The Blob (1988) β¦ Member of the Month: Full-Length Watchalong Reaction
Added 2025-10-28 23:30:02 +0000 UTCThank you to Vincent for picking this for his Member of the Month win! Wow, the effects were wild here. Definitely understand why it's lumped in with The Thing and The Fly so often. I definitely made some hilarious faces during this movie. π
Please enjoy! Looking forward to your comments. π [Direct link here.]
β¦ KL
PS. I experimented with a further zoomed-out look for the review just to see what that might look like - don't love it, so it's only for this review that it will be like that haha. Enjoy the new reaction look!
Comments
This movie, along with Robocop, played frequently on cable when I was a child. Both movies feature some pretty gnarly effects depicting melting-flesh body horror... and consequently, both movies scarred me.
WastedPo
2025-10-30 12:39:23 +0000 UTCPaul's death, though it was first, was actually the last effect to be filmed. All the other effects were seen as test runs, in a way, to see what worked and what didn't, and to make sure the first on-screen death really set the tone for the rest of the movie.
Vincent Hollow
2025-10-29 15:19:43 +0000 UTCSo at the end when Flagg is stuck in the ice truck, they had originally planned (and made) a version of The Blob filled with multiple townsfolk in various states of digestion that you could see as it enveloped the truck, similar to how we saw the Sheriff against the phone booth. But the night before, when it was put in a freezer to be used for shooting the next day, the door did not completely close, and ended up being ruined. There wasn't time for a second attempt, so they had to use a Blob without the bodies inside.
Vincent Hollow
2025-10-29 15:14:14 +0000 UTCYes! I knew I knew his face! One of the most memorable scenes in RoboCop was his death hahaha
Movies with KL
2025-10-29 07:09:37 +0000 UTCTo be honest, even though all three are considered high watermarks in practical gore effects and came out in the same decade, I never considered the relationship between The Thing, The Fly, and The Blob. Thinking about it, I'd say you hit the nail on the head, not least of the reasons being there is also a *third* connection, which is that all three are remakes of 1950s horror movies, and you could argue that a fourth one is that, although the original Blob gets a little bit of love for being a certain type of kitschy early monster movie, all three have probably eclipsed their predecessors (not least of the reasons being that, in my opinion, the original 1958 Blob is one of the most boring movies I have ever seen). Not sure what poster is on the movie theater, but it's not The Thing, as you can see there is a woman's face in the corner. The face in the window of the phone booth is poor Sheriff Herb. You can tell because his badge can also be seen pressed up against the window. When he and Fran made plans to spend time with each other that evening, I don't think it's what either of them had in mind. Also, speaking of that sequence, the part that always sticks out to me, even moreso than the guy going down the drain, is the way Fran practically splatters like she's made of liquid when the phone booth finally gives way. The one person from the cast I know you have seen before would be Paul McCrane, who played one of Clarence Boddicker's villainous gang in RoboCop. He was the one who meets his end in a manner that you could have honestly dropped right into this movie, getting melted by toxic waste and then splattered across Clarence's windshield.
Tyler Foster
2025-10-29 05:46:49 +0000 UTCI have to disagree slightly: I think Chuck Russell is probably slightly more famous for directing The Mask (1994). I might then also say that this is slightly more notable in his career than Nightmare 3, just because the effects are so groundbreaking and it has all of these future talents involved, whereas Nightmare 3 is considered "one of the better sequels," which is certainly good but I think probably a step down.
Tyler Foster
2025-10-29 05:35:44 +0000 UTCShawnee Smith, who played Meg, would go on record to say how she doesn't like to watch horror movies (but okay with starring in them), but in 2004, she would regain popularity when she starred in the cult classic, SAW.
Vincent Hollow
2025-10-29 01:54:32 +0000 UTCThe writer, Frank Darabont, would later direct adaptations of Stephen King's The Shawshank Redemption, The Green Mile, and The Mist. He also worked on early seasons of The Walking Dead. The director, Chuck Russell, is most well-known for directing the best of the Elm Street sequels, 3: Dream Warriors.
Vincent Hollow
2025-10-29 01:46:33 +0000 UTCFor my bachelor party, I didn't want to do anything big and crazy cause I'm super introverted, so my friends and I watched The Blob on a projector in my backyard by a bonfire with msrshmallows. It was awesome, especially since no once else had heard of it, let alone seen it before. Boy, they were unprepared. π
Vincent Hollow
2025-10-29 01:39:35 +0000 UTCI'm so glad you enjoyed the movie, KL! This is good to follow The Fly because after bawling your eyes out, you can laugh at Flagg licking the deputy's face. π€£
Vincent Hollow
2025-10-29 01:27:56 +0000 UTCSweeeeeeeeeeeet...
Steve Mercier
2025-10-29 00:07:50 +0000 UTC
