I am burdened with glorious purpose, fiends, for today is Monster Monday! I have two monsters for you today, from The Blob (1958) and The Blob (1988). Since the 1988 version is a remake of the 1958 film, you might think that both Blobs are basically the same monster. Dearest readers, they are not.
The Blob in the remake is more focused, malicious, and violent than its predecessor. It makes perfect sense that an alien monster in 1958 would ooze slowly; atomic age paranoia was all about the slow creep of communism. The 1988 monster, on the other hand, is the result of a government experiment gone awry. This Blob exists in a world where people are terrified of biological weapons and distrustful of the government that is ostensibly there to protect them.
But you came here for gnarly pictures of monsters, so let’s get to it. Behold: THE BLOB.
The 1958 version is a classic. It gave us this iconic movie theatre scene (which was recreated in the remake)…
…and it introduced the world to Steve McQueen. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a performance that astonished me as much as his; not because he was the world’s greatest actor, but because he was obviously born to be a frakking movie star. I have never seen someone with as much charisma and as much presence as he had, especially not in their first film. I really like the original film, but when I think back on it, it’s hard for me to think about anything other than McQueen.
The 1988 version is a classic in its own right. The special effects, designed by Tony Gardner, are fantastic (and more-than-slightly reminiscent of Rob Bottin’s work on John Carpenter’s The Thing). I hesitate to include too many pictures here; I watched the movie unspoiled, and as a result I was shocked and delighted by the effects. But today is the day to post pictures of monsters, so: spoilers ahead, kiddies.
I love both versions, but as a gorehound I might have to choose the remake as my favorite. Let me know in the comments if you agree with me or if you think I am a tasteless heathen. Or both! They’re not mutually exclusive.
Have a good week, fiends.
