| The Blob | |
| Distributor: | Paramount Pictures |
| Released: | 1958-present |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Budget: | $12,338,776 (3 films) |
| Gross: | ~$19,350,000 (3 films) |
The Blob franchise consists of American science fiction monster-horror films, including the Steve McQueen-led original, its campy comedic sequel, and its remake. Based on an original story by Irving H. Millgate, the plot centers around the invasion of Earth by an amoeboidal creature from a different planet that emerges from a meteorite and feasts on anything that it comes into contact with. The story of each installment includes the resistance of the planet's inhabitants, and their attempts to thwart the monster's advances.
The 1958 original film was met initially with mixed critical reception,[1] but was a financial successes at the box office, making a large return for the studio despite its B-movie micro-sized production budget. Becoming more popular than the top-billed film in its debut double feature release, The Blob (1958) has been deemed a horror classic of U.S. cinema, by modern day critics who cite its influence over contemporary films.[2] [3]
Its 1972 sequel was likewise met with mixed reception from critics, and ultimately lost money at the box office. In the years since, criticisms regarded the change of genre, its comedy style, and the inclusion of hippie plotlines calling it a "relic" of its time;[4] while the cast and their performance were stated as being notable.[5] [6]
The 1988 remake was also met with mixed reviews from critics,[7] while being deemed a box office bomb upon its release.[8] Despite these early reactions, the film has gained a following of fans, and is often regarded as one of the greatest remakes in the history of horror films, earning its classification as a cult classic by modern film critics; some even consider it better than the original.[9] [10] [11]
As of 2015, a reboot film was said to have been in development.
| Film | U.S. release date | Director | Screenwriters | Story by | Producer(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Blob | Irvin Yeaworth | Kay Linaker & Theodore Simonson | Jack H. Harris | |||
| Beware! The Blob | Larry Hagman | Anthony Harris & Jack Woods | Jack H. Harris and Richard Clair | |||
| The Blob | Chuck Russell | Chuck Russell & Frank Darabont | Irving H. Millgate | Jack H. Harris and Elliott Kastner | ||
| Untitled film | David Bruckner | David Bruckner and Carey W. Hayes & Chad Hayes | Carey W. Hayes & Chad Hayes | David S. Goyer and Keith Levine | ||
See main article: The Blob. The Blob, directed by Irvin Yeaworth, written by Kay Linaker and Theodore Simonson, and starring Steve McQueen and Aneta Corsaut, follows a carnivorous amoeboidal alien that crashes to Earth from outer space inside a meteorite, landing near the small communities of Phoenixville and Downingtown, Pennsylvania, which envelops living beings, growing larger, redder in color, and more aggressive as it moves along.
See main article: article and Beware! The Blob. Beware! The Blob, directed by Larry Hagman, written by Anthony Harris and Jack Woods III from a story by Jack H. Harris and Richard Clair, and starring Robert Walker and Gwynne Gilford, follows the titular blob fifteen years on from the events of the previous film, as it is unfrozen by an oblivious pipeline engineer, and teenagers must face off against it as it consumes more and more people.
See main article: article and The Blob (1988 film). The Blob, a remake of the 1958 film directed by Chuck Russell, co-written by Russell with Frank Darabont, and starring Kevin Dillon and Shawnee Smith, follows an acidic, amoeba-like organism that crashes down to Earth in a military satellite, landing near the small community of Arborville, California, and devouring and dissolving anything in its path as it grows.
In August 2009, it was announced that a reboot of the franchise was in development, with Rob Zombie serving as writer, director, and producer. The filmmaker stated that his adaptation would be different from the original, with a darker tone; stating that his "intention is not to have a big red blobby thing", and that it's "the first thing [he] want[ed] to change". The production was intended to be R-rated, with Zombie stating that it would primarily be a science fiction movie with horror elements. Richard Saperstein, Brian Witten, Jack H. Harris, Judith Parker Harris, and Andy Gould were announced as additional producers on the project. At that time the project was announced to a joint-venture production between The Genre Co., Dimension Films, and Worldwide Entertainment Corporation. Principal photography was scheduled to commence in spring of 2010, with a budget of $30 million total.[12] [13] [14] Zombie later stepped down from the position however, citing creative differences and due to multiple delays.[15] Carey W. Hayes and Chad Hayes wrote the next draft of the script during this time.
