The Blob, one of the most beloved horror films of all time, is undergoing the reboot treatment once again. First, Steve Andrews (Steve McQueen) fought against the alien shapeless parasite in 1958, and then, in 1988, Meg Penny (Shawnee Smith) and Brian Flagg (Kevin Dillon) saw their town fall prey to the giant slime. Now, modern audiences will once again confront the mold-like substance under the direction of David Bruckner and producerDavid S. Goyer. However, fans of the original should be aware that there are a few planned changes, and this will surely spark some debate.
The new version ofThe Blobhas been under development for some time. Rob Zombie and Simon West were at some point attached to the remake, but they each parted ways. Bruckner, famous for films likeThe RitualandThe Night House, isstill reportedly in the project, which is being produced by Goyer and Keith Levine.
When speaking toComicBook.comabout the upcoming second season of the Netflix showThe Sandman, Goyer spilled the beans aboutThe Bloband what they’re planning. No, he did not offer major details about the status of the movie, or a possible release date. Nevertheless, hedidconfirm an important change in terms of plot. It is all about the origins of the Blob, which is not coming from space this time:
“One of the decisions we made is, instead of the Blob coming from space, it’s something that is made in the lab.”
Goyer revealed that the result of the flesh-eating amoeba would be the result of human failure related to the “use of AI and gene editing and the slippery slope of all that work entails.” This would represent a major plot change, considering the first two iterations focused on the arrival of a meteorite from outer space, and the alien organism invading a small town. Bruckner is also no stranger to reinterpreted remakes, as his 2022 version ofHellraiseralso tweaked a few things about the original.
The firstBlobfilms are considered classics in the field of horror. The 1958 version was highly influential for the genre, while the 1988 remake by Chuck Russell is an underrated ’80s horror film thatdoesn’t get enough love. Both films are staples of the craft of practical effects.
‘The Blob’ Remains a Practical Effects Icon, But Can the Reboot Live Up to Its Legacy?
Not much else is known about the upcoming reboot. Some time ago, Levine was vocal in saying that the film would bebased on practical effects, like the previous installments. Those familiar withThe Blobmovies should know that this is abigdeal. The 1988 film, co-written by Frank Darabont, is one of the first occasions in which a remake surpasses the original, and most of this has to do with the state-of-the-art special effects used at the time. Director Chuck Russell recently talked about this toComicBook.comas well:
“The Blob, I had no idea how to do it at the time. It turned out the physical effects were very challenging, but we got it done, right? I won’t bore you with all the slimy details, but we would go home covered in real blob slime from the full-scale blob effect.”
