Intergalactic Goo Takes Over the World

After watching The Haunting, I think you're going to need a horror film that isn't exactly horrifying. One of the first handful in the independent film tradition, a celebrated B-movie, a drive-in movie favorite and starring the illustrious Steve McQueen, just about everyone has heard of or seen a parody of The Blob. I couldn't find a full version on the internet that would play for me, but a YouTube user has split the film into parts, if you want to watch that here.

The Blob has a somewhat unbelievable plot, though you must take into consideration, it is the mother of all Fifties drive-in horror films. The Blob itself an a weird goo-like substance that is transported to earth during a meteor crash to a small town in Pennsylvania. The old man, who's property the Blob landed on, goes out to investigate and is soon attacked by the Blob. The man, in fear, runs and is nearly hit by two teenagers out on a date. He begs them to take him to the local doctor. The doctor discovers that the Blob slowly absorbs all humans it comes in contact with, only to be eaten himself. The blob then goes on a horrific path of trying to eat every person in sight, growing larger and larger as it does. It is up to the teenagers to save the world from the Blob's gluttonous conquest of Earth.

So, yes, not really an Oscar contender here. It's not the best film I've ever seen, not the worst. It's really a toss up to individual taste whether you will regard this one as a horror movie or a comedy. Most tend to put it into the latter category, even those who saw it when it was first released. This is a movie made for the times when the Cold War was brewing, Sputnik was in the air, and everyone was a little worried about what might be "out there" in the universe. Still, it has a lot to say to modern audiences.

Just some quick and random facts about a movie that is frighteningly funny to me personally. The old man in the first few sequences is played by legendary film actor Olin Howland, a name not many may recognize. Howland's film career covered over 200 movies, going all the way back to the days of silent film. The Blob was his last picture. The Blob has developed a cult following and is widely considered a cult movie nowadays. The film has its own website, which you can access here and several sequels and remakes of the film have been made. Horror collector Wes Shank owns the rights to the film and you can read an interview with him about it here. The swinging theme song to the movie was written by Burt Bacharach and Mack David and you can listen to it here, courtesy of kingtet.com, who have posted it for free to listen to. Don't just give it a few seconds listen either. If you listen long enough, you get to hear the lyrics!

The Blob is a classic movie, though what type of classic is perhaps yet to be determined. Still, people have been enjoying this film for fifty years now and that proves that it is capable of standing the test of time.