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| MRA (Australia). Region 4, PAL. 1.66:1 (16:9 enhanced). English 2.0. 82 minutes |
| The Movie |
| Cover Art |
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| Credits |
Director: Irvin S.
Yeaworth
Starring:Steve McQueen,
Aneta Corsault, Earl Rowe, Olin Howlin, Stephen
Chase, John Benson
Screenplay: Kate Phillips
& Theodore Simonson
Tagline: It Crawls...It
Creeps...It Eats You Alive!
Country: USA |
As ancient teenagers played by Steve McQueen
and Aneta Corsaut lock jaws and exchange enzymes
at the local make-out spot a meteorite crashlands
nearby. When the first man on the scene pokes
a stick at the basketball-size rock it hatches
and a clear ooze emerges from its centre and attaches
itself to his hand. Steve describes it as, "Kind
of like a big blister", when they discover him
wandering on the road and deliver him to the local
doctor. Quickly the goo expands to cover other
body parts and before you can say, "Wanna drag
race?," it has rolled around many parts of the
little town of Downington.
While the first brief shots of the Blob in the
doctors office are the most horrifying the film
quickly gives way to a mannered set up of mass
panic. The limited sightings of the Blob throughout
then remain exciting until the all too quick and
easy finale involving stock footage and that famous
fifties end title punctuated by a question mark,
which comes as something of a letdown. Highlights
include the Blob seeping underneath a coldroom
door, the entrance of the Blob into a packed movie
theatre showing Daughter Of Horror (a film MRA should definitely acquire) and hipster
dialogue like, "Hey, what gives? I didn't think
you cats dig spooky shows?."
Violence is kept to a minimum but director Irvin
S. Yeaworth Jr. does manage to imbue the whole
thing with a palpable tension that doesn't rely
on sound cues or monster shots. As a precursor
to modern horror you'd be hard-pressed to find
something of the same vintage of The Blob that puts it all together in the same package.
Recommended for being more than just a curio. |
| Video |
| The re-mastering of The Blob is almost too good for itself highlighting a drab
production design (admittedly most of the action
does occur at night), the use of stock footage and
expectedly where the filmmakers have used stop animation
to bring it to life. Still, eminently viewable and
one of the best looking films from the fifties to
be released on DVD yet in any genre. |
| Audio |
| Fine 2.0 Dolby soundtrack converted from mono
that was state of the art in 1958 and which still
sounds great today. The only difference between
now and then besides the lack of a surround mix
is the downplaying of sound effects which definitely
enhanced the 1988 remake. |
| Extra Features |
| Two commentaries, a trailer and a stills gallery
that includes poster and ad art. Legendary producer
Jack H. Harris who would kick on to work with Ted
V. Mikels (Astro Zombies) provides
some great anecdotes that are punctuated and/or
modified/supported/enhanced by BLOB fan/historian
Bruce Eder who was a teenager during it's initial
release and obviously wasn't in the same room as
Harris while recording his commentary. On a separate
audio track director Irvin S. Yeaworth sits down
to his second viewing of the film in 40 years and
despite the lack of a cough button also delivers
some interesting commentary that illustrates how
a Hollywood major (Paramount) can impose themselves
on an indie product. Yeaworth is still disappointed
by having to have Burt Bacharach's super catchy
theme song attached to the film. Besides a trailer
there's nearly six dozen behind the scenes stills
mainly in black and white with a few colour shots
of the glorious gelatineous title monster. The most
extras packed release yet from MRA. |
| The Verdict |
Fast approaching it's 50th anniversary The
Blob may only retain the power to frighten
the very young but it laid down a template that's
still viable and I'm not just talking about late
twentysomethings playing teenagers but it's complete
horror/sci fi concept. While advances in special
effects might have driven the modern remake (forget
about the two largely comical sequels) the influence
of The Blob and it's ability to
create tension in both rural and urban locations
and its more than glancing use of pop culture make
it a must-see item.
Got something else to say? Spill your guts on the
Digital Retribution Message Forum! |
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