The Blob

The Blob

Synopsis of Movie

“Beware of the Blob…”

The face of drive-in horror turned gooey in 1958’s The Blob. Actually, the title creature had no face at all—or arms, legs or any other appendage for that matter. The Blob had only two distinguishing characteristics: its insatiable appetite and its reddish, gelatinous appearance. This faceless terror not only turned into one of the biggest low-budget horror films of the late 1950’s, it also helped propel a young Steve McQueen to stardom.

McQueen plays Steve Andrews, a teenager who likes to race hot rods and make time with his best girl, but otherwise has a pretty solid and law-abiding record. That small-town idyll gets turned upside-down, however, when a strange meteorite crashes in the woods nearby. An old hermit goes out to investigate, becoming the first victim of the oozing, flesh-eating Blob.

Steve and his buddies discover the Blob, which grows larger with each victim consumed, but unfortunately, the local authorities don’t believe their far-fetched tale. Terror is piled upon terror, and soon the Blob is too big to ignore. But is it too late to destroy it?

The Blob may have been the perfect drive-in movie, combining its “misunderstood teen” elements with creature feature horror. Audiences ate it up like a bowlful of cherry Jell-O, turning The Blob into one of the most successful films of the drive-in era. Shot in color, the movie was a change of pace from most low-budget, black-and-white horror, and the presence of Steve McQueen helped make it a reissue favorite for years afterward.

Fourteen years after the original, Beware! The Blob was released to theaters. Directed by Larry Hagman (I Dream of Jeannie’s Major Nelson), the film was more campy and silly than the original, featuring cameos from Dick Van Patten, Cindy Williams and Burgess Meredith, among others.

The film went back to its horror roots for a 1988 remake, also titled The Blob. This 30th anniversary do-over added late 80’s special effects and new levels of gore (enough to earn an ‘R’ rating), but garnered little attention in theaters. Nostalgic fans of the original were content with video viewings of their old favorite, and their kids were too enthralled by Freddy and Jason to pay any attention to a mass of carnivorous goo.

Movie Release History

1958 - The Blob
1972 - Beware! The Blob (Son of the Blob)
1988 - The Blob (remake)

Movie Sub Categories

live-action
sci-fi/fantasy
horror

Movie Studio

Fairview Prods., Tonylyn Prods. Inc., Paramount

Cast

Steve Andrews Steve McQueen
Jane Martin   Aneta Corsaut
Lieutenant Dave   Earl Rowe
Old Man  Olin Howlin
Dr. T. Hallen  Alden 'Stephen' Chase
Sergeant Jim Bert  John Benson
Officer Ritchie  George Karas
Kate, the nurse  Lee Paton
Henry Martin  Elbert Smith
Unknown Hugh Graham
George, the cafe owner   Vince Barbi
Elizabeth Martin  Audrey Metcalf
Civil Defense Volunteer  Jasper Deeter
Unknown Tom Ogden
Mrs. Porter  Elinor Hammer
Smooching Teenager   Pamela Curran
Unknown Ralph Roseman
Unknown Charlie Overdorff
Unknown David Metcalf
Unknown Josh Randolph
Unknown George Gerbereck
Sally, the waitress   Julie Cousins
Danny Martin  Keith Almoney
Unknown Eugene Sabel
Tony Gressette   Robert Fields
"Mooch" Miller  James Bonnet
Al  Anthony Franke
Teenager  Molly Ann Bourne
Teenager  Diane Tabben

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