Film Review: The Blob (1958)

Fate can be capricious when it comes to the careers of Hollywood's grandest stars. Steve McQueen, often hailed as the epitome of "cool", owed his stardom to a film that is anything but "cool" - the 1958 low-budget science fiction horror film, The Blob, directed by Irvin S. Yeaworth Jr.

The plot unfolds in a small Pennsylvania town, where local teenager Steve Andrews (played by McQueen) and his girlfriend Jane Martin (played by Aneta Coursant) witness a meteorite crashing nearby while on a lovers' lane date. Curiosity piqued, Steve investigates and discovers Barney (played by Ollin Howland), an old man with a strange, painful goo attached to his arm. Steve and Jane take Barney to Dr. Hallen (played by Stephen Chase), the local physician, whose efforts to help prove futile. It turns out that Barney has been attacked by a dangerous, amoeba-like creature that consumes its victims and grows in size, threatening everything in its wake. After Dr. Hallen and several others fall prey to "the Blob", Steve tries to warn the police and fellow citizens of the danger, but his story initially appears too fantastic for anyone to believe.

Produced by Philadelphia film distributor Jack H. Harris, who tried his hand at film production, The Blob had a local flavor, with its premise inspired by the discovery of "star jelly" in Pennsylvania and its setting and filming locations in the state. What the audience could have seen in the film is a low-budget textbook example of a B-movie in the science fiction and horror genres, filling the programs of grindhouse and drive-in cinemas, which would later become objects of mockery and TV shows like Mystery Science Theatre 3000.

Despite its limitations, The Blob has some elements working in its favor, most notably the pretty decent special effects for an extremely low budget and a short running time that allows for a quick pace, not allowing the audience to be too bored or too perceptive of the film's many shortcomings. Some of these shortcomings have to do with the cast; McQueen was hardly one of Hollywood's best actors, and The Blob, made at a time when he was only beginning to make his mark on film and television, definitely doesn't belong to his best performances, but compared to his peers in the film, he looks like Laurence Olivier.

The biggest problem lies in the script, which takes too much time establishing characters, most of whom are burdened by terrible dialogue. The actual mystery of the alien monster's origin and its attack on the town seem artificially inserted into the standard drama about the life of teenagers in a 1950s small American town. This effect is further exacerbated by Ralph Carmichael's music score, which is used at the wrong scenes and makes The Blob sound like a cheap television film.

What ultimately rescued this film was the theme song "The Blob", written by Burt Bacharach and Mack David. The silly novelty tune at the very beginning telegraphs to the audience that the film shouldn't be taken too seriously and can be enjoyed as a "so bad it's good" kind of film.

Despite being disliked by critics, The Blob proved immensely popular among drive-in audiences, especially teenagers, and, together with the television series Wanted Dead or Alive, made McQueen a proper star. The Blob gradually built a cult status around it, which reflected in Beware! The Blob, a 1972 sequel directed by Larry Hagman, known as his best-known directorial effort. In 1988, Chuck Russell directed a remake with a bigger budget, better special effects, and a more serious approach to the plot.

RATING: 5/10 (++)

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