The Blob (1958)

Yeah the information is down at the bottom of the page but you have to think to look for it. I'm having a Halloween video party and this was the movie I was going to play. Put it in last night only to find out that the damn thing won't play on my DVD player. Off to the mall tomorrow in hopes that I can find a copy there. Personally I think if someone is going to sell DVD's in the U.S. the region 2 information should be right at the top so you'd see it without having to think about looking for it. It's really the most critical thing most people buying this need to know so why bury it down on the bottom of the page?

Okay---you would probably have to have grown up in the fifties to truly appreciate this old movie. But it was well worth watching it with the grandkids. They were able to enjoy a creepy movie without being mentally disturbed by graphic scenes, raw footage of killing and bad language. I thoroughly enjoyed the trip down memory lane when I would have spent a whole dime, stood in line and gobbled popcorn while sitting frozen in my seat. There will be those who will miss the joy of that era and see nothing but corny. But I disagree. This was the height of fright while leaving childhood innocence in tact. Grandkids giggled nervously, buried their heads in pillows and LOVED it. Just like in the fifties, they're still talking about it. For me, worth every star given.

I am specifically reviewing the 2007 CineVu and NuMedia Entertainment DVD (TKCD 9801-9). It looks like Amazon has lumped reviews for multiple versions of The Blob together here. I didn't pay close enough attention given the large number of positive reviews.The quality of this DVD is poor. It appears to have been transferred from a video tape. It even has the characteristic couple of lines offset at the bottom of the screen, which I think TVs used to mask out. Resolution is low, color weak and washed out, static, lines, warping, and all manner of artifacts are present. The audio hiss will really take you back to the 80s.It's not unwatchable, but I'm sure that there must be much better transfers than this. I suggest you look for one and avoid this.

A B-movie from the 1950s (with special effects that are definitely good for its time, I appreciate the fact that CGI wasn't there to "bail out" the producer) w/ an A-lister like Steve McQueen that turned into a classic. I totally forgot that goofy song they made about "The Blob" at the beginning. If you want a good, clean, fun sci-fi flick, this is for you!

This is like watching a piece of history. Movies of the '50's featuring young people and monsters tend to pretty cheesy, and The Blob has its cheesy moments, but this is superior to most of the genre. The special effects are actually pretty convincing; the blob is sufficiently blob-like in its moments on screen. The plot, such as it is, works well. Some of the characters are cliches(good cop, bad cop, good girl w. "bad" boy), but they serve the story well. I bought this as a Christmas gift for my wife to replace an old VHS tape.

Unfortunately, although the movie is fantastic, the quality of the this DVD copy is subpar, so much so that I had to exchange it for another copy. The second version I got had this movie plus the movie entitled "Beware! The Blob", although that movie is just awful, but for an extra dollar it was well worth switching out the DVD's because the second one I received, as far as quality is concerned, is head and shoulders above this printed copy. I did appreciate Amazon allowing me to do that so five stars for their customer service.

Nightmares through my whole childhood, although I've since come to like X: The Unknown even better as blob movies go (and they're among my favorites). Still, this is a virtually flawless movie set in a very real locale. That's why the nightmares...Downingtown was for all intents and purposes where I lived.

As a family we watched old horror movies the weekend before Halloween. On the list was Christopher Lee's Dracula, Phantom of the Opera, the original The Thing from Another World with James Arness, Day of the Triffids and The Blob. The grand kids got a kick out of them. It was a fun weekend that proved to kids today horror movies don't have to be gory to be scary.

When it comes to good old fashioned horror movies, The Blob is one of those films that always gets mentioned. Whether it's down to the fact it's so silly or has become a bit of time capsule of the 1950's america, the fact remains that The Blob has a cult following and for good reason. This Criterion release of the movie is hands down the best quality release this film has ever seen.The Blob was originally released all the way back in 1958. The film is an independently made movie directed by Irvin Yeaworth and Produced by Jack H. Harris. The concept of the film came from the two writers Kay Linaker and Theodore Simonson. The film is most famous for the fact that it stars Steve McQueen, an actor who hadn't previously worked in a feature film and went onto greater things.The story behind the film is as simple as most science fiction films of the time. A great space rock shoots across the sky, over the head of McQueen and lands in some isolated woods. The object is found by some random old man who proceeds to crack it open and become the first human sized meal for The Blob. After running around in panic, the old man runs into McQueen's character and is quickly taken to the local doctor. This is where the shapeless creature starts his rampage as it tries to devour a towns worth of people. McQueen and the rest of his "teenage" chums go out their way to try convince the local police force and adult population that something is going on creating the simple but effective story for The Blob.The film is certainly a sign of the times. When you look at the outfits in the film, the lingo used by the younger characters, the films theme song and even the cars, you realise just how much this film has preserved a certain part of American history. What's great about all this just how well the print for the film has been looked after. This Criterion edition has very little damage to it. The picture quality is extremely sharp with a lot of of striking colours and an impressive amount of clarity. The film looks like it could be a window into tomorrow.Of course with the film being an independent production, the acting is awfully wooden in places and the special effects are not very convincing. Steve McQueen as a whole isn't as captivating as he is in his later films, but that is to be expected for his first feature film. But there are a lot of great one liners and as "tacky" as the special effects are by today's standards, they're still fun to watch. It may not be realistic and the scenery behind the blob are obviously one dimensional, but at least we know that gooey mass is real. Something that can't be said for the CGI monsters of modern times.The Blob isn't the greatest horror film out there and it's not scary by any means, not by today's standards. But what it lacks in scares it makes up for it in charm. It's a wonderful little fun that is still extremely fun to watch and I highly recommend picking up this fantastic Criterion print.

