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 you can still 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 M16A1 Kevin Dillon uses near the end of the film is a prop M16A1, typically used in movies from the 70's and 80's. Easy to spot by the horrible reproduction of the forward assist mechanism on the upper receiver.

In this scene, he also had the charging handle to the rear, which means the bolt would be locked to the rear and not under tension from the recoil spring moving the bolt carrier into battery.

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Goofs

When Dilon's characters goes out from the police station, the shadow of the camera is clearly seen (minute 37).

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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

Featured in Blood and Guts with Scott Ian: Tony Gardner and Alterian Inc (2013)

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Soundtracks

Prelude to Frenzy
Written by Wayne Coster

User Reviews

An 1980's horror remake to rank among the best

(70%) Along with "The fly", and "The thing", this is a member of a trio of fine remade 1950's B-movies that did a great job of recreating some pretty gross ideas by adding some 80's style gore, yet still keeping the basic premise, as well as maintaining some of the better ideas roughly the same. This is the lesser of the three movies, but the other two are fantastic, while this is just plain good. The plot is well told with enough time on the main characters, but not too much to ruin the pacing, and the effects are really well done throughout with great gore and creature based attacks. Overall though it's just a very entertaining movie to watch that I'd recommend to all horror fans.