The Blob (1988)
Directed By: Chuck Russell
Starring: Kevin Dillon, Shawnee Smith, Donovan Leitch, Joe Seneca, Michael Kenworthy, Paul McCrane, Del Close
Sub-genre: Aliens, Creature Feature
Frank Darabont is famous for some amazing adaptations of Stephen King’s work, including The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile and The Mist. Before showcasing his chops as a director, he was a succesful screenwriter. His early works included A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (one of the best Nightmare sequels), The Fly II and this little gem, The Blob.
Normally, you would think that a remake of a horror classic that starred the younger brother of a Hollywood B-Lister would be destined for a starring role in the Saturday night Late Movie. Well, you’re right. The Blob remake would fit right in as the Late Movie, or on the back side of a drive-in double feature. This is not high-brow cinema, but it does have some charm.
We start with a meteor crashing to earth. This particular meteor contains a viscous…blob. Where else would a blob come from? The Stuff was man-made, but I don’t think it qualified as a blob. Apparently, there is a planet out there inhabited by blobs. A transient pokes it with a stick and rightfully gets attacked by the blob. Lesson learned, don’t poke extra terrestrial blobs with a stick.
The man is rushed to the hospital by leather-clad bad ass Brian (Kevin Dillon), Meg (Shawnee Smith) and obvious victim in waiting Paul (Donovan Leitch). On a side note, Kevin Dillon is sporting on hell of a mullet in this movie. It is a sight to behold. Check it out.
Anyways, the blob finishes off the bum and then turns its attention towards Paul as he attempts to phone for help. With the first two kills in the books, the effects are pretty impressive. The blob’s movements are fairly standard stop motion, green-screen work, but the actual deaths, where the victims get dissolved are pretty nasty.
So far, the movie has also been pretty faithful to the original, but we soon find out that the blob is not an alien, but is in fact a government engineered weapon. Those sneaky scientists are soon on the scene to try to contain and cover-up their little secret. The problem is, the secret isn’t so small anymore. We get to see the blob roll through town, gobbling up townsfolk and growing at an exponential rate.
It is up to Brian and Meg to stop the blob from not only overtaking the entire town, but also the country as well. The government and police department are obviously ill-equipped for such a task, so why not let the high school kids take a crack, right?
The Blob is one of those remakes that just works. The effects are top notch and the actors hold their own. Make sure and look for a brief appearance by genre favorite Bill Moseley as one of the soldiers as well. Pop this bad boy in when you are feeling nostalgic about growing up in the 80s and revel in the cheesiness of The Blob
Cenobite Me 