The gooey 1958 sci-fi/horror classic The Blob makes it's second appearance on UK Blu ray this time as part of the prestigious Criterion collection. Featuring the same (Criterion sourced) 4k transfer as the previous UK release from Fabulous Films this also carries over all of the extra features from Criterion's identical US edition which were absent from the first aforementioned UK disc making this the preferable version overall. Please note that this is region B compatible for the UK, Europe and Australia.Synopsis:It takes a very special 50's sci-fi B movie to make it into the Criterion Collection hall of fame, rubbing shoulders with the cinema elite and visionary artists of the world. Bergman, Kurosawa, Felini, Anderson, Hitchcock to name but a very few of the eclectic ensemble all have pictures inaugurated in this who's who in the world of arthouse cinema, contemporary classics and important pictures of the last century. Well someone at Criterion must hold Irvin S.Yeahworth. Jnr's 1958 version of The Blob in very high regard as this ridiculous, low budget slice of drive-in Technicolour silliness graces the collection on a third format after being previously available on both Laserdisc and DVD. Could it be because of a breakthrough leading role for the one Steve McQueen on the cusp of stardom, who would go onto be a Hollywood legend and leading man in some of the most well remembered movies of the 60's or could it be the influence this modest little picture had on a whole generation of young movie goers and sci-fi buffs alike with its inventive use of special effects and unique atmosphere all achieved on a shoestring budget. It is an addition to this highbrow collection that is puzzling and like Arthur Crabtree's equally gloopy English sci-fi feature "Fiend Without A Face" remains one of the oddest movies (for it's inclusion at any rate) in the whole of the Criterion catalogue.The story begins with likeable teen rebel Steve Andrews (Steve McQueen who was actually 28 at the time) taking his latest squeeze Jane (Aneta Corsuat) on a midnight drive. As the two lovers embrace they witness a fiery meteorite crash nearby in a rather spectacular fashion. Forgetting his concerns about persuading Jane that she is the only girl he ever brings to this favourite star gazing spot, Steve dashes off to investigate the whereabouts of the piece of space debris. Unfortunately the arrival of the small scrap intergalactic rock didn't go unnoticed by a nearby farmer (Olin Howlin of Them!) who promptly finds the landing spot and naturally pokes it with a stick causing the meteorite to split into segments allowing a blobby substance to ooze from within. After only seconds the alien invader has slid up the stick and onto the old man's hand where it attaches itself parasite like. Desperate for help he makes for the road where he is found by Steve and Jane who are driving back to town after their little smooching session and half-hearted attempt to find the meteorite. Packing the traumatised old timer in his car, Steve rushes him to the local town quack Dr. Hallen (Stephen Chase) who promptly decides that amputation may be the only route. Advising Steve and Jane to return to where they found the old man in order look for clues or even possible witnesses Dr. Hallen returns to his patient only to find that he has vanished. Searching the surgery he finds the gelatinous blob has considerably doubled in size and is now blood red most probably as a result of consuming it's last victim. Cornering the practice nurse the interstellar amoeba soon turns aggressive just in time for young Steve to return to town and witness it attack and kill Doc Hallen. Naturally the misunderstood Steve attempts to inform the police but despite the sincerity of his account the local constabulary with the exception of the more open minded and nonjudgmental Lt. Dave (Earl Rowe) believe the kids to be pulling a prank and promptly call their parents to take them home. Doing what teens always do in these types of movies, Steve and Jane creep out of their beds and past their sleeping parents where they enlist the help of a group of young drag racing hoodlums in an attempt to wake the oblivious residents and alert all to the presence of the grotesque ball of ever expanding space slime before it devours the whole town and maybe even the world.Though the title alone would no doubt cause a few guffaws (as could the groovy opening music by Burt Bacharach), The Blob is a surprisingly accomplished piece of work despite it's budgetary constraints and occasional technical mishaps. At a slight 82 minutes the teens vs. adults vs. alien story is streamlined and well paced with a handful of memorable and genuinely well executed sequences with or without the titular blob whilst the kitchy Edward Hopper style small town atmosphere is priceless. True it is hard to swallow a nearly 30 year old Steve McQueen (or any other of his young pals played here by adult actors) as a squeaky clean teen who gets scoldings from the police and sent to bed by his father but then McQueen's boyscout persona and cheeky charismatic smile iron out some of the issues thrown up by the casting choice, half making you believe the adolescent claim. The remainder of the cast are hardly household names but mostly seasoned (but no less professional) character actors who you may recognise from TV shows of the era or minor parts in bigger movies.As to be expected though the low budget manifests itself in the special effects which at times appear rather primitive and simple in their execution utilising opticals and matte paintings but are nevertheless one of the reasons fans may find the movie so endearing. Undoubtedly the use of Technicolor heightens the yuck factor too as the massive orb of gleaming, pulsating red gelatine consumes every living thing it passes over which of course would've intrigued 50's audiences more accustomed to movies of this genre being filmed in monochrome black & white. I'm sure