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Is ‘The Blob’ Underrated?

July 13 – 15, 2018… Phoenixville, Pennsylvania… Thousands of cinema buffs will descend on the small town for its annual Blobfest celebration. The three day event takes place in the city where 1958’s cult classic The Blob was filmed, and spectators get to participate in a number of Blob themed events as well as a special screening in the movie theater present in the film. Blairstown, New Jersey (Friday the 13th), Grover’s Mill, New Jersey (War of the Worlds), and Point Pleasant, West Virginia (The Mothman Prophecies) host similar events for their respective movies and creatures, but I can’t help but wonder if it’s the same. Every horror fan knows Sean S. Cunningham’s Friday the 13th and every aspiring cryptozoologist knows the legend of The Mothman, but how often does anyone actually think about The Blob? I mean, I didn’t even remember that the series existed until actor/director Randy Memoli told me about Blobfest. And I can’t help but to wonder why? The Blob was undoubtedly a sleeper hit and one of the defining science-fiction creature-features of its time, so much so that it received a remake 30 years later. But now, almost 60 years later, I think the majority of us have forgotten about this little gem of a movie. Why is it so underrated?

An independent production under the direction of Irvin Yeaworth and based on the screenplay by Kay Linaker, The Blob went into production in 1958 with a budget of $240,000 – factoring in marketing. Originally titled The Molten Meteor, the movie was renamed The Blob when principal photography wrapped and the film was dubbed as a “cheap teen movie” that was presented as one part of a double feature at the most popular drive-in theaters along with I Married A Monster from Outer Space. Much to the surprise of producer Jack H. Harris and Paramount Pictures, The Blob made $4,000,000 at the American box office and became a smash hit while highlighting future Oscar Nominee Steve McQueen, Aneta Corsaut, Earl Rowe and Olin Howland. Who knew a monster movie about an alien amoeba that crash lands on Earth and goes on to devour and dissolve parts of a small town would have such an impact on the audience? I don’t think it was due to the special effects compilation of a modified weather balloon and colored silicone gel, so much as it was the craziness and laughter the flick brought out of people. Regardless of the reasons why, 14 years later Hollywood resurrected the idea with a sequel. Writers Anthony Harris and Jack Woods fiddled around with names – Son of the Blob and Return of the Blob were bounced around – before finally settling on Beware! The Blob.

Beware! The Blob was released in 1972 under the direction of Larry Hagman and producer Anthony Harris. Starring Godfrey Cambridge, Gwynne Gilford, Robert Walker, Richard Stahl and Richard Web, Beware! The Blob received a slightly bigger budget than its predecessor and followed a pipeline layer who discovers a piece of The Blob frozen in ice while working in The North Pole. Heading home to sunny California, The Blob unfreezes from its tomb and goes on a similar, people eating rampage. This time the amoeba was simply made out of red dye and water, and yet it failed to yield much of positive result at the box office. I can’t find any articles relating to the flick’s final gross, which leads me to believe it wasn’t as lucrative as Jack H. Harris Enterprises Inc. had intended. Still, 16 years later, Hollywood remade The Blob with a big budget of $19,000,000 and distributed it to theaters through Tristar Pictures. A loose remake of the original, The Blob (1988) was written and directed by Chuck Russell and stars Kevin Dillon, Shawnee Smith, Donovan Leitch, Jeffrey DeMunn, Candy Clark and Joe Seneca. Despite Jack Harris’ involvement as producer, the movie failed miserably at the box office and made just $8,248,000 in three weeks before being ripped from theaters. And, as of this writing, that’s the last that we’ve seen from the pesky, red devil.

So, again, I’ll ask – why is The Blob so underrated? Or, more importantly, do you think it falls into the category of being underrated in the first place? Think about it. Besides Attack of the Killer Tomatoes and Godzilla, can you think of any other pre-1970’s creature-features that packed such a zany punch? The Blob truly succeeded in captivating the audiences attention during its first go around and the remake even has one of the most memorable horror film death scenes involving a telephone booth. But, this pitfall is a common occurrence in this genre of film. Think about how often Pumpkinhead is overlooked by cinema viewers. Maybe The Blob would be a bigger critter than it is today if it spawned more sequels. Maybe it would be taken more seriously if it wasn’t so darned cute. Either way, The Blob is a stone-cold classic and it still holds up almost 60 years later. It contains that classic Hollywood vibe and nostalgia that should be honored, and the special effects were pretty outrageous and genius for the time period. As of 2015, Rob Zombie was in talks about directing a second remake, but any news on that project has ceased completely. Would you want to see The Blob return in 2018 for an anniversary event?

Feel free to discuss the underrated status of The Blob, its proposed second remake, and whether or not you’re attending Blobfest on this article and on Facebook and Twitter.

Michael DeFellipo

(Senior Editor)

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