The Blob 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		5.0

The Blob 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Four years ago, I reviewed the a/v/supplements on Scream Factory's 2019 Collector's Edition. For additional analysis of the film and its other editions, please refer to Jeff Kauffman's review of Twilight Time's 2014 BD-25 and Dr. Svet Atanasov's review of Umbrella Entertainment's 2016 Standard Edition.

The Blob hovers around...

The Blob 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Scream Factory's new two-disc Collector's Edition of The Blob comes with a slipcover and reversible artwork. The two transfers are struck from a new 4K master of the film supplied to Shout! Factory by Sony Pictures. Please note that the UHD disc only comes with HDR10 and not Dolby Vision. The film appears in its original theatrical exhibition ratio of 1.85:1. Before assessing the image and comparing it to previous versions on home video, there are several things about the movie's look, its sets, and special effects that I should point out. Writer Bill Warren delivered comprehensive coverage of The Blob during summer 1988 for issue #s 76, 77, and 78 in Fangoria. Warren interviewed cinematographer Mark Irwin, who noted that the Blob changes color throughout the film (i.e., morphing between different shades of pink and lavender that mix with blood). Irwin shot the Blob underwater, on glass, and in a tank. Irwin and the crew employed miniatures, half-scale and full-scale sets. For the climatic scene at City Hall, mineral oil and a special water "smoke" had to be laid in with precision. In the "Blob Shop," special effects and makeup supervisor Tony Gardner told Warren that Noelle Eischer and Marilyn Dozer combined methacil (a food addi­tive) and silk to create what they described as a "Blob Quilt." The Blob had an estimated budget of $20 million with $9 million going towards effects.

The pink tendrils of Blob material has that extra pop on the 4K disc and, to a lesser extent, on the new Blu-ray. The pink slime really stands out when it appears. Generally, brightness levels on the UDH are similar to the 2019 transfer. The 4K-scanned BD is noticeably a shade brighter. Grain is omnipresent and splendidly balanced throughout the entire frame on both of the recent transfers. Even with a minimum of light used in a nighttime scene in the Arborville diner, the HDR brings out the colors of the condiment squeeze bottles (see Screenshot #4).

To give you an idea of what the color timing was probably like on the theatrical prints, I've also included nine screen captures from Image Entertainment's 1989 LaserDisc. (Note that the frame grabs were retrieved from Image's 1.33:1 presentation and have been enlarged in their respective image placeholders.) For its day, the LD was a decent open-matte transfer. There's dirt in the opening titles and video artifacts that appear periodically, but overall, it's a generally uncluttered transfer. The biggest difference you'll see is that the color on the high school football uniforms and letterman jackets is ketchup red on the LD. On the Blu-rays, it casts a brighter, more natural red. The Blob has a thinner, less concentrated pink on the LD compared to the cotton candy pink on the Blu-rays (see Screenshot #37-40).

Scream has encoded the UHD with a standard video bitrate of 85.0 Mbps. The new Blu-ray receives the MPEG-4 AVC encode and boasts a mean video bitrate of 32000 kbps.

Screenshot #s 1-12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36, & 40 = Scream Factory 2023 Collector's Edition 4K Ultra HD (downsampled to 1080p)
Screenshot #s 23, 27, 31, 35, & 39 = Scream Factory 2023 Collector's Edition 4K-scanned Blu-ray
Screenshot #s 22, 26, 30, 34, & 38 = Scream Factory 2019 Collector's Edition BD-50
Screenshot #s 13, 15, 17, 19, 21, 25, 29, 33, & 37 = Image Entertainment 1989 LaserDisc

The Blob 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Scream has supplied a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 Surround remix and the original stereo track, which is encoded as a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. On the 4K disc, Scream has encoded the 5.1 with a rough average bitrate of 3869 kbps and a standard bitrate of 2028 kbps for the 2.0. The audio bitrates on the new Blu-ray are practically identical to the 2019 mixes: 2836 kbps/24-bit for 5.1 and 1655 kbps/24-bit for 2.0. I listened closely to the original Ultra Stereo mix on the Image LD and the monophonic stereo on the rear speakers do a good job of delivering atmospheric effects (such as during the football game). The various movements of the Blob are given some nice directional f/x. Michael Hoenig's score, which resembles Dave Grusin and Basil Poledouris's electronic scores from this period at times, is the most active on the satellites for the film's second half when the action speeds up. Scream's 2.0 track sounds like a legitimate stereo mix and not a downmix from the 5.1.

