The Blob - Fighting the Red Menace

Hello Dear Readers !

As I have said in some of my other posts, one of the cool things that I remember growing up in the D.C. Area was the Summers during the ‘70-’80’s watching the “old” (heck, anything black and white was considered “old” by us) monster movies. One of the first, and I can’t remember if I saw it on late-night Channel 20’s monster movies hosted by Gore Vidal (see his website here). I want to say that The Blob (link here) was one of my firsts seen on Dick Dyszel’s (his site here) alter-ego’s show, but I can’t swear to it - then again, Channel 20 was putting on a lot of the B-reel during the days in my youth. That being said, I do remember the movie making an impact on me. The idea of this unstoppable thing coming out of space and eating through the populace … kinda Lovecraftian, yes ? (See The Colour Out of Space)

So what is it about The Blob that interested me ? Falling in line with the urban legends of the age (Lovecraft probably heard of this too), there was this unexplained phenomena called “Star Jelly” where (according to legend) a star has fallen and left this clear, grey, residue which is sometimes dubbed as luminous. Generally, these masses of jelly were found after a meteor shower. Modern observers have dismissed the idea of extra-terrestrial origin, identifying the substance as caustic soda from a nearby procesing plant, sodium polyacrylate crystals, unfertilized frog spawn, bird vomit, amphibian-eating species vomit, algae, or even mold. The Blob was hardly the only movie or story that benefitted from this legend, as parallels can be drawn from Invasion of the Body Snatchers (two years earlier, 1956). However, for The Blob, there was a more personal connection as four policemen in 1950s Philadelphia had reported "a domed disk of quivering jelly, 6 feet in diameter, one foot thick at the center and an inch or two near the edge". When they tried to pick it up, it dissolved into an "odorless, sticky scum" (see here).

But, none of these sources were available to me during this time…maybe our hero Hester (Pair of Normal Girls) could have found a connection in her books.

What was interesting was this concept of an unstoppable creature…bent on eating the population of the small towns. True to form, the highschoolers were trying to warn the authorities - but it was too late ! The monster noshed on increasing numbers of the PA populace, eventually making its way to a movie theater (which is in Phoenixville, PA), before the heroes can make their way across the street (in reality, 11 miles away) to hide in a diner before the Blob can be defeated (spoilers !). Bottomline, for this Cold War kid, the whole concept was a look at the spread of Communism. As the Blob absorbed more and more people - the redder it got.

This is nothing new. Horror movies / stories often reflect cultural fears / social unease of the time (see article in Vox , and the Trove) . 1958 was the scene for technology fears (The Fly, Revenge of [enter monster here]), and alien invasion. The Blob was an allegory of the invasion by “the red menace”, and subsequent stoppage by bringing it to extreme cold - the Cold War. A B-movie with a message…who woulda thunk it ?

So, here’s a mind twist… from the last lines of the movie:

Lieutenant Dave: At least we've got it stopped.

Steve Andrews: Yeah, as long as the Arctic stays cold.

…Global Warming warning in 1958 ? You cant make this stuff up.

Events unfolded for me and “J” this weekend which placed us in the Pennsylvania town of Downingtown, where the diner scene was shot at for this 1958 movie (See their website here ! #notsponsored). A good friend had directed us to the site, which proudly proclaims it as the diner as seen in “the Blob”. Needless to say, the atmosphere was perfect on that day - and service and prices were great too !

-S

Five Miles Downrange:

As is tradition in the JES Campbell household, we are celebrating our (well, for me and “E”) our favorite holiday, Halloween. This year, we will be giving away free copies of both Blue Summer and Gruff Ending on Kindle during the month of October. The giveaway for Blue Summer will take place from 21 through 25 October, and for Gruff Ending from the 27th through Halloween ! So, if you want to get your scare on and cuddle up with a good book (of course, I am biased) , take a look at this offering - and don’t forget to leave a rating either with AMAZON (where we currently are enjoying a 5-star rating for Blue Summer) and/or on GOODREADS (where we are rated at 4.4 for Gruff Ending). Remember that if you are into RPGs, specifically Evil Hat Production’s Monster of the Week, both books include a scenario for these games at the end.

Our Kindle Vella fantasy mystery campaign, Slipping the Gears (not part of the giveaway) is now in its 11th episode. The story follows the Elven Cleric Chamylla Adquen and her enigmatic partner, Defender Solwen as they are sent to investigate an Undead incusion in the historically Gnomish town of Ferncombe. Observing the xenophobic nature of the town, despite the Barony’s Spring Festival in full swing, the pair are directed to an outsider, the jeweler and Gnome playboy Nesrick Welemdiass, as the source of the dead rising. Following a series of unfortunate events, the trio are pulled into a Temple-sponsored inquest into the murder of a local widow, with all signs pointing to Nesrick as the culprit. As memories of the events unfold, who can be sure where the truth lies ?

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Slipping the Gears is set in the fictional town of Ferncombe, but references location and character elements from The Mad Manor of Astabar (link here to RPG DRIVE-Through) by David Dudka (#notsponsored).