The Blob
Directed by Chuck Russell
- horror
- science fiction
- thriller
The story
In Arborville, California, three high school students try to protect their hometown from a gelatinous alien life form that engulfs everything it touches.
What it’s like
Bright, saturated suburban daylight gives way to sickly green and sodium-orange night in this 1988 creature feature, with practical slime effects that look wet, heavy and gleefully disgusting: gelatinous red goo oozing under doors, dripping from ceilings, swallowing bodies whole. Camera work is punchy and kinetic, with fast cuts, low angles on the monster and cramped handheld moments in the hospital corridors and diner where the tension tightens, all underscored by a loud, synth-heavy score that pulses over the screams. The vibe is campy, teen-slasher-meets-B-movie horror with a cold, quarantine-thriller edge once the town is sealed off. The pacing is brisk and escalating, the mood more mischievous than mournful, with young leads who banter and bluff their way through a community that refuses to believe them. Violence is frequent and graphic in a squishy, cartoonish way: people are dissolved, crushed and dragged off, with plenty of gore and some jump-scare terror, but little lingering cruelty. It suits a Halloween night with friends, or a midnight watch for anyone who loves old-school monster movies with practical goo and a wink.
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