Classic science fiction/
horror film, released in 1958. It was directed by
Irvin S. Yeaworth, Jr. and written by
Kay Linaker and
Theodore Simonson. It starred
Steve McQueen (in his first major role),
Aneta Corsaut,
Earl Rowe, and
Olin Howlin, among others. It featured a really
goofy theme song called "
Beware of the Blob", written by
Burt Bacharach and
Mack David.
After a
meteorite crashes to
earth, a
protoplasmic alien life form emerges and begins to
absorb humans, growing
larger as it consumes more
people. Eventually, it is the town's
teenagers who
defeat the
monster when they
freeze it solid using
fire extinguishers.
I believe that part of the reason this
movie was such a
sensation was that people in the
1950s were obsessed with
cleanliness, and the idea of a
filth monster was really
scary -- and certainly, one of the best
high-concept horrors ever created. It was followed by a poorly-received 1972
sequel called "
Beware! The Blob" and not-entirely-successful remake in 1988.
Lieutenant Dave: "At least we've got it stopped."
Steve: "Yeah, as long as the Arctic stays cold."