The 1988 remake of The Blob is another one of those movies I can't believe I waited so long to see in it's entirety. I remember seeing the VHS box time and time again as I perused the horror section of the local video store and I always dismissed it in favor of more popular titles. It wasn't until it made it's Blu-Ray debut and I saw the filmmakers behind it that I realized I needed to sit down and give it a watch.
A meteorite crashes on the outskirts of the small town of Arborville in Northern California. An elderly homeless man (played by Billy Beck) discovers the meteorite and discovers there is a pinkish-purple goo inside. The goo quickly adheres itself to the man's arm. In distress, he runs off and crosses paths with local teen Brian Flagg (played by Kevin Dillon). Seeing he was in trouble, Brian chases after the elderly man to try and help and they end up running into Meg (played by Shawnee Smith) and Paul (played by Donovan Leitch) who were on their way to a date. The three teens rush him to the local hospital in hopes of helping him. The man is put in an exam room and Meg and Paul try to fill out the intake forms. Disgusted with the lack of care the hospital was giving the man, Brian leaves. When she goes to check on the man, Meg makes the horrifying discovery that the goo that adhered to his hand has now devoured most of the man's body and the blob was growing. When Meg goes to the police, her claims about the Blob are initially dismissed and Brian, who has a history of delinquent behavior, is initially picked up in relation to the man's death. Realizing they have nothing to hold him on, he is released. When Brian and Meg cross paths again, she tells him about what she witnessed. Although initially skeptical, any doubts he has are quickly resolved when the now even bigger Blob attacks the diner. They quickly realize it's going to be up to them to not only warn the entire town of the literally growing danger, but figure out how to stop this gelatinous monstrosity before it devours the entire town.
The film was directed by Chuck Russell from a script he co-wrote with Frank Darabont. The two do a fantastic job updating the original 1958 original film with a bit of humor while also keeping the thrills and scares coming at a brisk pace. They manage to establish early on that any one can die in this movie and they stick to it throughout the film as the Blob's rampage grows. The film does come up with some memorable sequences, including on expanding the famous movie theater sequence from the original film, where we get to see the Blob attacking people in the movie theater as others flee, including plucking one obnoxious audience member right out of his seat and up to the ceiling where the Blob is hanging out. Other notable sequences include a poor guy getting pulled down a sink drain by the Blob that is somehow both absurd and horrifying as well an intense chase through the sewers between the Blob and Meg, her younger brother Kevin (played by Michael Kenworthy) and Kevin's friend Eddie (played by Douglas Emerson) that is very tense. The effects work by Tony Gardner and his crew with the Blob is quite impressive for the most part. There are a couple shots where the Blob is chasing someone that looks pretty fake, but for the most part it's quite convincing. Things get especially gruesome anytime it attacks someone as they basically dissolve under it.
Shawnee Smith rocks it as Meg, showing a strength and resilience that would rank her among the top tier of horror heroines for me. She doesn't hesitate to run into the fray, whether it is running into the local movie theater to rescue her younger brother pick up a gun and try and take down the Blob herself. Smith does great as the character and is impressive throughout. Kevin Dillon does well as the rebellious Brian and finds a nice balance to the character. He may have a problem with authority and a snarky attitude, but deep down he does care about his fellow townspeople and wants to do the right thing. Candy Clark has a nice supporting turn as Fran, the owner of the local diner. She fills the character with a lot of warmth and is the kind of character in a movie like this that you want to see make it to the end. Del Close has an interesting turn as Reverend Meeker who sees the appearance of the Blob as a sign of the apocalypse as the chaos of the ever growing gelatinous monster slowly drives him insane.
Overall, Chuck Russell and Frank Darabont did a great job updating the classic original to a more modern sensibility, keeping what worked while tweaking a few things and adding a few new twists to make it fit the new time period. The improved effects work only makes the titular monster all the more frightening and formidable. Critics at the time didn't seem to think much of it, which would probably be why it took me so long to finally getting around to it. It's is a film that has largely aged very well and holds up as genuinely entertaining monster movie thrills with just the right amount of humor thrown in. It's one I have thoroughly enjoyed every time I've watched it. If you've got a hankering for monster movie mayhem or you're looking for an overlooked gem for this Halloween season, this would be a good one to check out.
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