Scream's optional English SDH are complete and accurate.

The Blob 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

All extras duplicate what appeared on the 2019 CE.

DISC ONE: 4K UHD (1:35:00, 2160p)

• Audio Commentary with Director Chuck Russell, Special Effects Artist Tony Gardner, and Cinematographer Mark Irwin, Moderated by Filmmaker Joe Lynch - Lynch is a legitimate number one fan of The Blob. His effusiveness shows as he leads this group discussion. (This remake convinced him to become a filmmaker.) Russell, Gardner, and Irwin gleefully recount their time making the film. Their chat demonstrates what an incredibly fun experience it was to work on an "adventure horror," as one put it. In English, not subtitled.

• Audio Commentary with Actress Shawnee Smith - Smith is joined by an uncredited moderator. This is the least satisfying of the three commentaries. It's not that Smith isn't enthusiastic about The Blob (she is), but the moderator doesn't come up with many follow-up questions after Smith gives a brief one-sentence reply to a question. Smith does become more talkative as the track goes along and, as a result, the silent gaps decrease. In English, not subtitled.

• Audio Commentary with Director Chuck Russell, Special Effects Artist Tony Gardner, and Cinematographer Mark Irwin, Moderated by Filmmaker Joe Lynch - Lynch is a legitimate number one fan of The Blob. His effusiveness shows as he leads this group discussion. (This remake convinced him to become a filmmaker.) Russell, Gardner, and Irwin gleefully recount their time making the film. Their chat demonstrates what an incredibly fun experience it was to work on an "adventure horror," as one put it. In English, not subtitled.

• Audio Commentary with Actress Shawnee Smith - Smith is joined by an uncredited moderator. This is the least satisfying of the three commentaries. It's not that Smith isn't enthusiastic about The Blob (she is), but the moderator doesn't come up with many follow-up questions after Smith gives a brief one-sentence reply to a question. Smith does become more talkative as the track goes along and, as a result, the silent gaps decrease. In English, not subtitled.

• Audio Commentary with Director Chuck Russell, Moderated by Film Producer Ryan Turek - this solo filmmaker commentary with moderator assist was first recorded by Twilight Time in 2014. It's an engaging listen as Russell provides both screen-specific remarks and production anecdotes. In English, not subtitled.

• It Fell from the Sky! – An Interview with Director Chuck Russell (Part 1) (22:26, 1080p) - in the first part of this longer interview, Russell reminisces on his early creative ventures, co-writing Dreamscape, and Bob Shaye giving him his first directorial gig with A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors. In English, not subtitled.

• It Fell from the Sky! – An Interview with Director Chuck Russell (Part 2) (26:32, 1080p) - the second part is devoted entirely to The Blob: i.e., Russell's memories of seeing the original, his casting choices, and friendship with Frank Darabont. In English, not subtitled.

• We Have Work to Do – An Interview with Actor Jeffrey DeMunn (14:13, 1080p) - DeMunn is interviewed in his modest home. The prolific TV actor remembers the first time he acted on stage, the advice he got from Ellen Burstyn on Resurrection (1980), and how he got cast as Sheriff Geller. In English, not subtitled.

• Minding the Diner – An Interview with Actress Candy Clark (16:40, 1080p) - Clark remembers how she just wanted to get on movie sets as an extra. She has terrific stories about Lynn Stalmaster and especially Fred Roos. Clark also describes her character of Fran Hewitt and the chemistry she enjoyed with Jeff DeMunn's sheriff. In English, not subtitled.

