One doesn’t typically think of The Blob when discussing the great splatter movies of the 80s. Or at least I don’t typically think of it that way. But after watching it for the first time in probably twenty years, I have to concede: it damn sure belongs in the discussion with Re-Animator, Street Trash, Brain Damage, and Society.
But where The Blob separates itself from those other films is with the nostalgic 1950s feel of it. It is very much a story from that earlier era, with something falling from the sky and becoming a problem for Small Town, America, including the jock and the girl next door and the fair sheriff and, of course, the bad boy. Indeed, the original The Blob from 1958 has almost the exact same storyline. But where the gore effects of that version are non-existent, they’re front and center with the 1988 version.
Yeah, there’s some cheesy CGI thrown in too, as can be expected from a movie made when CGI was in its experimental stages. But they knew what they were doing with the practical effects. There is one iconic scene of a pinkish goop burning away flesh after another. The old homeless man with half his body missing. The jock getting eaten alive while he reaches for his girlfriend (there had to be cheers in studio after shooting that scene). And the unforgettable scene of the sheriff’s melting face floating in the blob as it surrounds a phone booth.
Or how about that scene pictured above, where the boy is trying to get fresh and grab the girl’s tit, then her face caves in and the blob comes spewing out of her? Fucking brilliant!
I don’t have a lot of bad things to say about The Blob. The plot is not original, obviously. Kevin Dillon’s hair is ridiculous. See below (lol). But I guess that was popular for the time. (And coming back in fashion?) But aside from that and the cheesy CGI moments, it’s a great film.
PC3’s Horror and Exploitation Movie Scale of Awesomeness!
Gore - 8
Special Effects - 6
Nudity/Sexuality - 2
Wow Factor - 7
Acting - 5
Fear Factor - 3
Story/Plot/Originality - 3
Cinematography/Atmosphere - 5
Sound/Music - 5
Fun Factor - 9
The Blob received a 53 PHEMSA, with high points for gore and fun. It’s a lot better than the original, in my opinion, and belongs among the great gore flicks of the 80s. You can find it on Amazon, but you have to pay for it, damn it.