The Blob (1958)

January 5, 2022

1,187 4 minutes read

Film and Plot Synopsis

In this classic science fiction horror film, a meteorite lands near a small town in Pennsylvania and unleashes a mysterious jelly like creature. The creature attaches itself to an old man who is taken to the town’s doctor by some teenagers. The creature consumes the entirety of the old man and the doctor before beginning its death march through the town. Meanwhile, the teenagers struggle to convince the authorities of the danger. Will the teenagers convince the townspeople of the approaching doom before it is too late?

‘The Blob’ Movie Summary

The summary below contains spoilers.

The year is 1957 and the location is Phoenixville, a small town in Pennsylvania. Teenagers Steve Andrews (Steve McQueen) and Jane Martin (Aneta Corsaut) are spending time making out on Lover’s Lane when they are suddenly interrupted by a meteorite crashing nearby. Steve wants to go look at it and the couple heads off into the mountain hills. At the same time, Barney (Olin Howland), an old man who lives with his small dog in the woods, hears the meteorite collide with the Earth and goes to investigate. The meteorite breaks apart when Barney pokes it with a stick and a mysterious blob of goo comes out. The blob attaches itself to Barney’s hand and the old man begins to scream in pain. He runs off into the woods and Steve and Jane encounter him along the road. Steve and Jane take the desperate old man into town to see Doctor Hallen (Steve Chase).

Doctor Hallen is perplexed by the blob. He sends Steve and Jane back out into the woods to see if they can discover the origins of the blob. Doctor Hallen sedates Barney and calls for help from his nurse Kate (Lee Payton), fearing that he may need to amputate Barney’s arm to save the old man. The blob consumes the entirety of Barney’s body while the doctor waits for his nurse to arrive. Shortly afterwards, the blob consumes Kate and Doctor Hallen, the latter of which is observed by Steve who has returned from his search in the woods.

How do you get people to protect themselves from something they don’t believe in? Steve Andrews (Steve McQueen)

Steve and Jane go to the police station and inform Lieutenant Dave Barton (Earl Rowe) of what Steve saw. The police are skeptical but follow Steve and Jane back to Doctor Hallen’s office. The foursome find no sign of the blob or any of its victims. Sergeant Jim Bert (John Benson) believes that Steve and Jane are trying to play a prank on the police and wants to arrest them, but Lt. Barton simply calls the teenagers parents and sends them home. Despite this, Steve and Jane sneak out after their parents go to bed to find proof of the creature.

Meanwhile, the blob continues its slow death march through the small town. It kills a mechanic at an auto repair shop and then kills a janitor at Steve’s father’s market. Steve and Jane go to the local movie theater to recruit their friends to help them with their search for the blob. They begin searching the town. Steve and Jane notice Barney’s dog outside the market and go to investigate. They find the blob inside the store. The couple hides in the walk-in freezer and believe they are cornered when the blob begins to ooze under the door, but the creature inexplicitly retreats. Steve and Jane escape the market and find their friends. The teenagers work to wake up the town and to warn everyone of the danger. Lt. Barton and Sgt. Bert arrive and find no evidence of the blob within the market.

At the same time, a much larger blob enters the movie theater and kills the projectionist before oozing into the auditorium. The movie theater patrons flee the theater in a panic which alerts Lt. Barton to the danger. The police finally believe Steve, but they can find no way of stopping the blob. Steve, Jane, and Jane’s little brother Danny (Keith Almoney) take refuge in the local diner with the diner’s owner (Vince Barbi). The blob engulfs the entire diner and begins to ooze under the doors. Steve and the other diner patrons hide in the diner’s basement where they become trapped.

Steve and Lt. Barton communicate with each other over the diner’s phone. Lt. Barton attempts to stop the blob by dropping a power line on the creature, but he only causes the diner to catch on fire and has no effect on the blob. With the diner on fire, Steve and the diner’s owner use a fire extinguisher to put out some of the flames. Steve notices that the blob retreats when it is sprayed with the fire extinguisher and concludes that the creature cannot withstand the cold. Steve informs Lt. Barton of his discovery, and the police officer dispatches the local townspeople to round up all the fire extinguishes in the town. Armed with the extinguishers, the townspeople drive the creature off the diner and free Steve and his group from the basement. The townspeople use the extinguishers to freeze the creature.

Lt. Barton contacts the military who dispatch an Air Force cargo plane to transport the blob to the Arctic. They plane drops the creature via a parachute into the Arctic Circle. The film ends with the words “The End” which is immediately followed by a question mark.