The Blob (1958) & The Blob (1988)
Continuing our theme of taking a deep dive into an original film and its remake, this time we’re looking at a pair with exactly 30 years between them: The Blob, from 1958, and its 1988 remake. A lot had changed in those three decades, especially on the technical side, with advancements in special makeup effects definitely upping the ante on what we see on screen. But the remake also retains much of the same small-town feel and trappings of the original. With these two entries, it’s interesting to see the similarities just as much as how the remake plays out as its own creature, sometimes winking at the original but ultimately leaving its own gelatinous footprint.
For those out there that love to hate on remakes, here’s yet another pair that break the mold and had given us two entertaining entries. Sit back and enjoy!
Films mentioned in this episode:
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Jack H. Harris isn’t a name that immediately comes to mind, even for most horror fans, but it is because of this particular individual that we have one of the most original alien invaders in movie history, the 1958 film The Blob! Harris started in the business at the very young age of six, working as a performer on the stage. He later became an usher at a movie theater, eventually getting into publicity and distribution, finally becoming a producer. His first film was The Blob, but later gave us titles like 4D Man (1959), Dinosaurus! (1960), Equinox (1970), Beware! The Blob (1972), Schlock (1973) giving a young John Landis his start, Dark Star (1974), and Eyes of Laura Mars (1978). He also produced the 1988 remake of The Blob, though it seems he didn’t care for it too much.
For those who might not know (meaning this must be your first time at the site since I’m always going on about it), but I have a lot of reference books on the horror genre and those that have worked in it. While I try to read as much as I can, with everything else going on, it is so easy to slip by and not get any reading done. So last year I set a goal for myself to get through at least 12 books during the year, figuring a book a month on average would be a good start. At the end of that first year, I think I was one title away from hitting that goal. But this year, I blew by that goal, actually hit a grand total of 14 different titles.
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