Review of The Blob (1988) by Robin W — 08 May 2009

One of the more underrated remakes of all time, the 1988 version of "The Blob" is precisely the right idea of what a remake should be, as it's a superior reworking of an older film that's very well-known and has a cult reputation but isn't actually that good, so there's nowhere for the remake to go but up.

This has its cheesy dated elements, particularly with Kevin Dillon's rebellious motorcycle-riding mullet-haired hero (though he's nowhere near as laughable as Steve McQueen's 30-year old teenage hero), but is otherwise a superior B-movie with plenty of surprises, a good sense of humor and some great special effects; its most impressive set piece has to be when one of the characters is actually pulled down the drain of a sink by the blob! It should also be noted that the screenplay for this was co-written by a young Frank Darabont, who proved with "The Mist" that he isn't afraid to confound horror fans' expectations, and does the same thing here, as the viewer is constantly surprised about which characters get killed off and when.