Product: The Blob (1988)
Rating: 4.0
They don't remake them like this anymore!
This is a great remake of the original 1958 flick. It has the best of both worlds, cramming the 50's Sci-fi horror flick with 80's characters and special effects. A rare gem, indeed: a horror film that is actually horrifying. 'the blob' breaks most of the cardinal rules of cinema ('thou shall not kill people we like, nor the innocent, nor children'), leaving the viewer adrift, with no safe place to go and no idea what is going to happen next. It makes us genuinely like and care about the characters as if they are people we actually know, then systematically murders them in truly terrible ways, all before our disbelieving eyes.Furthermore, the cast isn't too bad and Shawnee Smith and Kevin Dillon do the best they can with their throwaway roles as the cheerleader and the town rebel respectively. Dillon is especially irritating at first with his macho attitude but at least mellows throughout the course of the film. A lot of the supporting characters don't make it out alive and I was really surprised when some of the cast were killed off. People thought Hitchcock was crazy for killing his main character in 'psycho' just a few brief moments into the film, but it stands as a classic today because he made the right decision to truly frighten his audience. 'The blob' is every bit as well crafted, and makes all the right decisions.Tight, well-crafted direction. Camera movements that help create, magnify and unleash terror. A script that is almost impossibly good, with believable characters that drive the film from the first scene. Truly horrific that stands the test of time and without a doubt one of the best horror films to come out of the slasher-soaked 80s and definite proof that remakes don't always have to haywire.