#12: The Blob (1988)

"Vicki!!!"

A strange meteorite comes to ground on the outskirts of the small town of Arborville, California, unleashing a horrifying organism that gains mass as it absorbs its prey. When it's first victim, an elderly hobo, is discovered by the town's local delinquent (Kevin Dillon as Brian Flagg) the task falls to him to convince the townsfolk that they are all in terrible danger before the blob devours them all- but who is going to believe the town pariah? I mean, besides a popular cheerleader that he's secretly had a crush on since grade school?

This film is a hell of lot of fun, and for that reason alone it managed to claw (slither?) its way past other movies that are, technically, far superior to it. But this is a film that knows that its nothing more than a run-of-the-mill monster movie, and revels in all of the classic cliches of horror films. It even has a hilarious slasher film within the film that mercilessly rips on the genre ("Wait a second . . . hockey season ended months ago!") It also helps that the film's jokes are genuinely funny- perhaps the result of how many screenwriters worked on the film (including Chuck Russell and Frank Darabont.)

Ribbed. Ha ha.

The film's biggest strength, though, is its special effects, which are incredibly good considering how low-rent of a movie this is. I sometimes wonder if so much of the budget was blown on the monster that they couldn't afford real actors. I mean, it says something that one of the more recognizable cast members is that guy who gets melted in Robocop.

That said, you really also couldn't ask for a better protagonist than Kevin Dillon (better known these days for his hilarious turn as Johnny Chase on Entourage,) who really fits the tone of The Blob perfectly. His transformation from "rebel-without-a-cause" punk to unlikely hero is a lot of fun to watch, and he's a perfect foil to the shadowy government agents who show up in the film's third act.

All fun aside, The Blob can be fairly horrifying - especially when you think about what it would be like to be digested while you were still alive. The Blob kills a lot of people that you might have thought would have survived the film, and director Chuck Russell is certainly not shy when it comes to gore. I saw this when it came out on HBO back in the early nineties, and I have to admit it freaked me out. The scene with the woman in the engulfed phone booth is like something out of a nightmare, and the chase scene that follows the movie theater massacre always manages to have me on the edge of my seat.

If you want to check this one out, do yourself a favor and get together with some friends who don't take movies that seriously, make some popcorn, and have a few drinks. I guarantee a good time will ensue.

Check in tomorrow for #11!