"The Blob" and Other Classic "B" Movies

Further down along the right side of this blog, I've posted a series of pictures that showcase a tiny fraction of the classic "B" movies I love collecting on DVD.

Just like my love of classic rock and roll, my fascination with this type of cinema started when I was really young. I recall staying up late on weekends just to catch "Horror Incorporated", which was broadcast out of the Twin Cities. Week after week, an eerie, low-pitched, growling voice would introduce me to another golden treasure of sci-fi celluloid. Transfixed, I soaked up every creepy moment with absolute glee. Apart from the usual Frankenstein, Wolfman, and Dracula pictures (which were okay), Horror Incorporated showcased what I really loved - 1950's and early 1960's science fiction! One week it was "The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms" (1951), which was inspired by a short story (The Foghorn) by Ray Bradbury and featured early stop motion model work by Ray Harryhausen (The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, Jason and the Argonauts, Clash of the Titans). The next week it was an attack by giant ants in the movie "Them" utilizing state of the art, life-sized mechanical ants. I was on cloud nine during the week they broadcast, "The Land Unknown" (1957), which contained my all time favorite childhood love - dinosaurs!! I didn't care that the Tyrannosaurus Rex was just a guy lumbering across a cheap set in a dinosaur suit. The movie had decent acting and eerie atmosphere that somehow worked. Other movies shown were more highly regarded such as the original "The War of the Worlds" (1953) with outstanding effects work for the time, and the original "The Thing" (1951) with a good script, acting, and a creepy alien played by James Arness (before his Gunsmoke days).

When I hit age 9 and my imagination was really peaking, I was on pins and needles looking forward to watching the late show with my mom because it featured the sequel to "The Blob" entitled "Beware: The Blob" (1971). I remembered really enjoying the original "The Blob" (1958) when I was younger and couldn't wait to see this newer version. Well, by the time this cheaply made movie (the only movie ever directed by Larry Hagman) was 20 minutes into it's running time, I was so frightened that I needed to stop watching and go to bed. It had something to do with the creature's blood red color, the way it kept growing every time it "absorbed" someone, and it's ability to silently seep under the cracks in doors. It did this in the original as well, but just didn't seem as creepy when I was younger. The idea of this creature freaked me so much, I was unable to sit with my back to an open dark room and I had to constantly keep my feet off the floor near the couch. After this behavior continued for a while, my mother seriously considered sending me to a therapist! Fortunately I finally got over my fear (for the most part) while my love for these kinds of movies has only increased.

Now, as a father, I can enjoy collecting these movies as they slowly restore and release them on DVD and then watch them with my kids. However, as polite as they try to be to their father, asking them to watch these movies has been almost as bad as asking them to watch TV static. Apparently shaped a bit too much by slick, fast pacing and modern CGI (computer generated images), my old favorites must appear to my kids the same way silent movies appeared to me as a kid. No matter. Hopefully, some day my kids will learn to appreciate these movies as a sign of the times in which they were created and view them through the respectful lens of history.