this didn't hurt reissues and TV airings either which would've kept the movie in the public's subconscious especially with that apt and memorable title until the arrival of it's sequel "Beware Of The Blob" in 1972 and the far more visceral remake in 1988. Indeed the finalé as the blob, frozen by CO2 is airlifted to the Arctic, Lt. Dave responds with "At least we got it stopped" only for Steve McQueen to utter "As long as the Arctic stays cool" which of course is more thought provoking in our own current climate than it would have been back in the 1950's for different reasons entirely.Picture:The original 1958 version of The Blob arrives on Blu ray with an astonishingly good AVC encoded MPEG 4 1080p transfer framed at the correct aspect ratio of 1.66:1. According to the liner notes this was scanned in 4k from the original 35mm camera negative with the exception of reel 5 which was so badly damaged had to be taken from a 35mm interpositive. To be completely honest I only found about about this after watching the movie and I didn't really notice any jarring difference between the interpositive footage and that from the OCN.The resulting transfer is an absolute delight displaying an exceptionally natural viewing experience which remains gloriously filmic throughout. The grain structure is impeccable and thanks to strong compression provides a wonderfully organic appearance which truly captures the low budget essence and grassroots feel of the movie. Detail is incredible, preserving close ups with ease and texturing is visibly apparent whether it be on costuming, foliage or the 50's decor. The film has an agreeable thickness to the visuals too which I often associate with pictures from the 50's and 60's but depth and dimensionality both remain solid and this looks excellent in motion.Black levels are also very pleasing penetrating even the darkest areas of the frame whilst shadow detail never fails to open up the many twilight portions of the movie. Contrast is also handled comfortably delivering perfect clarity.As to be expected the ravishing Technicolor pallette is simply gorgeous with the bold, perfectly saturated primaries bursting from the screen. Thankfully reds are deep with great intensity which easily showcase the blood red mass of the blob itself or the swirling red on black opening credits whilst blues are equally adept and precise. I did note that skin tones took on an odd yellow/orange tinge which I can only put down to the stage make-up used during filming. Thankfully all other colours in the spectrum are reproduced well with the softer pastel hues of the period clothing and blander furnished interiors appearing true to source.Thanks to Criterion's thorough restoration and clean up, image quality remained steadfast throughout the modest runtime exhibiting little in the way of age related defects. I noticed occasional focusing problems in certain scenes which were no doubt a direct issue with the original cinematography and not a fault with the transfer.A wonderful rendition of a low budget 1950's Technicolor cult favourite.Sound:Criterion provide an uncompressed 24bit LPCM 1.0 monaural mix at 1152kbps remastered from the original 35mm magnetic soundtrack. Clarity is perfectly adequate with crisp, clear dialogue reproduction and sharp foley work whilst ambient effects nicely open up the soundstage despite the cramped confines of the single channel. As is mostly the case with lossless mono tracks the main benefit is the score which displays exceptional dynamic range with detailed mids and clear transparent highs. I'm sure Burt Bacharach's lively theme music has ever sounded better with beautiful fidelity and warmth.The only downside was some audible hiss but never enough to ruin the overall enjoyment.Extras:Though hardly what you would call stacked compared to other titles in The Criterion Collection what is in offer here which consists of two audio commentaries should please most Blob enthusiasts although these were available on the old DVD release from 2000.The first chat track provides input from producer Jack H. Harris along with film historian Bruce Eder. The two gentlemen go on to talk about monster movie making of the period as Mr. Harris produced a fair few including 4D Man and Dinosaurus as well as the 1988 remake of The Blob. As to be expected they cover the impact this film had on the drive-in movie theatres, working with Steve McQueen and the locations used during production.The second commentary features director Irvin S. Yeahworth and actor Robert Fields who played teen Tony Gressette in The Blob and who also appeared in The Stepford Wives and They Shoot Horses, Don't They? This is another track which explores the production of the movie with Yeahworth in particular going into detail on how he managed to convince the audience that there was a huge, blobby alien invader on the loose with an extremely limited budget. Both men also fondly recall working with Steve McQueen.Also included is "Blobabilia" which is a extravagant collection of stills and props from the movie courtesy of Blob fanatic and memorabilia collector Wes Swank who grew up near the Pennsylvanian shooting locations for the film.To round things off is the original theatrical trailer presented in 1080p and fold out liner notes which includes an essay by English film critic Kim Newman.Conclusion:The Blob has always seemed an odd choice for the usually highbrow Criterion Collection but in many ways could be looked upon as a watershed moment for low budget science fiction B movies thanks to it's use of lurid Technicolor and the casting choice of Steve McQueen. Other than that this is a fairly basic alien invasion feature which also includes a little teenage angst to flesh out it's characters along with some fairly inventive special effects considering its paltry budget.Criterion's disc rewards fans with a strong picture transfer and equally potent uncompressed audio although extras could seem somewhat light. Recommended.

