THE BLOB "Underrated and Overlooked" Review

With it being the month of October and Halloween being right around the corner I thought I would take a look at some underrated horror and monster movies this month that you should definitely add to your annual Halloween movie list. This week is going to be all about the 1988 remake of The Blob (1988). The remake of The Blob is unfortunately a movie that was very underseen during the time of its release. For one it was a remake and it came out during a time that featured a lot of big horror icons like Freddy, Jason and Michael Myers. So, nobody was really looking forward to a movie about a big gelatinous blob during a time when slasher movies were the big thing in horror. That’s really a shame because not only does The Blob (1988) play out like a slasher movie but it also is arguably one of the best horror movies from the 80’s.

It’s a little hard to get too detailed on the plot because this movie does a lot of things that you didn’t typically see in horror movies at the time. Essentially, a meteor lands in a small town and inside the blob, a gooey, Jell-O like substance that starts to kill people in the town. We follow some of the townspeople as they try to survive the wrath of the blob and do whatever they can to try and stop it. Like I mentioned before I won’t get too detailed because the filmmakers actually do some things different than what was considered the norm at the time revolving around the main characters we follow throughout the story.

One of the best things about The Blob (1988) is how well Director Chuck Russell handles every aspect of the movie. While it has a pretty basic story and setup everything else from the characters to the special effects are all right on point. This is not a typical movie you would think of having well written characters but you actually care for a lot of these characters and hope that they make it to the end. Kevin Dillon and Shawnee Smith end up getting the majority of the screen time here and both of them do a great job in their respective roles. Jeffrey DeMunn, Candy Clark, Joe Seneca, Del Close and Art LaFleur round out the rest of the cast and they put in some solid performances.

When you look back on most horror movies from the 80’s, a lot of their special effects don’t hold up too well. Either the early stages of CGI just don’t look right or you can visibly see through the makeup effects and it comes off looking more cheesy than scary. The Blob’s effects still hold up incredibly well. There are a few scenes where people are running away from the blob down a hallway or in the street and the effects do come off a little cheesy in those scenes. Those scenes are counter balanced with plenty of great looking effects throughout the rest of the movie. One scene in particular early on where a character is fully engulfed in the blob and another character tries to pull them out is one of the best-looking effects from this time period. Another one where a character is pulled down a sink drain leaves a lasting impression.

It really is a shame that The Blob (1988) got so overlooked when it was released because it really is a great horror gem from the 80’s. In the more recent years, it has gone on to receive more praise from the horror community but I still feel like it hasn’t been given the credit it deserves. Next to John Carpenter’s The Thing, this has some of the best practical effects for a movie from this time period. This is one that if you haven’t seen it before it is without question a must see horror movie that should be added to your Halloween movie list every year.

I give The Blob a 8 out of 10.