The Blob (1958)

Everything about “The Blob”(1958) is a bit unusual. It was an independent film made by a regional film distributor as producer and an ordained Methodist minister as director, whose studio made short films for religious groups and churches. It was filmed in small towns around Philadelphia, not Hollywood, because that’s where producer Jack H. Harris and director Irwin Yeaworth were headquartered. It featured future superstar Steve McQueen in his first starring role. It was filmed in color, something unheard of in the world of low-budget sci-fi films. It almost never found a distributor until Paramount decided they needed a co-feature for their upcoming “I Married a Monster From Outer Space.” They paid enough for distribution rights for the filmmakers to have 300 copies of the film made by Deluxe Color Lab. The little film became something everybody was talking about and eventually grossed four million on its one hundred thousand dollar budget. There is even a Criterion Collection Blu-ray edition, a real surprise to me and something I added to my collection. Not everyone will want to get the blu-ray, but Amazon is streaming the Criterion version and the images are clear and the color is perfect. One thing to note here is that with classic films, Criterion has opted to create a grained image rather than a super sharp, polished look. As the premier company for cinema fans, they have done this to exactly duplicate the look of the film when it was released. Harris had been inspired by a newspaper article about “star jelly”, a gelatinous substance found frequently after meteor showers. In 1950, four Philadelphia policemen found a disc-shaped mass of it, six feet in diameter, which dissolved when they tried to collect it. They chalked it up as some kind of industrial waste, but one can easily imagine Harris thinking, “ What if it was alive? What if it attacked people and absorbed them, growing bigger each time?” He had also been impressed with Howard Hawks “The Thing From Another World”, which showed that a good film could be made with a sci-fi idea. He contacted Yeaworth, who he knew owned local Valley Forge Studio and was familiar with the good quality of their short films. Perhaps surprisingly, Yeaworth was all for the idea, wanting to show that he could make a full length feature film. A screenplay was written by Theodore Simonson and rewritten by former actress and current television screenwriter Kay Linaker. Only casting remained. Most of the cast were actors who had had small roles in film and were now finding work in television. But how did they get Steve McQueen, one of the aspects of the film that makes it notable? McQueen was not known yet and was bouncing back and forth between Broadway and Hollywood taking small roles. Coincidentally, he was about to become much better known when later in the fall, “Wanted: Dead or Alive” would premier on television. At 28, he looks much too old to be a teenager, as do the actors who play his girlfriend and friends. I just ignore that description of them and see them as some local young adults. It doesn’t change anything. The late 50s was a time when everyone had become aware of the decade’s fads, fancies and tropes, and science fiction movies, creatures from outer space and teenagers were among its biggest themes. “The Blob” managed to come up with a truly new “monster” after a seemingly endless cycle of giant mutated animals and unfriendly aliens in cheap black and white films often played tongue in cheek. Sheb Wooley’s song,“The Purple People Eater” had been #1 on the Billboard charts for six weeks in early summer. Harris was very savvy in promoting the film, and commissioned a teen pop song to open the film from young unknown songwriters Burt Bacharach and Mack David (Hal’s brother). This was over the furious objections of both Yeaworth and the score composer Ralph Carmichael, who had written some scary music for the opening credits. The song became a top 40 hit and gave the film instant publicity whenever it was played. It made going to see “The Blob” a thing for teens to do and soon everybody was seeing it. Comedians and radio personalities joked about it and it became one of the big fads of the moment. After that silly song opening, however, the film is played totally straight and serious without a single wink or chuckle and successfully combines both sci-fi and teenage elements. As it opens, Steve Anderson is out on a date with his girlfriend Jane Martin and you know it’s the fifties by Steve’s nice shirt and the yellow striped dress and pearls she is wearing. They are in his blue Plymouth convertible sharing a kiss. They find an old man in pain from a strange substance wrapped around his arm. They take him to the local doctor and things spiral out of control from there. A few notes for new potential viewers. The movie is slow by modern standards, especially for a sci-fi/horror movie. The reason is the small budget and limited special effects. Except in the beginning when it is small, the blob is shown in its own cut-away shots as there was no budget to make an actual gigantic creature. In the theater we see the blob oozing out of the projection booth but never in the audience. This was not MGM shooting “Forbidden Planet” with a gigantic budget and the viewer has to imagine some goings on that would be CGI today. The Blob is never quite explained: is it an animal? A sentient being? Is it a hostile invader or is it merely hungry? The blob’s actions are also odd. Sometimes it almost seems to stand up and move forward rather than ooze along the way you’d expect a gelatinous mass to move. It also seems to be amazingly fast at times, like when it goes from a hilltop lover’s lane to the town seemingly as fast as the cars. It also assimilates and eats people with lightning speed. Still, making a few allowances for the era, it’s a fine film that has held up well, a great memento of the late fifties. THIS PARAGRAPH REVEALS THE ENDING (SPOILER!) The blob is finally frozen then blown to bits which are collected and sent by plane to the Arctic. A now prescient conversation takes place. Police Lt. Dave Barton: “Take it to the Arctic where it will never thaw out. At least we got it stopped.” Steve: “At least as long as the Arctic stays cold”.

