Blobfest

Festival Location: Phoenixville, PA, USA

Festival State: Pennsylvanian Festivals

Festival Type(s): Film Festivals, Bizarre Festivals

Blobfest Brings 'B' Sci-Fi Horror Film Back to Life

by © Bob Brooke 2008

"Indescribable... Indestructible! Nothing Can Stop It!" So reads the tagline of the 1950s Sci-Fi classic, The Blob. And nothing seems to be stopping a festival that brings this kitschy film back to life.

There are festivals, and there are festivals. But none so unique as the Blobfest, held in mid July each year in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, a small town on the outskirts of Philadelphia. It was here in 1957 that a small group of moviemakers on a very low budget filmmed The Blob, one of the best "B" Sci-Fi movies of the decade-and according to some, of all time.

More than 300 people ran screaming out of Phoenixville's restored Colonial Theater in a reenactment of one of the most famous scenes of the movie in which the Blob, a huge gelatinous mass attacks the crowded theater. While films like The Rocky Horror Picture Show have reached nationally famous cult status, The Blob is sacred to a select few.

In the film, written by Irving H. Millgate and Kay Linaker and directed by Irvin S. Yeaworth, Jr, "The Blob," a red, gelatinous flesh-absorbing glob arrives from outer space and begins consuming residents of a small American town. The more it eats, the more it grows. Local teenagers, led by Steve McQueen, in his film debut no less, alert authorities to the danger, but no one listens-typical of teens' predicament even today. Eventually, they win out and prevent the substance from devouring the entire town when they discover its aversion to cold.

The film offers a fun experience with its cool effects-though nothing compared to today's technological masterpieces. A campy title song by Burt Bacharach helps to create the mood. But the best part is the scene in the movie theater, the Colonial Theater to be exact. So when a movement to preserve and restore the old theater got underway several years ago, it was only natural that it become the centerpiece of the wackiest festival on the planet.

The festival, which just celebrated its fifth year, celebrates the 1958 cult classic. Hundreds of area residents, as well as tourists who frequently attend movie conventions, attend the festival to buy memorabilia, watch the movie or just talk to other film buffs about how a low-budget, schlocky-movie made nearly 50 years ago still has an impact.

This year the festival had a costume contest, four showings of "The Blob" on the theater's screen, movies and memorabilia for sale in the theater's lobby and second floor, an exhibit of antique cars, and, best of all, a blob created out of pizza dough and red paint creeping out of a trash can outside the theater-courtesy of a local pizzeria owner and Blob enthusiast.

Festival promoter Shane Stone, who was going by the name of Frank N. Stone during the festival, noted that there was more to the 1950's movie experience than watching a film. This year Stone offered insurance policies in case of injury or death from the Blob to festivalgoers, a gimmick borrowed from the film's eccentric producer, William Castle.

Unlike many festivals, this is an interactive event where people can come dressed up as their favorite 1950s Sci-Fi/Horror character. And those who attend have lots of fun. There was even a wooden cutout of the Blob set up so festivalgoers could have their photos taken with their heads inside the creature.

Check out Bob Brooke's wonderful sites featuring more of his writing and phootography at http://www.bobbrooke.com, http://www.therealmexico.com and http://www.allscandinavia.com. All three are updated regularly.

by Bob Brooke