El terror no tiene forma

Usually, when they attempt a remake of a classic sci-fi/horror flick, they bungle it beyond redemption. "The Blob" is actually a pretty good remake, elaborating the original's story. In this case, the protagonist - aside from the title character - is punk Brian Flagg (Kevin Dillon). The movie's strength comes from the intrigue that it portrays.

Needless to say, now that the censorship laws had eased, they were able to add in some more things. I'll never forget the sink scene (as I call it). And, as I understand it, Donovan starred in this movie (or was it someone else with the name Donovan Leitch?). Oh well, the point is that they eked out a good movie with this remake.

One night, just outside of a quiet and small town, a bizarre meteor crashes. A man who goes to investigate finds a weird glop that jumps on his arm and puts him into a state of frenzy. Some young people take him to the hospital and we soon see that the weird substance has eaten most of him and it is still hungry...

The result is a very entertaining monster flick with a very unusual monster - an amorphous blob. After films like Alien, Predator, The Thing, and others thinking of a good monster idea can be tough. Even John Carpenter's well crafted The Thing is a remake, but that didn't stop the film from becoming one of his best due to a good visceral interpretation of the story. The same goes for this film - a remake of an old movie with a very visceral and gory style. Featuring top-notch aesthetic and even some obviously aged, but nonetheless fun, old computer effects it is more of a thorough re-imagination like The Thing was.

However, the film falls a bit on its face when it comes to creating suspense. Many scenes with the title monster are tense and the action good and the gore first-rate, but the connective scenes between them surprisingly lack in tension. With material ripe for an eerie atmosphere it is a shame to see this horror element not fully developed in the film. The result is a fun movie, but it could have been much better. Also the mad scientist/cold war element is a bit stale by today's standards.

But, overall it is a fun little flick featuring a truly merciless monster that gobbles up just about anyone (even kids!). Horror/sci-fi fans will definitely want to check this flick out. 7/10

Rated R: violence, horror images, and profanity

Brimming with an unmistakable 1980s flavour, jam-packed with truly impressive special effects, and also amongst the better examples of its genre(s), The Blob may feature a simple premise & serviceable set of characters but it still manages to make the most of its available resources by making sure that its foundation is strong, the basic fundamentals are covered and the technical execution is sound.

Co-written & directed by Chuck Russell, the story follows a deadly entity from space that crash-lands in a small town and starts growing by dissolving & devouring anything n everything that's in its path. The character introductions are bland and the setup is meh too but once the horrific creature surfaces, everything get dialled up and unfolds with relentless intensity to deliver truly terrifying moments of horror.

The plot navigates rebellious youth, government conspiracy, biological warfare & secret cover-up in ways that forward the narrative but the main highlight is the spectacular make-up effects & stellar craftsmanship that goes into bringing the strange, gelatinous life form to life. The gory kills & mayhem it has in store have that grindhouse quality to it and although the performances aren't strong enough, they do meet the brief.

Overall, The Blob is another quality addition to the list of sci-fi horror remakes that are superior to their original entries and remains a gripping, thrilling & amusing offering after all these years. Having effectively stood against the test of time and still retaining its ability to shock & surprise, this nightmarish yet entertaining fare is very much reflective of the cynical era it belongs to and delivers the desired violence in gleeful doses. Highly recommended.

A remake of the 1958 Steve McQueen film of the same name which follows a jelly-like, amoebic organism that crashes down to Earth from a meteorite n dissolves anything in its path, thereby growing in size.

I first saw this in the early 90s on a vhs. Revisited it recently. As a fan of McQueen, i consider the original as a classic monster film of the 50s, this one i consider as a creature film of the 80s.

It is more violent than the original with lots of body counts including that of a small kid. It has humor n action too. While the original is a simple one, this one functions as a biological weapon gone haywired as well as an authoritarian one where the military doesn't care about the citizens. We have Matt Dillon with mullet n leather jacket n a very young Shawnee Smith.

The sheriff's death scene was ahead of its time n later imitated many times in horror movies. Dr Meddows' death sequence, i believe, inspired the one in Deep Blue Sea involving Morgan Freeman. Watch out for Bill Moseley in a tiny role of that of a soldier (watch closely the sewer scene).

Nice horror flick of the late 80s, spiced up with some gore. The effects of this B movie look maybe a little outdated for today's eye (or nostalgic, depends) but still The Blob is worth to watch. In my opinion the remake is better than the solid original from 1958, of course Steve McQueen would have been a nice addition to the remake. Anyway, after watching, you will look at any drain and the like with a different eye. Great fun to watch.