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#62 - The Blob
Chuck Russell, 1988
A small town is upset by the arrival of a strange entity that consumes every living thing in its path.
The '80s did seem like the ideal time to remake horror movies from the '50s - the effects had improved significantly enough and the passage of time had weeded out the less interesting premises in the process while the shifting of cinematic norms allowed for greater expressions. Unfortunately, The Blob doesn't end up on the same level as something like The Thing or even The Fly, but it's not without its moments. The effects work for the titular blob is impressive enough, mixing animation with practical effects with good results; the former are entertaining in a cheesy way but the latter are genuinely impressive. Unfortunately, it's anchored to a very by-the-numbers monster movie plot. Familiar characters abound - there's the rebellious kid from the wrong side of the tracks who secretly has a heart of gold, the clean-cut girl next door, law enforcement figures that are either perfectly understanding or frustratingly obstructive, a scientist who knows the secrets of the monster, etc. The actors all turn in decent enough performances for this kind of movie, in any case. It doesn't offer much in the way of serious scares, though - you're kind of aware that you're watching a film with an ultimately silly premise, but the filmmakers don't seem quite that aware, no matter what kind of jokes they make (such as having the blob infiltrate a movie theatre full of people watching...a generic slasher movie). Not particularly essential, even if the effects work is good.
Chuck Russell, 1988
A small town is upset by the arrival of a strange entity that consumes every living thing in its path.
The '80s did seem like the ideal time to remake horror movies from the '50s - the effects had improved significantly enough and the passage of time had weeded out the less interesting premises in the process while the shifting of cinematic norms allowed for greater expressions. Unfortunately, The Blob doesn't end up on the same level as something like The Thing or even The Fly, but it's not without its moments. The effects work for the titular blob is impressive enough, mixing animation with practical effects with good results; the former are entertaining in a cheesy way but the latter are genuinely impressive. Unfortunately, it's anchored to a very by-the-numbers monster movie plot. Familiar characters abound - there's the rebellious kid from the wrong side of the tracks who secretly has a heart of gold, the clean-cut girl next door, law enforcement figures that are either perfectly understanding or frustratingly obstructive, a scientist who knows the secrets of the monster, etc. The actors all turn in decent enough performances for this kind of movie, in any case. It doesn't offer much in the way of serious scares, though - you're kind of aware that you're watching a film with an ultimately silly premise, but the filmmakers don't seem quite that aware, no matter what kind of jokes they make (such as having the blob infiltrate a movie theatre full of people watching...a generic slasher movie). Not particularly essential, even if the effects work is good.