Okay---you would probably have to have grown up in the fifties to truly appreciate this old movie. But it was well worth watching it with the grandkids. They were able to enjoy a creepy movie without being mentally disturbed by graphic scenes, raw footage of killing and bad language. I thoroughly enjoyed the trip down memory lane when I would have spent a whole dime, stood in line and gobbled popcorn while sitting frozen in my seat. There will be those who will miss the joy of that era and see nothing but corny. But I disagree. This was the height of fright while leaving childhood innocence in tact. Grandkids giggled nervously, buried their heads in pillows and LOVED it. Just like in the fifties, they're still talking about it. For me, worth every star given.

great product, great seller

Many fans of this movie prefer the remake from 1988, viewing it as scarier. I do not. As a writer, I have to admire Irwin Yeaworth, Jr.'s(writer/director) vision, attention to detail and sound story structure. He accomplishes one of the most crucial elements of structure, placing characters in conflict, in only 82 minutes, as opposed to the 1988 version's 95, in which the bad acting and familiar faces (Shawnee Smith and Kevin Dillon) overshadow an otherwise great adaptation of the original story. Yeaworth keeps the tension on the story's teen hero and heroine Steve and Jane (Steve McQueen and Aneta Corsaut) as they try to convince the skeptical townfolk that a murdering, geletanous blob is on the loose. The creature here is horrifying, without all the silly special effects. It is both malevolent and intelligent all at once. One ponders "What could possibly be a more terrible death?" as the Blob oozes across the floor with poor Nurse Kate's remains digesting in its innards. Although the original Blob has its own moments of bad acting, the movie as a whole is sound, keeping the fear factor high as wholesale panic breaks out when the Blob emerges from a movie theater having dined on at least 50 or 60 theater-goers by Police Officer Dave's count, and then engulfs a diner, trapping our heroes inside, leaving them awaiting their own slow and gruesome demise. FYI -- the sequel Beware the Blob, directed by Larry Hagman of I Dream of Jeannie fame, has got to be one of the worst pieces of cinematic poo ever made. Don't know where he was going here, but he certainly never made it there. Don't waste your time! Overall the inventive story, great bad acting and near flawless elements make the Blob (1958) a timeless and unsurpassable gem in the anals of movie history. Kim M. Brantley

This is like watching a piece of history. Movies of the '50's featuring young people and monsters tend to pretty cheesy, and The Blob has its cheesy moments, but this is superior to most of the genre. The special effects are actually pretty convincing; the blob is sufficiently blob-like in its moments on screen. The plot, such as it is, works well. Some of the characters are cliches(good cop, bad cop, good girl w. "bad" boy), but they serve the story well. I bought this as a Christmas gift for my wife to replace an old VHS tape.

In this campy thriller, small-town teens Steve (Steve McQueen) and Jane (Aneta Corsaut) see a meteorite land nearby and go off to find it. Before they can, however, an old hermit finds the strange little ball, pokes it, and out comes an oozy, jelly-like substance that proceeds to attack and consume him. Steve and Jane take him to a doctor, who becomes the blob's next victim. The blob grows bigger and bigger and slides all over town looking for prey. Steve tries to convince the local police of this horror, but no one believes him ("Kids!"). With the help of all of the town's teenagers, Steve finally gets the adults to listen to him, but will it be too late? This low-budget thriller is a nostalgic favorite of mine; it showcases the innocence of 50s horror flicks and the wholesome morals of the day. Steve McQueen was 28 when he played 17-year old Steve and was hampered by stilted dialogue, but his charisma is undeniable and watching him in his first big part is a lot of fun. Many of the smaller parts went to non-professionals, which also emphasizes McQueen's talent and screen-presence. He is the whole show, and he takes it all so seriously, that you just can't help but get involved, too. It's a fun movie! Kona

