Beware! The Blob (also known as Beware the Blob, Son of Blob, The Blob II or The Blob Returns) is a 1972 American independent science fiction comedy horror film directed by Larry Hagman. It is a sequel to The Blob (1958). The screenplay was penned by Anthony Harris and Jack Woods III, based on a story by Jack H. Harris and Richard Clair. The film originally earned a PG rating from the MPAA, though it is now unrated.[1] It is the second film in The Blob film series.
| Beware! The Blob | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Larry Hagman |
| Screenplay by | Anthony Harris Jack Woods |
| Story by | Richard Clair Jack H. Harris |
| Produced by | Anthony Harris |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Al Hamm |
| Edited by | Tony de Zarraga |
| Music by | Mort Garson |
Production companies | Jack H. Harris Enterprises, Inc. |
| Distributed by | Jack H. Harris Enterprises Inc. |
Release date |
|
Running time | 91 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $150,000 (estimated) |
Plot
editPicking up fifteen years after the events of The Blob, an oil pipeline engineer named Chester returns to his suburban Los Angeles home from the North Pole, bringing with him a metal container holding a small sample of a mysterious frozen substance uncovered by a bulldozer on a job site. Not aware that the substance is a piece of the Blob from the original 1958 incident in Pennsylvania, Chester stores the substance in his home freezer prior to taking it to the laboratory to be analyzed. His wife Marianne accidentally lets it thaw when she takes the container out of the freezer and forgets about it, re-animating the Blob. It eats a fly, a kitten, Marianne, and then Chester.
Lisa, Chester and Marianne's friend, walks in to see Chester being consumed by the Blob. She escapes, but cannot get anyone to believe her, not even her boyfriend Bobby. The rapidly growing creature quietly preys upon the town, absorbing multiple people. Lisa and Bobby find themselves trapped in Bobby's truck, with the creature attempting to find a way inside. While panicking, the truck's air conditioning is accidentally switched on and the Blob retreats because of its vulnerability to cold.
After consuming dozens more people, the now-massive Blob moves on to an ice skating rink under renovation. It is finally stopped when Bobby activates the rink's ice mechanism, freezing it. While the frozen Blob is filmed by a television crew, one of the crew's lights is positioned on the ground, melting a small portion of it, which oozes toward the sheriff and envelops his feet as he is speaking on camera to a nationwide television audience.
Cast
edit- Robert Walker as Bobby Hartford
- Gwynne Gilford as Lisa Clark
- Richard Stahl as Edward Fazio
- Richard Webb as Sheriff Jones
- Marlene Clark as Mariane Hargis
- Gerrit Graham as Joe, Ape-Suited
- J. J. Johnston as Deputy Kelly Davis
- Dick Van Patten as Scoutmaster Adleman
- Tiger Joe Marsh as Naked Turk
- Fred Smoot as Mike Pinsetter, The Repairman
- Randy Stonehill as Randy, Guitar Player / Singer
- Cindy Williams as Hippie
- Preston Hagman as Preston, Boy Scout
- Larry Norman as Blonde Teenager
- Bill Coontz as Bowling Alley Manager
- Shelley Berman as Hair Stylist
- Godfrey Cambridge as Chester Hargis
- Larry Hagman as Hobo
- Carol Lynley as Leslie
- Danny Goldman as Bearded Teenager
- Rockne Tarkington as Deputy Williams
- John Houser as Hair Stylist's Customer
- Robert N. Goodman as Henry, Security Guard
- Patrick McAllister as Al, Repairman's Assistant
- Byron Keith as Bowling Customer
- Burgess Meredith as Old Hobo
- Margie Adleman as Party Guest With Joe
Home media
editAs Son of Blob together with The Blob, the film was released on DVD by Umbrella Entertainment in September 2011. The DVD is compatible with all region codes.[2] Beware! The Blob was transferred to HD in its correct 1.85 ratio and released on Blu-ray by Kino Lorber on September 20, 2016.[3]
Reception
editThis section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (July 2016) |
Film historians Kim R. Holston and Tom Winchester considered the film was "... Now viewed as a relic of mid- to late-hippiedom ... overall, there's some tension, and some nods to the predecessor."[4]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Tivia: 'Beware! The Blob'." Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved: March 5, 2015.
- ^ "Son of Blob" Archived 2015-04-02 at the Wayback Machine. Umbrella Entertainment. Retrieved: May 28, 2013.
- ^ "Beware! The Blob". Kino Lorber. Retrieved: October 19, 2016.
- ^ Holston and Winchester 1997, p. 63.
Bibliography
edit- Holston, Kim R. and Tom Winchester. Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Film Sequels, Series and Remakes: An Illustrated Filmography. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company, 1997. ISBN 978-0-7864-0155-0.