This May brings a remake of early 80s all-timer, Poltergeist, the latest in a long (long) line of cinematic reboots, retreads and more. By now, the ubiquity of reimaginings has rendered their existence less of a transgression than ever, with Poltergeist barely getting anyone up in arms. At the same time, the concept of remakes is an ever-hot point of contention among genre fans. Refusing to indulge in broad dismissaland maybe in a bit of cautious optimismwell spend this May looking at, and defending, some of the better redos in horror cinema.
The Blob (1958) oozed into theaters just three years after Rebel Without a Cause, and the latters influence on the former is obvious. The aftermath of World War II had died down years earlier, and without a common cause behind which to rally, young people were restless and looking for something against which to rebel. (Sadly, theyd get their wish over the next two decades, with two wars, womens rights, and race relations dividing the country.) The burgeoning clean-cut youth rebellion of the moment was captured brilliantly in the hugely successful Rebel, and dollar signs blinded adult filmmakers to the nations teen angst; the older generation, so distrusted by the youth of America, would ironically fuel their rebellion with rock-and-roll music, and movies like The Blob.
Also of note: The original double bill of The Blob and I Married A Monster from Outer Space perfectly encapsulated the simmering paranoia of the country at the time. Parents were not to be trusted, and neither was your spouse; if you werent careful you might discover a communist (or a gay man) in your marriage.
Despite terrible reviews (from adults) upon its original release, The Blob was a huge hit with the drive-in generation. Teenagers loved the good looking young leads making their feature film debuts; Steve McQueen practically glows with charisma despite his performance being quite flat, and Aneta Corsaut, who would go on to star in the wholesome The Andy Griffith Show and the sleazy The Toolbox Murders, ably fills the pretty girlfriend slot. The effects, while rudimentary, were entertaining in their cheapness, and the killer title song was supplied by Burt Bacharach. And though The Blob has become a menace as well known as Frankensteins monster, the titular creature was then wholly original in a landscape of giant bugs and animals, aliens and crunchy creatures from the sea.
In 1988, Chuck Russell, who had just completed directing and co-writing duties on the superior sequel, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, offered the world his take on the gelatinous menace. The result: one of the best remakes of all time.
If youll allow me a quick sidenote: Ive spent a good chunk of my career working in reality television, including a house makeover show. When approaching a home to renovate, the producer chooses the extent to which they will tear apart the domicile. A full demo is a full bulldozing of the property, leaving an empty lot to be filled with a completely new homethere is a wow factor to be had from a brand new building in the place of the old structure, but the now-destroyed original is made largely irrelevant. A surgical demo leaves the bones of the housesupport beams, plumbing, some walls, some of the exterioraround which the production will create a better residence that retains the flavor of the original. The wow factor is I cant believe how much they improved my home!
What Russell has done with his reimagining of The Blob is, thankfully, a true surgical demo. What hes left standing is the basic plot, including the old man discovering the meteor, the doctors office scene, the diner and movie theater scenes, and the method to stop the gelatinous menace. Hes also kept the 20-something perspective, including the distrust of, and betrayal by, (older) adults, and a tone of creature feature fun.
What hes changed is less about what was subpar in the original and more about living up to modern film technology and societal roles. Unlike some remakes, where you can feel the filmmakers opinion of the original is clearly This old thing? while kicking it into the garbage, Russell obviously has great affection for the source material. The Blob (1988) honors its predecessor, while improving on it in a respectful way.
An example: Hes taken Steve McQueens role and split it in two. Donovan Leitch plays Paul, the letter jacket-wearing jock we think will be the hero of the film, who instead turns out to be a complete dick; and Kevin Dillon as Brian, the leather jacket-wearing punk we think will be the asshole who turns out to be the hero.
But the real hero is Meg, played by Shawnee Smith (showing the grit shed eventually display in the Saw franchise), subverting the pretty girl role by taking charge, fighting the Blob on her own, saving others, and ultimately figuring out how to stop the creature (once again the Blobs kryptonite is cold).
As in the original, most of the adults fall into the untrustworthy category, with Jeffrey DeMunn and Paul McCrane as the local law (never believing Brian), Joe Seneca as Dr. Meddows (dispassionate scientist who cares more for the Blob than the townsfolk) and Del Close as Reverend Meeker (end times religious nut) acting as roadblocks to Brian and Meg. But Candy Clarks Fran is differentshe cares for Brian when most dont, and her death is quite shocking and tragic.
In 1958, showing graphic, onscreen death was a no-no unless it was of the bloodless variety, i.e., gunshots or strangling. In The Blob (1988) the carnage is lovingly played out in excruciating detail, with each Blob attack a showpiece; highlights include Meg in a phone booth, Brian at the hospital, and the graphic, violent death of a tween boy.
But the biggest change from the original is, of course, the Blob. While the original creature was very blob-like, Russells creation is hyperaggressive, with tentacles and speed when needed. Unlike some inferior slasher remakes, where the effects are unnecessarily turned up to 11 in a Look what we can do! way that feels completely out of place, The Blobs are perfectly in proportion. The Blob creature grew in scale to The Blob movie, giving us a fully incorporated upgrade instead of the medium-budget film trying to live up to its overbudgeted, extravagant kill scenes.
As were once again in an era of remakes, one wishes more filmmakers would take a look back, not just to the property with which theyve been entrusted to reinvent, but to work by filmmakers like Russell, Cronenberg (The Fly) or even the Lussier/Farmer/Smith My Bloody Valentine 3D (another personal favorite) for a lesson on how to honor material we love while adding to the legend. Both can exist without one shoving the other to the side. As I see it, The Blob (1958) is comfort food, whereas The Blob (1988) is the same recipe with some added spices your mom never heard of. Both taste great for their own reasons.
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Sean Abley is a playwright, screenwriter, journalist, and zombie enthusiast. His writing has appeared in The Advocate, Unzipped, Fangoria as well as Fangoria.com and ChillerTV.com. His latest book is OUT IN THE DARK: INTERVIEWS WITH GAY HORROR FILMMAKERS, ACTORS AND AUTHORS.