• They Call Me Mellow Purple – An Interview with Actor Donovan Leitch Jr. (15:21, 1080p) - the British-born actor opines about his favorite horror movies and their makers, how he first came to act, and virtually all his scenes as Paul Taylor in The Blob. In English, not subtitled.

• Try to Scream! – An Interview with Actor Bill Moseley (18:38, 1080p) - Moseley recollects a great story about he auditioned and won a role in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2. He also spends a great deal of time telling how he landed the bit part as Soldier #3, his scenes in this film, and what it was like to don the white spacesuit. In English, not subtitled.

• Shot Him! – An Interview with Cinematographer Mark Irwin (18:10, 1080p) - Irwin explains how his DP work on Cronenberg's The Fly helped land him cinematographer on The Blob. He also broaches his working collaboration with Chuck Russell and the filming conditions in Louisiana. In English, not subtitled.

• The Incredible Melting Man – An Interview with Special Effects Artist Tony Gardner (22:02, 1080p) - Gardner gives a detailed overview of his film CV here. He recalls fondly starting out with legends Rick Baker and Stan Winston. He delves into a lot of the movies he worked on during the '80s. He explains in great detail how particular scenes were constructed in The Blob and how he and his shop pulled off the animatronic effects. In English, not subtitled.

• Monster Math – An Interview with Special Effects Supervisor Christopher Gilman (26:14, 1080p) - Gilman reminisces on his family auto-racing days, meeting Paul Newman, and his varied career as a props master and special wardrobe designer. He also goes into how the crew achieved the meteor effects in The Blob. In English, not subtitled.

• Haddonfield to Arborville – An Interview with Production Designer Craig Stearns (20:32, 1080p) - Sterns was in the same film school and class at USC with John Carpenter. He delivers some great production stories about working on Halloween and The Fog. He also talks about the sets he designed for The Blob. In English, not subtitled.

• The Secret of the Ooze – An Interview with Mechanical Designer Mark Setrakian (19:41, 1080p) - Setrakian reminisces about his obsession with monster movies growing up. He addresses the wrangling that was required to produce the Blob's tentacles in selected scenes. In English, not subtitled.

• I Want That Organism Alive! – An Interview with Blob Mechanic Peter Abrahamson (12:23, 1080p) - Abrahamson really got psyched up for this interview and it shows. He recalls reading about The Empire Strikes Back in Cinefex as a young man and how that motivated him to have a film career in special effects. He has a funny anecdote about a crew member who approached him about The Blob on a recent production. In English, not subtitled.

• Gardner's Grue Crew – Behind-the-Scenes Footage of Tony Gardner and His Team (28:18, 480i) - these are "golden scraps" found on vintage VHS tapes of Gardner and his crew creating the makeup and Blob effects.

• Theatrical Trailers (2:52, 1080p) - two similar trailers for The Blob (1988) that TriStar produced for theater play. They have been restored in are presented in 1.85:1.

• TV Spot (:32, upscaled to 1080) - a decent-looking spot of the remake taken from VHS.

• Still Gallery (5:00, 1080i) - a slide show consisting of sixty-five images. The first dozen black-and-white stills are taken from Columbia TriStar's original press kit folder; next fourteen comprise high-res color photos taken on location; this is followed by nine posters scanned from roll-out sheets and others folded out. There are also newspaper ads and poster sheets in foreign markets. Tri-Star also produced glossy color stills in its marketing campaign and there are eight here. Twenty lobby cards are reproduced in color from TriStar's French and Spanish ad campaigns. Two comic- book style drawings round out the gallery.

The Blob 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Scream Factory celebrates the 35th anniversary of The Blob with a pleasing 4K presentation that looks natural and organic. It has a few differences in color temperature compared to the LD, but grain organization, color definition, and saturation look the best they've ever looked on home video. Scream hasn't produced any new supplements but retains all the older ones, which are housed on the new Blu-ray. Even if you own multiple editions of The Blob, you should definitely consider picking this up. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.