The Blob (1988) - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray [Best Buy Exclusive SteelBook]

My first experience with Chuck Russell’s The Blob was during the wee hours of the 2018 Halloween Horror Marathon at the Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline, MA. I had been drifting in and out of sleep, making all the key shocks from the film really hit hard when I drifted momentarily out of slumber. From what I saw, I wasn’t really taken with the thin script and characterizations, but I knew I needed to give the film another chance when I had all my faculties. Flash forward to 2023 and the movie has a brand-new 4K Blu-ray release, thus it was time to give it another shot. And this time, screenwriter Frank Darabont’s trademark nihilism coupled with those terrific special effects made this nasty horror movie much more surprising than I hadn’t given it credit for.

The plot of The Blob is about as simple to understand as it comes, with the actual monster being a biological weapon created by the government rather than some alien that crashed on earth. Such a change shifts the film firmly into conspiracy theory territory, with the residents of the town being attacked and constantly being misled as to the origins of the monster and how to defeat it. 

A meteor crashes near Arborville, California, setting off a chain of horrifying events that nobody is safe from. A slime-like mold oozes its way out of the meteor and attacks a homeless man, then three teenagers – Brian (Kevin Dillon), Meg (Shawnee Smith) and Paul (Donovan Leitch) – take the man to the hospital, giving the monster a perfect place to grow and attack others. Soon, Paul is eaten by the blob, forcing Brian and Meg to rally the town’s support against this new mysterious beast. But of course, a government stooge in the form of Dr. Christopher Meddows (Joe Seneca) shows up and wants to control both the situation in town as well as the beast. But nothing can control the blob… 

Similar to Frank Darabont’s The Mist, The Blob really takes no prisoners when it comes to innocent people being brutally murdered by some beast. The goopy special effects take it a step further and instill disgusting images, like a man partially digested by the blob or some lecherous jock getting engulfed by the monster as he tries to take advantage of his date. Hell, I can’t remember the last time I saw a horror movie that had such blatant disregard for every single character. To Darabont and Russell, the Blob kills indiscriminately and without hesitation. All in all, The Blob is a little, nasty piece of work. And this time, I found all the characterizations pruned to provide the conspiracy theory approach with the most weight. To me, it all works wonderfully with Chuck Russell’s sturdy direction highlighting all the breathlessly created sets and creature effects.

Vital Disc Stats: The Blu-rays 

The Blob oozes its way towards town in 4K with a two-disc release that comes housed in a steelbook with glossy art depicting the climax of the film when the blob attacks the center of town. The 4K disc is a UHD100 and only offers the feature and commentary, while the BD50 Blu-ray offers the standard feature and all of the supplements. Both discs boot up to standard menu screens with options to play the film, set up audio, explore chapters and browse special features.

While I don’t own the 2019 Blu-ray from Scream Factory, I did some digging so I could compare that release to this new transfer. Overall, this new HEVC-encoded 2160p presentation is more than a bit darker than that previous release, however contrast, clarity, film grain, and black levels are much, much better here. This new transfer aided by HDR10 (not Dolby Vision as originally stated) is sourced from a new 4K master provided by Sony Pictures and it impresses immediately once the film opens. Much of the runtime is spent on nighttime sequences, presumably to hide some of the matte lines and other things needed to deploy all the creature effects, however I found no crushing and found blacks to be nice and inky. Flesh tones are also true, and I paid close attention to Meg’s bedroom this time around with all those well-defined 80s pastels covering her walls. The creature itself changes color over the course of the film, and this is certainly the best those effects have ever looked at home. Source looks to be in terrific condition as well, with nary a mark of damage to be found. For fans of The Blob, while this may not be the most stunning upgrade in terms of night-and-day differences over the previous release, but it’s a much truer presentation of the film in my eyes.

Similar to the 2019 Blu-ray release, this new release comes with two audio options: the original stereo track and a 5.1 surround mix both in the DTS-HD MA codec. I watched most of the movie with the 5.1 track, which I found to be full of life, with a great, balanced soundscape and surround effects during the big special effects sequences. Bass is appreciable as well and the source is very clean. No hiss or damage to note throughout.

The Blob gets a shiny upgrade from Scream Factory in the video department, but unfortunately not in the supplements department. That’s not to say that the supplements provided aren’t worthwhile, as there are hours of interviews and featurettes to enjoy, however, it should be pointed out when no new special features are provided. It should also be noted that the two-part Chuck Russell interview included here is a huge get for fans of The Blob, as Russell is a very passionate genre fan in addition to filmmaker. It’s very pleasing to hear about how this production came to fruition, as it lacks to Hollywood sheen seen in other studio-produced horror films of that era.

Disc 1: 4K UHD Features & Audio Commentary

• Audio commentary with director Chuck Russell, cinematographer Mark Irwin, and special effects artist Tony Gardner, moderated by filmmaker Joe Lynch
• Audio commentary with actress Shawnee Smith

Disc 2: Blu-ray Feature & Special Features

• Audio commentary with director Chuck Russell, cinematographer Mark Irwin, and special effects artist Tony Gardner, moderated by filmmaker Joe Lynch
• Audio commentary with actress Shawnee Smith 
• Audio Commentary with Chuck Russell and film producer/film historian Ryan Turek 
• "It Fell from The Sky!" – Interview with director Chuck Russell Pt. 1 (HD 22:26)
• “I Killed the Strawberry” – Interview with director Chuck Russel Pt. 2 (HD 26:32)
• “Try to Scream!” – Interview with actor Bill Moseley (HD 18:38)
• “Shoot Him!” – Interview with cinematographer Mark Irwin (HD 18:10)
• “I Want That Organism Alive!” – Interview with blob mechanic Peter Abrahamson (HD 12:23)
• "We Have Work yo Do" – Interview with actor Jeffrey DeMunn (HD 14:13)
• "Minding the Diner" – Interview with actress Candy Clark (HD 16:40)
• "They Call Me Mellow Purple" – Interview with actor Donovan Leitch Jr. (HD 15:21)
• "The Incredible Melting Man" – Interview with special effects artist Tony Gardner (HD 22:02)
• “Monster Math” - Interview with special effects supervisor Christopher Gilman (HD 26:14)
• “Haddonfield To Arborville” – Interview with production designer Craig Stearns (HD 20:32)
• “The Secret of the Ooze” – Interview with mechanical designer Mark Setrakian (HD 19:41)
• “Gardner’s Grue Crew” – Behind the Scenes on The Blob (SD 28:18)
• Theatrical trailer (HD 2:52)
• TV spot (SD 0:32)
• Still gallery (HD 5:00)

Run, crawl and hide, but you’ll never escape The Blob! Chuck Russell and Frank Darabont’s 1988 remake arrives in 4K Ultra HD courtesy of Scream Factory with a two-disc release that offers a great new 4K transfer of the film, plus all the previous supplements included on Scream’s 2019 Blu-ray release. While the new transfer may not be the most substantial upgrade, this new 4K Blu-ray release comes Recommended!

If SteelBooks aren't your thing, a standard Collector's Edition of The Blob 1988 is also available