Author Topic: The Blob (1958) (Read 745 times)

Chedney Honks · « **on:** February 17, 2021, 04:15:08 PM »

Lot of things to like about this film although I do think it's extremely slow and uneventful by modern standards. Dialogue is very drawn out and repetitive. There are lots of misunderstandings and people either bit given the opportunity to explain themselves or they explain slowly and poorly so they're misunderstood.

However, great things:

- The whole last fifteen minutes.
- The lovely colour and shine on The Blob.
- Steve McQueen playing a teenager in his late 20s, looking like he's in his 40s.
- The little kid, Danny, acts and dresses like he's about 3 but looks about 9, consistently fucking weird.
- Theme tune is great.
- The incredibly defeatist Fire Chief.
- Great 50s drive-in vibe.
- Lovely dresses.

Any other quality schlock like this?

Benjaminos · « **Reply #1 on:** February 17, 2021, 04:57:46 PM »

Rewatched the 1988 remake just the other week, and it's a grand old time. Less talking, much more gelatinous blob engulfing small children. Great practical effects that still hold up (for the most part).

But if you're after actual vintage b-movie shlock, may I recommend:

The Thing from Another World
Them!
Phase IV
Forbidden Planet (not a horror/monster movie, but still a smash)
Night of the Demon
The Incredible Shrinking Man
Invaders From Mars

Bad Ambassador · « **Reply #2 on:** February 17, 2021, 05:49:43 PM »

Phase IV is a totally different league from the others. It's directed by Saul Bass, who clearly wanted to make the 2001 of intelligent ant films. Don't be fooled by the shitty poster. It's great.

Blumf · « **Reply #3 on:** February 17, 2021, 07:58:04 PM »

Yeah, I'd swap out Phase IV, which belongs in another list with The Andromeda Strain and Scanners, and swap in This Island Earth, which fits nicely with Forbidden Planet.

Between those lists is Colossus: The Forbin Project

Benjaminos · « **Reply #4 on:** February 17, 2021, 08:06:35 PM »

Yeah, fair. I think I just plopped it in the list because a) it's great and b) after I put Them! in there, I was thinking about ants.

Quote from: Blumf on February 17, 2021, 07:58:04 PM

Between those lists is Colossus: The Forbin Project

Fuck yeah. A genuinely chilling film.

Brundle-Fly · « **Reply #5 on:** February 17, 2021, 09:59:15 PM »

Blobermouth (1991) is a comedy oddity in the vein of What's Up Tiger Lily? (1966)

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0207346/

petercussing · « **Reply #6 on:** February 18, 2021, 08:10:06 PM »

I enjoy Das Blob, as well. Steve McQueen looks like he's taken his daughter out in his car to look at stars.

Please, if you ever do one thing for me it's watch Panic in the Year Zero. Plot: semi realistic 60s nuclear post-apocolyptic tales of button down plastic fantastic dad that fucking just goes for it. Pls Wtch.

Also, you'd like the og Bodysnatchers.

There's a really good 50/60s teen panic film called High School Confidential which is great.

Invasion of the Saucer men is quite good. Hmmm, another post apocolyptic 50s one called 5 is okay.

Argh i went through a phase of watching loads of 50/60s sci-fis but have a terrible memory for names, i'll try and think of some more as i saw some good ones.

Chedney Honks · « **Reply #7 on:** February 18, 2021, 08:59:47 PM »

DJ Pierre, I have more respect for you than basically anyone on this website, and that goes back fifteen years.

I will put them on the list and straight to the friggin top.

Bad Ambassador · « **Reply #8 on:** February 19, 2021, 01:03:00 AM »

I recall some TV guide in their write-up describing Invasion of the Saucer Men thus: "Cabbage-headed aliens land on Earth and decide to take revenge on humanity after a drunk driver turns one of them into coleslaw."

Cuellar · « **Reply #9 on:** February 19, 2021, 02:50:40 PM »

Watched Island of Terror last night, dreck from 1966 about silicon based blobs going around an island of the coast of Ireland causing all sorts of chaos. It wasn't good but for some reason it had Peter Cushing in it.

The blobs blob around killing people and livestock, dissolving all their bones. One farmer is a bit annoyed by it all, complaining that his horse has died: "it's all soft," he complains. Then later tells Peter Cushing that "My horse is dead. It's a bloody mess"

Definitely my favourite character in it. Just seems a bit put out, like the council haven't taken his bins. And despite the dead horse not having any bones, I don't really think 'all soft' is quite the right description. You wouldn't describe a normal horse corpse as 'all hard' would you? Likewise the 'it's a bloody mess' - it wasn't, it was just a dead horse. Not messy at all, it just didn't have bones. The guy was all over the place with his descriptions.

St_Eddie · « **Reply #10 on:** February 19, 2021, 02:59:50 PM »

Quote from: Cuellar on February 19, 2021, 02:50:40 PM

Likewise the 'it's a bloody mess' - it wasn't, it was just a dead horse. Not messy at all, it just didn't have bones. The guy was all over the place with his descriptions.

The farmer used the word "bloody" as a swear. "It's a bloody ridiculous mess, so it is! Dead horse cluttering up my farm. Sake. Sort this bloody blob business out!"

Bad Ambassador · « **Reply #11 on:** February 19, 2021, 04:10:43 PM »

Best bit is when someone is ambushed by one of the blobs dropping out of a tree, screaming as what looks like a giant pancake falls on him.

Benjaminos · « **Reply #12 on:** February 19, 2021, 04:11:04 PM »

If we're concentrating mainly on blob-oriented films, then The Stuff is obviously the best in the genre.

Cuellar · « **Reply #13 on:** February 19, 2021, 04:16:23 PM »

Quote from: Bad Ambassador on February 19, 2021, 04:10:43 PM

Best bit is when someone is ambushed by one of the blobs dropping out of a tree, screaming as what looks like a giant pancake falls on him.

Yeah that was good. Hiding up the tree! Sneaky blob.

Povidone · « **Reply #14 on:** February 19, 2021, 09:11:51 PM »

Quote from: Bad Ambassador on February 19, 2021, 01:03:00 AM

I recall some TV guide in their write-up describing Invasion of the Saucer Men thus: "Cabbage-headed aliens land on Earth and decide to take revenge on humanity after a drunk driver turns one of them into coleslaw."

I am conviced I once read a TV guide - think it was in The Times - listing Rocky IV alongside the very simple description "patriotic hogwash"

El Unicornio, mang · « **Reply #15 on:** February 19, 2021, 09:19:59 PM »

The trailer is a hoot. "Starring Steve McQueen and...a cast of exciting young people!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdUsyXQ8Wrs&ab_channel=RetroAlexander

I haven't seen it since I was a kid but might give it a rewatch. I recall it was said by many to be a rough metaphor for the "red menace" that everyone in America was petrified of at the time.

Bazooka · « **Reply #16 on:** February 19, 2021, 09:47:21 PM »

Pretty much every science fiction film from the US in that decade was woven with threads of social anxiety upon the fear of the Soviet Menace, and to "Stop worrying and love the bomb" etc. But you also have it being a teen flick, rather than it centering around a scientist or military man, the suburban town comes out triumphant.

El Unicornio, mang · « **Reply #17 on:** February 19, 2021, 10:01:01 PM »

True, the aforementioned Invaders from Mars (which terrified me as a kid) and Invasion of the Body Snatchers definitely had that in abundance, although more along the lines of people being "turned"/not to be trusted than the symbolism of a red invading blob.

Gulftastic · « **Reply #18 on:** February 20, 2021, 04:52:29 PM »

The Blob is one of those films that my memory tells me was on telly loads in my youth, but was probably only once or twice. I wonder if it being in the background of some Grease scenes has caused this minor Mandela effect?

bgmnts · « **Reply #19 on:** February 20, 2021, 04:53:33 PM »

Weren't all monster b movies like that though? Just boring with endless, slow dialogue going on and very rare glimpses of hot monster action?

St_Eddie · « **Reply #20 on:** February 21, 2021, 01:39:01 AM »

Beware of the blob, it creeps
And leaps and glides and slides
Across the floor
Right through the door
And all around the wall
A splotch, a blotch
Be careful of the blob

timebug · « **Reply #21 on:** February 21, 2021, 09:26:31 AM »

Brilliant stuff! Photos of various parts of the town, with melted jam slowly being poured across them! They don't make 'em like that anymore!

petercussing · « **Reply #22 on:** February 21, 2021, 10:52:18 AM »

Nice one, Honks, likewise.

Quote from: bgmnts on February 20, 2021, 04:53:33 PM

Weren't all monster b movies like that though? Just boring with endless, slow dialogue going on and very rare glimpses of hot monster action?

Indeed they are, i would put the caveat on my recommendations that this is true. There are lots of sections of just cars drving along in Panic in the Year Zero, for example.

I watched the Planet of the Vampires last night which was alright, had a good ending.

Die, Monster, Die is quite good, it's an old timey version of the Colors from Space by HP Saucecraft. Again, a load of sections of people just walking around but generally it's good.

Last Woman on Earth is pretty good, it's about the last 3 peeps in the world, 2 blokes and one lady and the beef that causes. I'm pretty sure A Quite Earth nabbed that aspect of the plot from this. Oh, yeah that film 5 i said was actually called Five for searching sake.

Target Earth is ok too. It's another, where the fuck is everyone gone? films, but with alans from out of the space that have punched the world up and follows some people mucking about in the empty city.

I remember liking Them as a nipper, dunno if that holds up, but giant ants attack is the plot.

The Quatermas films are good too if you've not eyeballed them up, i like the Pit most-est.

I thought i'd go through MST3K to help me think of good scifis i've seen so from there i'd recommend (but proper version, not mst3k):

The Crawling Eye AKA Trollenburg Terror
The SLime People (you can do a satire while watching this with someone and turn on PMQs, and lololololololol)
Untamed Youth (Teen panic film)
Lost Continent (Lost continent adventure with dino lizards)
Daddy-o (teen film)
It Conquered the world (which has an amazing monologue in)

That'll do for now

Oooooh, edit: i forgot I married a Monster from Outer Space which is good, kinda bodysnatcher-y, but with an added side of 50s men complaining about the old ball and chain as if getting married is the worst possible thing to ever happen to anyone.

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Author Topic: The Blob (1958) (Read 745 times)