The Blob (1988)

Remake of the 1958 sci-fi horror classic about a deadly blob from another planet which consumes everything in its path. Teenagers attempt without success to warn the townspeople, who refuse to take them seriously.

Director:

Chuck Russell

Writers:

Theodore Simonson (earlier screenplay), Kay Linaker (earlier screenplay) (as Kate Phillips)

Stars:

Shawnee Smith, Kevin Dillon, Donovan Leitch Jr.

6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kevin Dillon	...	Brian Flagg
Shawnee Smith	...	Meg Penny
Donovan Leitch Jr.	...	Paul Taylor (as Donovan Leitch)
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 (in sewer)
Frank Collison	...	Hobbe

Storyline

Meg Penny is a cheerleader out on her first date with one of the football players, Paul Taylor. It doesn't go very well. Before they get where they're going, an old vagrant runs out in front of Paul's car, screaming in terror. The old man is closely followed by Brian Flagg, the local teen rebel, complete with long hair, black leather jacket, motorcycle and tough-guy attitude. Paul blames Brian for chasing the old man, but after the threesome takes him to the doctor's office, it becomes clear the vagrant had more to worry about than some young tough. He was screaming because of the acid-like substance on his hand - a substance that spreads over his body and eventually consumes him. Soon, the growing red blob, which sprouts tentacles to attack its victims, becomes a menace to the small town of Arbeville, Colorado. The military soon arrives in Hazmat suits, led by the wide-eyed Dr. Christopher Meddows. They're from the government, they say, and they want to help; but Brian's distrust for...

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Plot Keywords:

body horror | black hair | african american | movie theatre | garbage disposal | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Movie Channel [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 August 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

La mancha voraz

Filming Locations:

Abbeville, Louisiana, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$19,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,644,000, 7 August 1988, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$8,247,943

Company Credits

Production Co:

TriStar Pictures, Palisades California Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The sheriff was named after famous jazz musician Herb Geller.

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Goofs

When Meg gets out of her car to talk to Brian as he's walking down the street at night, the head of a boom Mic is reflected on the window of the china shop at the far left of the screen just before the camera stops moving backwards

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Quotes

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

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Crazy Credits

"Blob Wrangler" is one of the texts in the credits.

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Alternate Versions

Some prints contain an alternate version of Eddie's death; in the DVD print, he rises from the water appearing to be a mass of decayed grey flesh. In the alternate version, he rises from the water as a completely skinless, but obviously human, corpse.

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Connections

Referenced in Fear of the Flesh: The Making of 'The Fly' (2005)

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Soundtracks

Shattered
Written by Mike Slamer
Performed by Mike Slamer

User Reviews

Another great Horror/Sci-Fi Remake from the 80s

In the 1980s there were 3 remakes of Popular 1950s Horror films, first there was THE THING (1982) then THE FLY (1986) And in (1988) We got THE BLOB, which is often overlooked and considered to be the lesser of the 3 remakes, and to me that's really sad because THE BLOB is in my opinion is Just as good as the other two remakes from the 80s, The 1950s version of The Blob is a classic B-Movie worth watching for a good laugh, as for the Remake it is a truly scary film, the suspense is there, the special effects are incredible to this day, the only effects that are dated are the green screen effects which don't show up until the latter of the film and there's only a few of them.

The Plot is the same as the original but with a slight twist, Like in the original, A meteorite hits earth and a strange blob creature oozes out of it and starts to devour anything and anyone in its path, the film has 2 heroes played by (Kevin Dillon and Shawnee Smith) who both do a good job with their roles, and the supporting cast is good also.

The film succeeds as being a good remake because it gives you something old and something new, it pays homage to the original without completely ripping off the original, In fact there are only 2 major scenes that are lifted from the original, but they are Done in good taste, unlike many remakes today where they just add an overabundance of scenes from the original making feel like a total repeat of the original and not add anything new, But the real show stealer is the Blob itself, the biggest improvement being the special effects, the blob has never looked more threatening or scarier.

Overall: The 1988 remake of THE BLOB is a classic but sadly overlooked Horror/Sci-Fi film, The Only problem with it is some cheesy dialog and maybe the new twist on the plot is not the best, but the biggest problem is, WHEN WILL WE GET A SPECIAL EDITION DVD/BLU RAY? It would be good to see some bonus features as well as some remastering, they could surely Polish up some of the bad green screen moments. But overall the film is a lot of fun, Highly recommended for Horror/Sci-Fi Buffs.

8/10 4/5