Beware! The Blob starts as Chester Hargis (Godfrey Cambridge) returns home from Alaska after three months laying pipes, with him Chester has brought an unusual sample of permafrost back which thaws out & turns into a slithering slimy red blob that eats Chester's kitten, his wife & Chester himself. Local teenage hippie girl Lisa Clarke (Gwynne Gilford) sees Chester being devoured by the blob & she tells her boyfriend Bobby Hartford (Robert Walker) but no-one believes them especially Sheriff Jones (Richard Webb) & the rest of the local cops. As the blob grows in size & eats every living thing in it's way Lisa & Bobby have to convince people the blob is real & find a way to stop it...
Also known under the title Son of Blob on VHS in the US & UK & sometimes shown under that title on TV this was directed by super villain J.R. Ewing himself Larry Hagman this delirious piece of early 70's sci-fi was a sequel to the classic Steve McQueen original The Blob (1958) which I personally don't rate that much despite it's somewhat lofty reputation. I am not quite sure what the makers were trying to do with this sequel, there are similarities between the two with the bunch of 50's rebellious rock'n'roll loving teens from the original are replaced with contemporary 70's hippies but essentially they roles are the same, there's the disbelieving adults & in particular the local Sheriff & of course the blob itself that generally just rolls around & eats everyone it comes across. The one main notable difference here with Beware! The Blob is that the whole exercise has been conceived as a camp comedy with totally over-the-top character's, supposedly funny sketch type scenes revolving around the blob's victims such as a fat Turkish guy running naked down a street, three drunk men & a geologist who seems to live in a tent set up in his living room that all add up to an uneven & disjointed mess, certain character's are played dead straight, other's are played for laughs, the comedy isn't funny, the hippie stuff is clichéd & Beware! The Blob is at it's most effective when it's actually trying to be a proper sci-fi horror sequel which isn't often enough unfortunately for any potential viewer. At almost 90 odd minutes it does drag a little as well at times especially during the first hour or so although things do improve on this count when the blob reaches full time & terrorises the local bowling alley & ice rink. The film isn't a total wash-out & it is entertaining on occasion in it's badness but overall Beware! The Blob is a bit of an uneven mess that can't quite decide what it wants to be. Sort of fun in a cheesy way but for the wrong reasons if you know what I mean.
The film has a very low budget & 70's feel about it, the opening credits sequence is weird with some bizarre music playing over shots of a kitten playing in a field for what seems like an eternity. There's a sneaky little reference to the original The Blob as one character is seen watching it on telly. One surprising thing about Beware! The Blob is that the special effects are actually reasonable, they aren't brilliant but they aren't too bad either although the full sized blob is never seen, just parts of it. There's no blood or gore & most of the attack scenes are nothing more than people seen screaming while the blob approaches. The scene when Lisa & Bobby are attacked by the blob in the jeep which is filmed from inside is quite cool as the blob is seen sliding down the windows & completely engulfing the jeep. As I said when it's trying to be proper sci-fi horror it's alright & when it's not it's not.
Obviously shot on a low budget the films looks a little cheap at times although as I said the special effects are better than one might expect. The acting is all over the place with actor's just doing whatever they want in whatever way they want with little consistent direction from Hagman who actually has a small role in the film.
Beware! The Blob is a bit of curiosity, is it a horror or a sci-fi or a parody or a straight comedy? I can't really decide & it seems the makers couldn't either. Watchable in a cheesy bad sort of way but there's nothing special here & it's not particularly funny either.
Also known under the title Son of Blob on VHS in the US & UK & sometimes shown under that title on TV this was directed by super villain J.R. Ewing himself Larry Hagman this delirious piece of early 70's sci-fi was a sequel to the classic Steve McQueen original The Blob (1958) which I personally don't rate that much despite it's somewhat lofty reputation. I am not quite sure what the makers were trying to do with this sequel, there are similarities between the two with the bunch of 50's rebellious rock'n'roll loving teens from the original are replaced with contemporary 70's hippies but essentially they roles are the same, there's the disbelieving adults & in particular the local Sheriff & of course the blob itself that generally just rolls around & eats everyone it comes across. The one main notable difference here with Beware! The Blob is that the whole exercise has been conceived as a camp comedy with totally over-the-top character's, supposedly funny sketch type scenes revolving around the blob's victims such as a fat Turkish guy running naked down a street, three drunk men & a geologist who seems to live in a tent set up in his living room that all add up to an uneven & disjointed mess, certain character's are played dead straight, other's are played for laughs, the comedy isn't funny, the hippie stuff is clichéd & Beware! The Blob is at it's most effective when it's actually trying to be a proper sci-fi horror sequel which isn't often enough unfortunately for any potential viewer. At almost 90 odd minutes it does drag a little as well at times especially during the first hour or so although things do improve on this count when the blob reaches full time & terrorises the local bowling alley & ice rink. The film isn't a total wash-out & it is entertaining on occasion in it's badness but overall Beware! The Blob is a bit of an uneven mess that can't quite decide what it wants to be. Sort of fun in a cheesy way but for the wrong reasons if you know what I mean.
The film has a very low budget & 70's feel about it, the opening credits sequence is weird with some bizarre music playing over shots of a kitten playing in a field for what seems like an eternity. There's a sneaky little reference to the original The Blob as one character is seen watching it on telly. One surprising thing about Beware! The Blob is that the special effects are actually reasonable, they aren't brilliant but they aren't too bad either although the full sized blob is never seen, just parts of it. There's no blood or gore & most of the attack scenes are nothing more than people seen screaming while the blob approaches. The scene when Lisa & Bobby are attacked by the blob in the jeep which is filmed from inside is quite cool as the blob is seen sliding down the windows & completely engulfing the jeep. As I said when it's trying to be proper sci-fi horror it's alright & when it's not it's not.
Obviously shot on a low budget the films looks a little cheap at times although as I said the special effects are better than one might expect. The acting is all over the place with actor's just doing whatever they want in whatever way they want with little consistent direction from Hagman who actually has a small role in the film.
Beware! The Blob is a bit of curiosity, is it a horror or a sci-fi or a parody or a straight comedy? I can't really decide & it seems the makers couldn't either. Watchable in a cheesy bad sort of way but there's nothing special here & it's not particularly funny either.