay) and
Kay Linaker (earlier screenplay) ...

Release Date:

5 August 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Scream now, while there's still room to breathe.

Plot:

A strange lifeform consumes everything in its path as it grows and grows.

Plot Keywords:

Blob | Remake | Sheriff | Children | Young Boy

Awards:

6 nominations

Cast

Kevin Dillon	...	Brian Flagg
Shawnee Smith	...	Meg Penny
Donovan Leitch	...	Paul Taylor
Jeffrey DeMunn	...	Sheriff Herb Geller
Candy Clark	...	Fran Hewitt
Joe Seneca	...	Dr. Meddows
Del Close	...	Reverend Meeker
Paul McCrane	...	Deputy Bill Briggs
Sharon Spelman	...	Mrs. Penny
Beau Billingslea	...	Moss Woodley
Art LaFleur	...	Pharmacist / Mr. Penny
Ricky Paull Goldin	...	Scott Jeske
Robert Axelrod	...	Jennings
Bill Moseley	...	Soldier #2
Frank Collison	...	Hobbe

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Certification:

Finland:K-15 (uncut DVD version) (2001) | Finland:K-16 (cut) (1988) | Finland:K-16 (cut) (1989) | USA:R (certificate #29131) | Australia:M | Canada:14A | France:-12 | Norway:18 | Singapore:M18 | UK:18 | West Germany:18 | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Abbeville, Louisiana, USA

Company:

Palisades California Inc.

Trivia:

The sheriff was named after famous jazz musician Herb Geller.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: While George (the cook) is pulled down the drain, Fran panics and drops a plate of food, which stains the door behind her. But when Brian and Meg come in through the same door, the stain is gone.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Announcer: That's a first down. Ball at a thirty five-yard line.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Remake (2006)

Soundtrack:

Shattered

Only a 5.4 rating? This film is FUN!

A meteor falls near a small town in the USA. A homeless man goes to see what's in it and a jelly-like substance "attacks" him and starts eating away at him. He's discovered by local tough kid Kevin Dillon and (with pretty Shawnee Smith and prettier Donovan Leitch) drive him to the hospital. There he's eaten alive while waiting for the doctor and the blob is loose--eating anything in its path. But, in no time flat, a bunch of scientists and military men arrive to help...or are they?

I HATED the original one...and I don't care if it was Steve McQueen's first film (he was always a lousy actor anyways). It was slow, stupid with terrible special effects and a VERY slow-moving blob. This one has a very funny script that never takes itself too seriously; it moves very quickly; this blob moves like lightning (I was actually getting scared when it chased Smith and Dillon in the diner--you see it following them on the ceiling--and GAINING!); has some great, scary special effects (and no crummy CGI); proudly gives us an R rated horror film (today it would have been cut to a PG-13) and has mostly great acting. Also the taboo about killing kids in a horror film is surprisingly ignored!

Smith (who I thought was hopeless in "The Desperate Hours") is surprisingly very good here; Leitch is good too (and prettier than her) but disappears early on; and there's a great supporting cast of good actors with especially nice turns by Candy Clark and Jeffrey DeMunn. Only Dillon disappoints--he's pretty wooden in his role. And I REALLY hated the "origin" given for the blob--it was totally unnecessary. And the very end was silly (and an obvious setup for the sequel that never was made). This was a big hit with horror fans--but didn't do much at the box office. Too bad. Maybe it will be rediscovered one of these days.

A quick, fast, funny, scary film with great special effects. Well worth catching. I'm giving it an 8.