Time: 95 Minutes
Age Rating: M – contains offensive language & horror
Cast:
Kevin Dillon as Brian Flagg
Shawnee Smith as Megan “Meg” Penny
Donovan Leitch as Paul Taylor
Jeffrey DeMunn as Sheriff Herb Geller
Candy Clark as Fran Hewitt
Joe Seneca as Dr. Christopher Meddows
Director: Chuck Russell

One thing I had heard before watching either version of The Blob is that the remake was considered one of the better horror remakes. Naturally I was curious after watching the 50s version, which was a flawed but nonetheless campy and fun monster feature. Chuck Russell’s remake however was even better, definitely lived up to its hype.

As a B-level monster flick, the 80s version of The Blob is a noticeable improvement over the original. The story is pretty fun, it’s kept at a fast pace and at a short length of under 100 minutes. The first act sets up characters pretty well before The Blob gets unleashed, and the film is entertaining throughout and accompanied by a knowing sense of humour. There’s also the right amount of social commentary, with government mistrust being a notable part of the movie. One thing that the 80s movie has over the 50s version is that it has far more of a mean streak and a nasty edge. No character is safe, the stakes are higher, and the kills are a lot more brutal and deadly.

Characters are fun to watch and are performed well by the cast, especially Shawnee Smith and Kevin Dillon who are great in the lead roles.

Chuck Russell’s direction is really good. There are a lot of entertaining action sequences and set pieces, especially those involving The Blob. The movie especially shines with its awesomely gruesome practical effects for the creature and gore. I appreciate how The Blob now looks nasty and plausibly scary, and not just silly and campy like the original (even though that was fun to watch in its own right). The kills are especially memorable and leave impressions, with the severed limbs and melting bodies helping to emphasize the stakes and danger of its central monster.

The Blob is a great horror remake that improves over the original film. It has fantastic special effects which mostly hold up today, strong performances, enjoyable humour, and is entertaining from beginning to end.