In January 2015, the project re-entered development with Simon West signed on as director. Richard Saperstein and Brian Witten were to serve as producers, while producer of the original film, Jack H. Harris would serve as executive producer. The project would utilize CGI special effects to portray the titular monster. Principal photography was tentatively scheduled for that summer. Goldcrest Films, Taewon Entertainment, and A-List Corporation were intended to serve as the production studios, while Goldcrest was intended to distribute the project.[16] West classified the film as a science fiction monster movie featuring alien invasion which would explore the extra terrestrial in greater detail, stating that it would be similar to Alien and Predator.[17] By May 2021, following various degrees of development hell, the project was delayed once more with producers citing the COVID-19 pandemic as one of the reasons. Despite this, the producers filed a lawsuit stating that the coronavirus extends their contract deadline to continue retaining the film rights.[18]
By January 2024, West had stepped down from his role as director, following a resolution to the rights dispute. David Bruckner was hired to write and direct, with David S. Goyer and Keith Levine attached as producers and Judith Harris (the rights holder and widowed-wife of franchise producer) serving as executive producer. The project will be a joint-venture production between Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, and Phantom Four Films.[19]
| Character | Original series | Remake | |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Blob | Beware! The Blob | The Blob | |
| The Blob | Appears | ||
| Steven "Steve" Andrews | Steven McQueen | ||
| Jane Martin | Aneta Corsaut | ||
| Lt. Dave Barton | Earl Rowe | ||
| Barney | Olin Howland | colspan="2" | |
| Sgt. Jim Bert | John Benson | ||
| Officer Ritchie | George Karas | ||
| Henry Martin | Elbert Smith | ||
| Mr. Andrews | Hugh Graham | ||
| Elizabeth Martin | Audrey Metcalf | ||
| Bobby Hartford | Robert Walker | ||
| Leslie | Carol Lynley | ||
| Chester Hargis | Godfrey Cambridge | ||
| Lisa Clark | Gwynne Gilford | ||
| Edward Fazio | Richard Stahl | ||
| Sheriff Jones | Richard Webb | ||
| Mariane Hargis | Marlene Clark | ||
| Joe | Gerrit Graham | ||
| Deputy Kelly Javis | J. J. Johnston | ||
| Brian Flagg | Kevin Dillon | ||
| Megan "Meg" Penny | Shawnee Smith | ||
| Paul Taylor | Donovan Leitch | ||
| Sheriff Herb Gelller | Jeffrey DeMunn | ||
| Deputy Bill Briggs | Paul McCrane | ||
| Tom Penny | Art LaFleur | ||
| Jennings | Robert Axelrod | ||
| Dr. Christopher Meddows | Joe Seneca | ||
| Revernd Meeker | Del Close | ||
| Fran Hewitt | Candy Clark | ||
| Film | Crew/Detail | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Composer(s) | Cinematographer | Editor(s) | Production companies | Distributing company | Running time | ||
| The Blob | Ralph Carmichael & Burt Bacharach | Thomas E. Spalding | Alfred Hillmann | Tonylyn Productions Inc., Valley Forge Films, Fairview Productions | Paramount Pictures | 1hr 26mins | |
| Beware! The Blob | Mort Garson | Al Ham | Tony de Zarraga | Jack H. Harris Enterprises Inc. | 1hr 31mins | ||
| The Blob | Michael Hoenig & J. Peter Robinson | Mark Irwin | Tod Feuerman & Terry Stokes | Tri-Star Pictures, Palisades California Inc. | TriStar Pictures | 1hr 35 mins | |
| Untitled film | Warner Bros. Pictures, Phantom Four Films | Warner Bros. Motion Pictures Group | |||||
| Film | Box office gross | Box office ranking | Worldwide total home video sales | Worldwide total net income | Budget | Worldwide total gross income/loss | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North America | Other territories | Worldwide | All time North America | All time worldwide | |||||||
