With the release of Monsters Vs. Aliens, I thought it might be fun to revisit a few of the creature features that movie pays homage to. Today I take a look at the inspiration for B.O.B.

A meteorite falls in a forest near Lover’s Lane, unleashing a mindless alien creature that grows as it feeds on human flesh. A group of teenagers discover the menace, but can they convince the adults that the threat exists before it engulfs the entire town, and eventually, the world?

I’ve seen a fair amount of 1950’s monster movies over the years, and The Blob still remains one of the best. It hits the ground running, with the entire movie taking place over one night. Perhaps the most surprising thing I discovered was just how effective The Blob itself was. The special effects are basic, but that simplicity only serves to make the creature more primal. There’s something absolutely horrifying about The Blob that would work even if the rest of the movie didn’t. The filmmakers wisely took the threat of The Blob seriously, finding humour in the eccentricities of the townsfolk instead. In fact, those little touches of character make the movie even more terrifying. The Blob is the void come to life, reducing these vibrant human lives to fuel, consuming with no other purpose but to consume some more. When people die in The Blob, they do so silently, choking on their own screams.

Horror movies, and particularly those of the staid 1950’s, are often viewed as being conservative in nature. Typically, something weird and threatening interrupts the tranquility of the average community, and measures are taken by the authorities to restore the peace. Although The Blob and its ilk follow that basic playbook, I’ve always found it interesting that a group that was often just as vilified as Aliens, Mutants and Communists, that is, Teenagers, are usually cast as the heroes. It’s a nice bit of subversion, using the prejudices of the adults as a barrier in solving the problem. I can only imagine kids of the day eating this up, seeing themselves represented as something other than, or even alongside of, juvenile delinquents. At the very least these teen horror movies add a welcome injection of hot rods, make outs and all around groovy fun.

My only complaint would be that the film starts with such a hectic pace that it would be impossible for the entirety of the movie to keep it up. Despite its lean 82 minute running time, The Blob does slow down a bit during some of the longer, unnecessary character moments. But don’t let that stop you from checking out this snappy chiller, one of the very best The Atomic Age has to offer.

SCORE:

Recommended If You Like: The Blob (1988), The Giant Gila Monster, Invasion of the Saucer Men