Saturday Review: The Blob

This is Fiziko’s review, but he’s in transit and unable to post. However, we will be sharing Saturday Reviews over the next month or so.

Cast, Crew, and Other Info

Steve McQueen as Steve Andrews
Aneta Corsaut as Jane Martin
Earl Rowe as Lt. Dave

Written by Kay Linaker, Irving H. Millgate, and Theodore Simonson
Directed by Irvin S. Yeaworth, Jr.

Complete information is available from the IMDB.

There are a few DVD versions available, ranging from dirt cheap (Buy from: Amazon.com or Amazon.ca) to the Criterion Collection (Amazon.com)

Past movie reviews can be found here.

Premise

A gelatinous mass from outer space lands on earth and starts devouring people at an alarming rate.

High Point

Trying to choose a hat.

Low Point

Dropping the dog plotline.

The Scores

This wasn’t an original concept. (In fact, the teenagers in the movie spend some time watching a similar movie.) The actual monster design was original, but the rest of the teen horror flick was very well known and overused. I give it 3 out of 6.

The effects were decent for the era. Some simplistic tricks were used with perspectives to make the blob seem larger or farther away, and the blob itself looked a bit cheesy. For the budget and era, they did a pretty good job, but it’s still not convincing. I give it 4 out of 6.

The story was predictable and simplistic, which probably comes as no surprise. This wasn’t meant to be a thinking film, just a fun horror flick. I give it 3 out of 6.

The acting was just plain bad all around. There’s simply no other way to describe it. The actors read the bad dialogue with little or no inflection. I give it 2 out of 6.

The emotional response was strong, but did not involve any horror. This was a fun movie to watch, and that’s about it. I give it 4 out of 6.

The production is terrible, with several poor decisions made, starting with the choice of the theme music. I give it 2 out of 6.

Overall, it’s fun, but in no way scary. I give it 2 out of 6.

In total, The Blob receives 20 out of 42.

One reply

  1. So bad, so clasic
    This film is so bad, but so clasic, that despite all the shortcomings it should be given a honorary score higher than the 20 points it [rightfully] earned. Something like receiving an honorary degree.

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