On Vox: The Blob (1958)
TheBlob.jpg
Release Year: 1958
Director: Irvin S. Yeaworth, Jr.
Ah, 1950's sci-fi. Where the creatures were horrible effects, most of the characters just as dense and the threat of being eaten by a space monster was ever present. Steven McQueen (later to be known as Steve McQueen) headlines this low-budget shocker about a mound of interstellar purple Jell-O which engulfs residents in a small town. The biggest shock is that only the teenagers believe its real, leading to the adults dismissing every single claim until the monster oozes down Main Street.
Clocking in at an economical and lean 86 minutes, The Blob doesn't quite understand how to build suspense for an audience. We see the titular monster at very nearly the beginning of film. It's not scary in any way to the audience, so you have to wonder: why didn't we see silhouettes or small glimpses of the monster instead of the whole thing almost instantly? The proper way to get an audience emotionally invested in a film like this is to dole out small peeks at what is going to terrify the characters, not show it all at once. Worse, the effects used for the blob are even worse. Imagine a Jell-O mold being wiggled on a dish and filmed. There you have it.
This is a typical sci-fi flick from back in the day. Misunderstood kids, an alien from outer space...probably very scary in its time. Not so much today. You can't even say this is a classic like the infamously bad Plan 9 From Outer Space. The Blob is uninvolving, unimpressive and more than a tad dull.
Originally posted on themovierambler.vox.com