The Blob (1988)

So in retrospect, I definitely should have written my review for this film before I watched The Silence of The Lambs. I didn't know how much I was going to love that movie and it's kind of overshadowing this film which I also really... liked. I loved The Silence of The Lambs. I can marvel at the Hitchcockian cinematography, the phenomenal performances, and the creepy story. There is no way in hell I would ever say this movie is better than The Silence of the Lambs... but damn did I had an absolute ball watching The Blob.

A little disclaimer. I have been trying to watch more horror films recently. I am an absolute wuss when it comes to horror films. I get anxious, my hands get sweaty, I don't like being startled... I like being scared, not startled. AKA I don't like jump scares. This was a film I had heard of and knew it was from the 80s so I thought it was pretty tame and something I could handle. Another disclaimer... I wanted to watch The Thing. I know this is not The Thing. One day I intend to watch The Thing... I just thought you all should know.

The Blob is a remake of the 1958 film of the same name. It takes place in a small town in California where the high school football quarterback, Paul (played by Donovon Leitch) decides he's going to ask out the Prom Queen, Meg (played by Shawnee Smith). He figures he'll take her out, show her a good time and who knows, they're in high school, anything could happen.

Meanwhile a meteorite  hits Earth and in that meteorite is a silly puddy looking blob that starts devouring everything it sees. Paul, Meg, and a rebel by the name of Brian Flag (played by a very young Kevin Dillon, or Drama from Entourage if he was in a Bon Jovi phase) get sucked into the horrible massacre that occurs in their town as well as the conspiracy behind it.

First and foremost its worth saying that this movie is overall probably not the best film of all time. It's cheesy, the acting is only so-so, and the practical effects have in reality not held up. This movie also was not very well received when it came out so that is a bit understandable.

But I don't know what it was but this movie was just down right entertaining. While the practice effects don't look real at all, you can tell someone had a lot of fun creating the gore, blood, and body parts that appear, fall off, dissolve away, and other gross things in this movie. It just harkens back to a simpler time and it's actually a lot of fun to watch.

On top of that, this movie is like a time capsule into the 80s but at the same time seems timeless in its execution. The clothing, hair, and other elements just scream 80s but the movie doesn't draw attention to itself and the fact that its in the 80s. Now I know thats a thing that happens now due to nostalgia for the 80s, but it is fun going back to movies that were just like that because they were made in the 80s and you have that feeling to it naturally.

As I said, the acting is pretty so-so. Nobody hires Kevin Dillon for his acting and I don't really know what Shawnee Smith is doing with her life these days, but again, it comes down to pure entertainment. While these were not the deepest characters of all time, they were still likable and served the movie's purpose as the heroes of the story.

I think the thing I like about this film is that it combines the out of this world feeling of E.T. and the slasher blood and gore of a John Carpenter film and you get this very weird but surprisingly entertaining film. I'm sure there are other 80's movies that I should be checking out that are much better than this film but I would equate this film to Gremlins. It's not really supposed to be that great and feels more like a B movie, but because the movie is so fun and unique I understand the cult following it gathered.

I'll be honest, the main reason I've been getting into these classic horror films is in preparation for Stranger Things Season 2, but it is fun to see what good writers like The Duffer Brothers are able to extract from movies like this (probably not this one in particular) and spin to work in 2017.

The other surprise I got from this film was the messages behind it. There is definitely an underlying message about sexually transmitted diseases and government control at a time when the AIDs epidemic was happening and the country was still reeling from questionable government leadership.

Now the themes aren't exactly subtle so I wouldn't call them profound or anything but it is an interesting film for its time, especially for how stupid the main monster really is.

I mean the main monster is a giant pink blob, and yet at the same time it is able to make some pretty horrific imagery like this.

The Blob really won't go down as any kind of groundbreaking film. The very reason why I wanted to watch The Thing instead kind of makes the point that there are other great films out there and this will go down as a cult favorite but not really anything spectacular.

But that doesn't really negate the fact that this movie is still a boat load of fun and worth checking out if you have Hulu. I wouldn't pay money to watch this film, but if you have Hulu, a couple beers and some buddies to watch this film and get a laugh or two, I definitely recommend The Blob.

But what do you think? Have you seen The Blob? What did you think? What are the quintessential 80s horror movies I should be checking out? Comment and Discuss below! You can also send me your thoughts on Twitter @MovieSymposium as well as your requests for films I should review in the future. If you follow me on Twitter, you can get updates on future movie news and reviews coming out of this blog.

I'll leave you with this. Like I said this movie was a remake from the film of the same name back in 1958. I probably will not watch that version, but here's the trailer. Enjoy!