Remakes. Many horror fans seem to hate them without good reason. Many also seem to forget that there are remakes which are universally loved. John Carpenter's The Thing comes to mind. The Blob is another remake that seems to get a lot of praise by the majority of horror fans out there. It's blend of brilliant special FX, a disgusting creature that is frightening instead of silly, and it's small town setting managing to create a sense of dread and paranoia make this film well above the original 1958 version of The Blob, which came across as camp and rather boring.
A meteorite crashes in a small town. Inside is a creature that wants to devour every living thing it comes across. After The Blob kills a few of the townsfolk, the murders are pinned on the local bad boy, and it is up to him and a cheerleader to clear his name and stop the creature from digesting every living thing in their town once and for all.
The Blob is yet another film I would rent all of the time in my younger years, or rather have my parents rent for me. The gore in this movie is still shocking, so much so that it still turns my stomach to this day. There is also a genuine feeling of fear and paranoia running through the entirety of the movie. The tension is ratcheted up to unbearable levels, especially when the creature is chasing the cheerleader, her young brother and his friend through the sewers. The characters are all well developed, even those which are going to be killed off sooner rather than later. That old 80's horror film cliche of the kids in the town knowing something is wrong, but the adults will not believe them is present and correct, but this appears to be the only cliche in the movie.
The Blob gives you no idea who is going to be safe and who is going to die. Characters you begin to like get killed off in increasingly gruesome ways, and it really is the gore, which is even more prevalent than it is in the slasher movies of the time, that sells this movie. The attack in the cinema (which also happens in the 1958 version) is brilliantly handled, with tentacles, bodies and slime flying everywhere, creating truly horrific and tense moments.
The Blob is a truly frightening creation. Sometimes almost liquid, other times creating solid tentacles from it's mass. It moves at great speed, devours and without remorse and kills without prejudice. The explanation of where The Blob comes from is an even more frightening prospect, raising the fear and paranoia the movie has created even higher.
The Blob (1988) is a defining moment in horror cinema, showcasing a breathtaking story, great FX and a formidable villain. It is also a fine example of how a horror remake should be handled. The makers of the film managed to update it for it's time, while still paying homage to the original movie. It is a gory, slightly campy, always shocking ride into a small town being terrorized by an unknown creature of formidable appetite and destructive capabilities, and it makes you invest so much into the characters involved in the horrific goings on.
Darkest regards......Dani.
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