When a carnivorous organism comes crashing to Earth, it is up to the local teens to stop it before it consumes the entire town! THE BLOB comes to life in the 1958 classic, a film which redefined the Horror film for a whole new generation. The Blob is no ordinary villain, but a shapeless monster made of molten acid that devours anything in its path. We watch in suspense as the creature oozes its way under doors and through vents, never knowing how or when it will strike next! The characters also speak to the youth of its day. Rather than giving us scientists and army officials to face off with the alien menace, we are teamed with a group of rebellious teens led by a young Steve McQueen in his first starring role. When the authorities don't believe their stories of a killer glop, they take it upon themselves to save the town! This gave the throngs of 50's youths someone to root for as they packed the theaters every weekend. The horror in THE BLOB is also very edgy for its time. We see the creature begin to devour its victims by spreading over their bodies, and we reel in terror when it oozes over the diner, spelling doom for each of the characters inside. THE BLOB also features fantastic special effects that give the amorphous jelly a life of its own. Heed the warnings of the opening theme song and "Beware of the Blob!" -Carl Manes I Like Horror Movies

Quality DVD

Dieser Sci-Fi-Klassiker aus den 50'er mit einem jungen Steve Mc Queen gehört einfach in die Sammlung. Bereits die längstens vergriffene DVD von EMS hatte eine tolle Bildqualität,doch dieses Mediabook mit der BluRay/DVD-Combo setzt nochmals die Krone auf. Die vielen Blitzer/Schmutzpunkte von der alten DVD wurden komplett entfernt. Die Bildquali der BluRay ist wirklich super ausgefallen. Vor allem die Schärfe und die frischen Farben lassen diesen fast 60 Jahre alten Film im neuen Glanz erstrahlen! Selbst die gemusterte Krawatte des Doktors ist voll klar erkennbar. Wie schon bei den beiden "Re-Animator"-Mediabooks hat Capelight eine fantastische Veröffentlichung ans Tageslicht gemastert. Der Film selber bleibt ein charmanter Meilenstein aus den späten 50'er,wenn ein paar Teenager (u.a. Steve Mc Queen) versucht,eine tödliche rote,schnell wachsende Substanz in Form eines Wackelpuddings zu stoppen,bevor eine Kleinstadt in Pennsylvania ausgelöscht wird... Jetzt sollten noch die Fortsetzungen "Son of Blob (1971)" und vor allem das glänzende Remake von 1988 in einem Mediabook erscheinen,bevor die neuste Adaption in Kürze bald ins Kino kommt... BLOB boomt:) Fazit : Charmanter Sci/Fi-Monsterspass mit Steve Mc Queen in einem herrlichen Mediabook mit toller Bildqualität!

When it comes to good old fashioned horror movies, The Blob is one of those films that always gets mentioned. Whether it's down to the fact it's so silly or has become a bit of time capsule of the 1950's america, the fact remains that The Blob has a cult following and for good reason. This Criterion release of the movie is hands down the best quality release this film has ever seen. The Blob was originally released all the way back in 1958. The film is an independently made movie directed by Irvin Yeaworth and Produced by Jack H. Harris. The concept of the film came from the two writers Kay Linaker and Theodore Simonson. The film is most famous for the fact that it stars Steve McQueen, an actor who hadn't previously worked in a feature film and went onto greater things. The story behind the film is as simple as most science fiction films of the time. A great space rock shoots across the sky, over the head of McQueen and lands in some isolated woods. The object is found by some random old man who proceeds to crack it open and become the first human sized meal for The Blob. After running around in panic, the old man runs into McQueen's character and is quickly taken to the local doctor. This is where the shapeless creature starts his rampage as it tries to devour a towns worth of people. McQueen and the rest of his "teenage" chums go out their way to try convince the local police force and adult population that something is going on creating the simple but effective story for The Blob. The film is certainly a sign of the times. When you look at the outfits in the film, the lingo used by the younger characters, the films theme song and even the cars, you realise just how much this film has preserved a certain part of American history. What's great about all this just how well the print for the film has been looked after. This Criterion edition has very little damage to it. The picture quality is extremely sharp with a lot of of striking colours and an impressive amount of clarity. The film looks like it could be a window into tomorrow. Of course with the film being an independent production, the acting is awfully wooden in places and the special effects are not very convincing. Steve McQueen as a whole isn't as captivating as he is in his later films, but that is to be expected for his first feature film. But there are a lot of great one liners and as "tacky" as the special effects are by today's standards, they're still fun to watch. It may not be realistic and the scenery behind the blob are obviously one dimensional, but at least we know that gooey mass is real. Something that can't be said for the CGI monsters of modern times. The Blob isn't the greatest horror film out there and it's not scary by any means, not by today's standards. But what it lacks in scares it makes up for it in charm. It's a wonderful little fun that is still extremely fun to watch and I highly recommend picking up this fantastic Criterion print.

No tengo nada que añadir a los comentarios hechos sobre la calidad del DVD: Increíble imagen y un buen sonido. Totalmente recomendable. Un festín de Cine de Terror de serie B.

Excellent movie and excellent quality

Semplice ma bel film di Fantascenza !