BLOB FEST

IT EATS YOU ALIVE!!!

Today in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania BLOBFEST begins. The weekend-long event has been held yearly since 2000 to celebrate the 1958 cheesy science fiction horror film THE BLOB. Much of the film was shot in Phoenixville. One unforgettable scene in the movie is when the Blob, an alien amoeba that absorbs every living thing it contacts and now massive, comes oozing out of the projection room at the Colonial Theater and the audience runs screaming onto the street.

HEALTHFULLY AIR CONDITIONED

The Colonial Theater is still on Bridge Street and the chaos of that scene in the movie is recreated with the “Run Out” which kicks off BLOBFEST tonight. Prior to the actual mayhem there is a stage show and screenings of The Shorty Amateur Film/Trailer Contest. Shorty was the nickname of the film’s director, Irvin Yeaworth. Sadly tickets for this coveted event are sold out, but you can hang out on the street and watch the antics. The Run Out happens at 9 pm. But that’s just the beginning of the hilarity for the weekend. All things Blob will consume this vibrant burg as there will be live music in the streets and the numerous pubs will be brimming. Tonight there is a Blob Ball being held at the Great American Pub down the street from the Colonial Theater. 

 THE BLOB BALL

Saturday there’s a street fair, with vendors selling all kinds of Blob memorabilia, a costume contest and a parade of fire extinguisher wielders mid-afternoon! (Fire extinguishers were used in the movie to quell this extraterrestrial foodie.)

Also on Saturday double features will play at the Colonial. THE BLOB will be paired with features like the Creature From The Black Lagoon and Abbott And Costello Meet Frankenstein. Sunday there is yet another viewing of The BLOB and paired with The Ghastly Love Of Johnny X…and afterwards there’s a Q&A session with the director.

 

PLAQUE INSIDE THEATER

Here is a full list of the weekend’s activities.

BLOB FEST STUFF

• RUN DON’T WALK

THE BLOB was the sort of film created for the newly-established drive-in genre when it was shot in 1958 and it starred a young Steve McQueen in his first starring role. Paramount Pictures released “The Blob” as a “B” or double feature along with “I Married A Monster From Outer Space”.

The enduring popularity of The Blob is evident and not just in Phoenixville. It is 21^st on IMDB’s most popular “B” Horror Films list.

For those interested in taking a self-guided tour to filming locations for THE BLOB.

THE BLOB SHOOTING LOCATIONS