The Blob (1988)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

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 | Remake | Sheriff | Children | Young Boy

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) (1988) | Finland:K-16 (cut) (1989) | 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 The Remake (2006)

Soundtrack:

Feel My Love

The Code of horror protocol was broken in 1988

Thank God.

All bets were off when the five credited screenwriters decided, hey the monster can kill a ten year old kid, and it can be fun.

This wise remake (re-imaging) based on the old Steve McQueen solid drive-in hit delievers the horror/suspense goods in spades. And rather than make a retread, they dropped a little 'explaination' into the frey and not only does it work, it enhances the original.

Kevin and Shawnee prove they can hold their own in the leading man and woman roles. It's odd that this really marks Kevin's biggest contribution to the entertainment world. Perhaps he looks too much like his brother.

In any event, chills and spills in this wacked out story abound. I mean, who of us wouldn't be scared of a thing without a face -- a thing that just eats everything in sight.

Catch it.