The Blob (1988)

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 | Teenager | Remake | Doctor | Teen Rebel

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

Also Known As:

A Bolha Assassina (Brazil) [pt]
A massza (Hungary) (video title) [hu]
Blob-zabójca (Poland) [pl]
Bortom alla lagar (Sweden) [sv]
Der Blob (West Germany) [de]
El terror no té forma (Spain: Catalan title) [ca]
El terror no tiene forma (Spain) [es]
Il fluido che uccide (Italy) [it]
Kinoumeni maza (Greece) [el]
Le blob (France) [fr]
Panik (Sweden) [sv]
The Blob - Outra Forma de Terrore (Portugal) [pt]
Valuva kuolema (Finland) [fi]

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) (1989) | Finland:K-16 (cut) (1988) | 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:

Donovan Leitch, who plays Paul Taylor, had to have a full body cast made of himself for one of the more complicated scene where Paul underneath the blob. There were about 50 people running the unstrung Paul. However, 'Chuck Russell' did not tell Shawnee Smith it was really Donovan Leitch underneath the Blob for the first part of the scene. She believed it was going to be an unstrung person. This was so he could get more of a shock out of her. That is the take that is now seen in the movie when Meg screams out Paul's name upon discovering him.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: After Paul's arm is torn off and hits the floor, a small rise is visible for a brief moment near the wrist where the actor's real arm goes through the floor.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Transformations: Looking Back at 'The Fly II' (2005) (V)

Soundtrack:

Feel My Love

Fifties Sci-Fi meet eighties trash with great results!

Remakes are often frowned upon by film fans, and for good reason, but Chuck Russell's take on the silly fifties Sci-Fi flick of the same name certainly doesn't disappoint! The film has the fifties plot structure and ideas, but it's been updated to the eighties - which means gratuitous amounts of special effects, a trashy atmosphere and lots and lots of gore! This remake has sentimental value for me personally, as it's the only film in history to make me physically sick. I would have been about seven at the time, and watching this film over breakfast isn't recommended for seven-year-old kids! However, I did, of course, get the day off school. I've grown up a bit since then, but upon watching The Blob again; I've got to say that it's lost none of it's charm, only I managed to hold back on being sick this time. The plot follows an asteroid that comes down from space. Upon inspecting it, a lowly bum finds himself with a strange organism stuck to his hand! The Blob also takes advantage of the eighties teen comedy craze, and after a couple of kids find the tramp on the road, they take him to the hospital, and that's where the fun really starts…

The special effects are often silly, but nevertheless; very effective! The sequences are very imaginative, and take advantage of the eighties style humour that make eighties horror films what they are. The way that the blob consumes people is always disgusting, and seeing the half-melted outlines of people inside the creature is lots of fun and makes for some really good horror. Because it was made in the eighties; many of the scenes focus on raunchy kids, and this gives The Blob lots of room to manoeuvre the central monster into all kinds of hilarious situations. The acting, as you would expect, is nothing to write home about; but the cast approach their roles with gusto, and the fun performances help to make the film what it is. Chuck Russell does a great job of creating the right sort of atmosphere for the film and the screenplay is better than you would expect for a trashy eighties horror flick. Some will notice that the script was co-written by one Frank Darabont, who would, of course, go on to write and direct one of the 'best films of the nineties'. Personally, I'd rather this watch this film!