The Blob Remake Is Actually Doing The Correct Thing
In an era where CGI seems to dominate every aspect of a film studio’s special effects department, the brains behind the upcoming remake of the 1958 sci-fi classic The Blob are signaling that they are going to have an old school approach in the new project. Producer Keith Levine stated that The Blob remake will “honor the practical effects” of the original, as he praised how much the “tactile feel” of the film helped to terrify him as a child.
Director David Bruckner
Warner Bros. Discovery announced in January that The Blob remake was moving forward. The studio is working to combine the efforts of horror genre veterans in the film, including David Bruckner. Bruckner directed the 2022 film Hellraiser, as well as The Ritual (2017) and The Night House (2020).
The 1988 Remake
This will not be the first time that The Blob has undergone a remake. In 1988, a version of the classic film was released to theaters. The Chuck Russell-directed endeavor starred Shawnee Smith (of the Saw franchise fame), Kevin Dillon, and Donovan Leitch. Though it’s now considered one of the greatest horror/sci-fi remakes of all time, the film was a box office flop, only earning a paltry $8.2 million in ticket sales against a $10 million budget.
In 2009, musician and filmmaker Rob Zombie announced he was going to produce his own version of The Blob, but his remake never came to fruition. Zombie quietly dropped the project and went forward instead with Lords of Salem (2012).
Beware! The Blob
An unpopular sequel was produced in 1972 and was a box office dud. Beware! The Blob was directed by Larry Hagman (I Dream of Jeannie and Dallas) and starred Robert Walker, Jr. and Carol Lynley. But not even the star power of the early 1970s could save the film, though some of the actors and a few of the plot devices were used in the 1988 remake.
Details Under Wraps
Just how closely The Blob remake will follow the original remains to be seen. Neither the film studio nor the players involved have said much about the plot, keeping the details under wraps. It’s assumed that the creature in the upcoming release will be along similar lines as the original, however, especially considering just how enamored producer Keith Levine stated he was with it as a kid.
The Blob
The original version of The Blob was released in 1958 and directed by Irvin Yeaworth. Screen legend Steve McQueen starred as a teenager who chases down a meteorite that he and his girlfriend (played by Aneta Corsaut from The Andy Griffith Show fame). The rock that crashes on Earth contains a small, jelly-like substance that leaps onto the hand of the old man who reaches the crash site first.
More Updates To Come
The Blob remake could well follow this plot setup. But no matter what direction the storyline takes, it will be a welcoming change of pace to see a science fiction film use classic effects to bring a monster roaring to life instead of relying on various computer programs.