| The Blob | $4,000,000 | $4,000,000 | >$4,000,000 | $110,000 | >$3,890,000 | [20] [21] [22] | |||||
| Beware! The Blob | $90,833 | $90,833 | $130,777 | $221,610 | ~$240,000 | ~ -$18,390 | [23] [24] [25] | ||||
| The Blob | $8,247,943 | $8,247,943 |
|
| >$8,247,943 | $19,000,000 | > -$11,000,000 | [26] | |||
| Totals | $12,338,776 | $0 | $12,338,776 | x̄ #1,803 | x̄ #2,505 | >$130,777 | >$12,469,553 | ~$19,350,000 | ~ -$6,880,447 | ||
| Film | ||
|---|---|---|
| The Blob | 66% (32 reviews)[27] | |
| Beware | The Blob | N/A (2 reviews)[28] |
| The Blob | 60% (25 reviews) [29] | |
The titular monster from another planet also featured in various other films, namely a number of 3D-styled animated monster-family comedies. Dreamworks Animation movie, Monsters vs. Aliens (2009) includes characters inspired by various '50s "creature" films,[30] while the Sony Pictures Animation Hotel Transylvania franchise, includes incarnations of various Universal Classic Monsters in addition to monsters from other franchises and studios.[31]
| Film | U.S. release date | Director(s) | Screenwriters | Story by | Producer(s) | Production studios | Distributing studio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monsters vs. Aliens | Maya Forbes & Wallace Wolodarsky and Rob Letterman and Jonathan Aibel & Glenn Berger | Rob Letterman & Conrad Vernon | Lisa Stewart | DreamWorks Animation | Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks Distribution LLC | ||
| Hotel Transylvania | Genndy Tartakovsky | Peter Baynham & Robert Smigel | Todd Durham and Dan Hageman & Kevin Hageman | Michelle Murdocca | Columbia Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, Happy Madison Productions | Sony Pictures Releasing, Columbia Pictures | |
| Hotel Transylvania 2 | Robert Smigel & Adam Sandler | Michelle Murdocca | Columbia Pictures, LStar Capital, Sony Pictures Animation, MRC, Happy Madison Productions, Sony Pictures Digital, Sony Pictures Imageworks | ||||
| Genndy Tartakovsky & Michael McCullers | Michelle Murdocca | Sony Pictures Animation, MRC, Happy Madison Productions, Rough Craft Korea | |||||
| Jennifer Kluska & Derek Drymon | Genndy Tartakovsky | Alice Dewey Goldstone | Columbia Pictures, MRC, Sony Pictures Animation | Amazon Prime Video | |||
Since 1999, a yearly event called Blobfest has been held in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania at the Colonial Theatre as scenes for the film were filmed there, as well as surrounding cities and at the theater. The events celebrate the town's portrayal and appearance in The Blob films, and include: 1950s live music, skit performances, cosplaying by attendees encouraged to dress as characters from the films as well as in the style of the time period, food and drink vendors, souvenir memorabilia, and a reenactment of the "run out" scene featured in the film.[32] [33] [34]
In 1997, film historians named Kim R. Holston and Tom Winchester were quoted as noting that The Blob (1958) was a "very famous piece of pop culture is a model of a decent movie on a small budget".
Additionally, the film is recognized by American Film Institute in the following lists:
In computing, a Binary large object or "blob" is classified as a collection of binary data stored as a single file. These "blobs" typically consist of images, audio, other multimedia objects, or a combination of these items. Additionally, sometimes executable code is stored as a "blob". Binary large objects originally were originally non-descript large accumulations of data invented by Jim Starkey at the Digital Equipment Corporation. Starkey later described their function jokingly as "the thing that ate Cincinnati, Cleveland, or whatever...[from] the 1958 Steve McQueen movie", acknowledging that their term refers to The Blob.[37]