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That's the way Steve McQueen's character tries to describe the title creature to the police in the 1958 original version of The Blob. As a matter of fact, it isn't called the "blob" at any moment, but is referred to as "monster", "thing", and "parasite", among other things. The "blob" is essentially an amorphous, jelly-like creature that slithers around devouring anything in its path, while getting bigger.
Set in rural Pennsylvania, the film follows "teenagers" Steve and Jane (Steve McQueen and Aneta Corsaut) after they discover the titular "blob", who ends up devouring an old man, a doctor, and a nurse. They then have to face the skepticism and disbelief of the town as they try to alert them and stop the creature from devouring everything around them.
Even though I had seen the remake back in the late 80's, I had never seen the original until 2013. This original version was an independent, low budget film that ended up becoming a surprise hit. It is a mixture of classic horror and sci-fi, but with a certain goofiness to it, which was a bit of a staple of the era. That might help appreciate the film in terms of its place in time, but it doesn't make it any less silly.
Despite that, the film is held together mostly because of Steve McQueen, who delivers a fairly good performance on his first notable film role. Although he doesn't pass as a teenager, he still brings a certain charm and charisma to his character that keeps the film focused and afloat. The supporting cast, on the other hand, ends up feeling wooden and lifeless.
The story is fairly simple, and it has that classic sci-fi charm, but it also suffers from a sorta abrupt and lacking ending. Maybe it's because I'm an 80's kid and I saw the remake first, but this is one of those cases where I feel the remake is significantly better. Still, the original is not bad, and it should be an interesting watch for any fan of horror/sci-fi films or cinema overall.
Grade:
THE BLOB
(1958, Yeaworth)
(1958, Yeaworth)
"Well it's kind of a - kind of a mass. It keeps getting bigger and bigger."
That's the way Steve McQueen's character tries to describe the title creature to the police in the 1958 original version of The Blob. As a matter of fact, it isn't called the "blob" at any moment, but is referred to as "monster", "thing", and "parasite", among other things. The "blob" is essentially an amorphous, jelly-like creature that slithers around devouring anything in its path, while getting bigger.
Set in rural Pennsylvania, the film follows "teenagers" Steve and Jane (Steve McQueen and Aneta Corsaut) after they discover the titular "blob", who ends up devouring an old man, a doctor, and a nurse. They then have to face the skepticism and disbelief of the town as they try to alert them and stop the creature from devouring everything around them.
Even though I had seen the remake back in the late 80's, I had never seen the original until 2013. This original version was an independent, low budget film that ended up becoming a surprise hit. It is a mixture of classic horror and sci-fi, but with a certain goofiness to it, which was a bit of a staple of the era. That might help appreciate the film in terms of its place in time, but it doesn't make it any less silly.
Despite that, the film is held together mostly because of Steve McQueen, who delivers a fairly good performance on his first notable film role. Although he doesn't pass as a teenager, he still brings a certain charm and charisma to his character that keeps the film focused and afloat. The supporting cast, on the other hand, ends up feeling wooden and lifeless.
The story is fairly simple, and it has that classic sci-fi charm, but it also suffers from a sorta abrupt and lacking ending. Maybe it's because I'm an 80's kid and I saw the remake first, but this is one of those cases where I feel the remake is significantly better. Still, the original is not bad, and it should be an interesting watch for any fan of horror/sci-fi films or cinema overall.
Grade: