This film sort of defines the image of 1950s B-sci fi/horror flicks. Two teens in love – Steve Andrews (Steve McQueen, BULLITT) and Jane Martin (Aneta Corsaut, TV’s THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW) – find themselves tormented by a killing machine from space.
In a sense, the filmmakers didn’t take the film all that seriously with the opening title song being a chipper, do-wop song about the Blob. That’s the other thing that drains the film of any real scares – the Blob. It’s a red goo that slowly creeps toward its victims. Surprisingly, the 1988 remake made the red goo seem scary… at least a little bit.
At first, Steve and Jane tell their tale of the Blob to the police who don’t believe them. This doesn’t stop the Blob from consuming very animal in its path. So Steve and Jane round up the teens in town to warn everyone.
There is a very aw-shucks feel to the film. The main highlight of the film is the star making turn by a 28-year-old McQueen. He’s actually very natural, unlike most of his co-stars, who seem like they were auditioning for THE INVASION OF THE BODYSNATCHERS. The story is simple and at times campy. There’s nothing special about it other than it serves as a time capsule of sorts for its generation.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
