Steve Andrews (played by Steve McQueen, billed for the only time as “Steven McQueen”) is out watching the night sky with his girlfriend Jane (Aneta Corsaut) when they see what they think is either a meteor or a shooting star, the latter being the more romantic of the two. Thinking that whatever it is may be close, Steve and Jane jump in the car to investigate.
Flash to a different scene: An old man living in his rural mountain shack hears a loud noise from outside. He goes to check it out, and finds a circular object. After poking it most wisely with a stick, the circular meteor object opens, revealing a clear, sticky, jello-like substance. The old man accidentally touches the blob, and… well, guess.
Flash back to Steve and Jane: They’re driving down the highway and the old man jumps out on the road. He’s injured; the blob is attached to his hand! Steve! Jane! Quick, take the old man to the doctor’s!
At the doctor’s the old man is put onto a gurney, and Steve and Jane are sent back out to the crash site to try to find anything. On the way Steve has his three friends tag along (after just a little trouble with the local authorities because of some backwards drag racing). They have no way to know that the old man has disappeared. When Steve and Jane come back, all the lights are out at the doc’s place, and after looking around Steve witnesses a terrible event! The Blob! It… ate… everyone there! The old man… the nurse… the Doc!
Steve and Jane go to the cops, but the cops don’t believe the teens. The horror show is playing at the theater, it could be an inspired prank. The cops can’t fathom that a steadily redder, carnivorous blob may just be eating the whole town!
What will the teens do to protect their little suburb?
This film was funny, but at times I was jumping as well! The old man on the highway is giving me the jibblies right now, as I write alone in my room, late at night. And don’t let that bright red blob fool you, whether it looks like cherry-pie filling to you, or jello, you’ll find some sort of food to compare the goofy looking blob to. That, combined with Steve McQueen’s commendable acting, taking charge of his first leading roll, and a better-than-most sci-fi/horror script may be why this flick rose in the underground ranks of the late 50’s. A movie that, even now, has a cult following. But perhaps that's due to the catchy title tune.
Let’s have one more round of that song, since that’s what makes part of this movie so dang memorable...
And leaps and glides and slides
Across the floor
Right through the door
And all around the wall
A splotch, a blotch
Be careful of the blob
Beware of the Blob!
You have to hand it to Burt Bacharach for those lyrics.
3.5 out of 5 stars.
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