The Blob

Image via Wikipedia

I was a teenager when The Blob was released in theaters. My girlfriends acted like they weren't afraid when the movie started, but by the end one of them was crying and the other two were holding onto each other for dear life. As a sensible girl, I was terrified right from the start.

This movie personified my fears at the time because teenagers tried to warn everyone that the blob was coming to get them, but no one would listen. It was remarkably like living in my house. My sister and I were to be seen and not heard, so I could relate when Steve McQueen and Aneta Corsaut ran around to no avail, trying to get people to pay attention to the fact that they were about to be eaten.

Many years later, long after I realized it's just a movie!, I read that the blob was actually made out of a weather balloon or colored silicone gel, depending on the shot. Ha! Very scary. I also read that it was originally supposed to be called either The Glob or The Glob That Girdled the Globe but someone else already had the title The Glob locked up. It's a good thing too. I can't imagine it being called anything other than The Blob.

Here are a few other trivia items about The Blob:

* Steve McQueen was billed as "Steven McQueen" for the last time in his career. He was originally signed to make two other pictures for The Blob's producers, but he was so hard to work with during filming, they gave him the boot.

* McQueen was offered his choice of $2,500 or 10 percent of the profits. He took the $2,500 because he had no idea the movie would gross over $4 million. That was a good money making opportunity down the drain.

* The strange title song, which is oddly serene for a horror picture, was written by none other than Burt Bacharach. You can actually buy it on the CD, Look of Love: The Burt Bacharach Collection.