Let's not beat about the bush here - this film is awful. Edited by Stevie Wonder, continuity by Ray Charles, special effects by Blue Peter, written by Joey Essex, acted out by a talentless troop of travelling turkeys (sorry, Steve), and directed by Professor Stephen Hawking without his voicebox. Apparently, Steve McQueen turned down a smaller fee with a 10% profit share in favour of a larger fee and no profit share. The movie then went on to make $4,000,000 at the box office, which ballooned even more as my favourite movie star of all time became the household Hollywood name we all know today. I just hope McQueen didn't go to his grave regretting that decision, because, quite frankly, who in their right mind would ever have guessed this laughable Z-movie about a slow-moving lump of red jelly would ever have gone on to make over forty million dollars in its pitiful lifespan? Forty million dollars worldwide since 1958! You have got to be chuffing well kidding me!!! I mean, it isn't even funny bad. It's just baaaaaad.Pass the Xanax.

Classic 1950's science fiction starring a youngish Steve McQueen where teenagers (yes, teenagers) save the day, hipcat. When Steve finds a blob on the end of a pensioner, he then spends all his time trying to convince the old folk who just don't believe him. By the time anyone listens, the blob has absorbed many people and grown larger. If only those oldies hadn't been such a drag, man. This fabulous films/freemantle Blu-ray release is presented in 1:67:1 and has a very high bit rate in the mid to late 30's before a precipitous drop mid way through the film. This would leave me to believe that it is the same transfer used by US Criterion region A release. The image quality is very good given its age although at times some shots look a bit on the soft side. Aside from some grain in the darker scenes, the picture is generally excellent with no pops, white spots, frame wobbles, scratches or hairs in the gate. The audio is clear and understandable. Unfortunately, there are no English subtitles for the hard of hearing. In contrast to the Criterion release which has two commentaries, this Blu-ray only has a series of image galleries and a trailer. If you're a fan of 50's sci-fi then this is a must-have and if you don't like it, you're square, daddio.

After witnessing a meteorite crash to earth, Steve Andrews and his girlfriend, Jane Martin, played respectively by Steve McQueen and Aneta Corsaut, go to investigate. The meteorite turns out to be a small 'blob' similar to jelly. The 'blob' rapidly grows in size, when it starts to attach itself to things, namely people. After reporting the incident to the police, they flatly deny to believe their story, until it's too late.This is a classic 50's American SC-FI movie aimed at the teenage market of the period. There were a lot of films in this genre in the 50's, mainly in Black and White, this was one of the few made in colour, and aptly fits in with the rest. Interestingly Steve McQueen is billed on the credits as Steven McQueen. The print used for this transfer is the same one that Criterion used in the U.S. Which was a new digital 4K transfer.There are no major scratches or dirt, but there is a layer of digital noise. However, it is not heavy, and not always visible, and does not spoil the enjoyment of watching the film. This is the first time that this film has been available on blu ray in the U.K. If you like the old American 50's SC-FI movies, you should enjoy this one.Picture Quality is good, with natural colours. The original aspect ratio was 1.66:1. This transfer is in 1.67:1 which is the same as the U.S. version. The sound is in the original mono.