Hi, this is Kat Lester, brought to you by a Film by podcast.

Now how about that for an introduction?

The sultry, sexy sound of Cat Lester, the lady in lavender from the Phantasm films.

She's so sexy.

I swear I cannot believe I had never heard her voice before last year when I first met you and I went and watched Fantasm and then she shows up here to introduce this episode.

I am just myself.

That's right, Chuck.

You you were you were new to the Fantasm By films.

Ye, I am getting ready to watch the second one.

That one's a cool one too.

Each year we want to watch one more.

Good deal.

Yeah we we.

We had Kat on the show is the beginning of this year, wasn't it, Dave?

It was?

Yeah?

Yeah, wait we you know we we met her last year at Skfest.

Just a wonderful woman.

I've just just a knockout, just beautiful, you know, and that voice like it's like it's like a siren, you know, a siren spell.

You just you just brought into it, you know, you'll do whatever she says.

But yeah, she was.

She was fantastic.

Go back check out our our episode with kat Lester, the lady in Lavender.

That was a very fun conversation about all things fantasm and in her music career, which is which is, uh, she's got She's got some great stuff too.

Like you do.

Her music is awesome.

So yep.

Well, this month, we've already talked about gypsy curses, schoolyard ghosts, and hatchet wielding maniacs, but we haven't covered any monsters.

So let's talk about a film by Chuck Russell.

His nineteen eighty eight underrated sci fi horror film The Blob.

I am Jeff Johnson, I'm David Burns.

And it is a film by podcast and Dave sitting with us.

We got Chuck sitting with us, not Chuck Russell, another Chuck.

But when you can't get Chuck Russell, the director of the film, you go and get Chuck Bryan, who is the creator and a host of the Cinematic.

Flashback podcast and a good friend of ours.

Chuck.

Welcome back, man, oh man, I am.

I am so happy to be here, but I gotta be real honest, I am so looking forward to talking about The Blob.

It is one of those movies that you asked if people should watch, I would ask if people should own So this is this I'm looking forward to this conversation tonight.

Juck's tipping his hand a little early, like, you know, I think we know what he's going to recommend, whether or not you should watch it.

But but Dave, let's all tip our hands early.

You've been campaigning for this one for about two years now.

I have, Yeah, tell me tell us why because it's a really good film, man, and it's underrated big time.

You know.

I sit down with my nephew, I said, have you ever seen The Blob from from the eighties?

He's like, no, what's that?

It's like it's a classic from the eighties and people forget about it.

So, you know, I watched it a couple of years ago and I reached out to you and said, Jeff, why have we not done the Blob yet on this podcast?

Because it needs to be done?

And here we are.

Yeah, I think I think the one.

Was it last year?

You're like, hey, let's let's let's schedule Chuck Russell the Blob.

I was like, there's like sixteen episodes already locked in.

There's no room.

He's like, and you were like, next year, or.

I walk that's right, gets locked in for next year?

Ding it?

Yeah.

Oh so, how about a couple of facts about Chuck Russell.

I'm I'm gonna have to say full names this whole episode because people will be like, Chuck Brian did that, the guy that did this in the back flashback, he knows Frank Gerabot.

So I'm just going to give you facts about myself, which insanely less interesting than Chuck Russell.

Okay, I'm just gonna.

Be honest listeners.

If you need, if you would, if you'd prefer some Chuck Brian facts and a quote, please please reach out to us.

Contact us, email us, and we'll get some from Chuck.

We'll make that happen for you.

But as far as Chuck Russell goes, this is one of those talented guys that is a he's a writer, he's a director, he's done a little bit acting, he's a producer.

His first screenplay was for nineteen eighty four's horror thriller Dreamscape.

And Dave, I know you know all about Dreamscape because you and Scott that covered it last year last year, wasn't it.

Yeah?

I love I Love Dreamscape.

That was that movie.

Scared, scared the hell out of me when I was a little kid.

Yeah, yeah, Tommy, Yeah.

Chuck Russell has a very long working relationship with Frank Dremont.

They met during the production of a nineteen eighty one cult horror film called hell Night.

I don't know if you guys have seen that one with Linda Blair.

I've seen it.

Yep.

It's awesome.

It is, yeah, very underrated.

It might.

It might make the cut some October next year.

Next year.

There we go, the schedule rights itself.

Yeah, these guys are both working their way up in the movie business.

Back then, I believe Frank Darabont was like a PA on Hell Night.

Russell was a production manager.

He was doing some a little bit of an assistant directing.

And these guys just you know, when you find someone you work well with, you stick together.

You know, they've written together, they've they've worked together.

Just one of those great.

Relationships that you see in Hollywood that you don't hear about.

One of Russell's most recent films, twenty twenty four's Paradise City, is actually a reunion of sorts for actors John Travolta and Bruce Willis.

Nearly thirty years after they appeared together in pulp fiction, and sadly it's one of Bruce's you know, final films.

Yeah, I'm gonna hold off on a quote from Chuck because Dave, I would love for you to give us a synopsis for this remake.

Terror has no sheepe.

If it had a mind, you could reason with it.

If it had a body, you could shoot it.

If it had a heart, you could kill it.

Now man is no longer the supreme being on this planet.

A small American town has become ground zero for a ruthless attack from a creature that eats and absorb all living beings that comes into contact with Brian Flagg and Megpenny completely opposites growing up are thrown together to try and figure out a way to survive and save their town from the ultimate destruction.

A remake of the classic film of the same name from nineteen fifty eight, The Blob.

The Blob, the one rule that Chuck Russell and Frank Dermont had was that the creature was basically an inside out stomach, which means acid is burning, melting, devouring anything it touches.

And I got a quote from Chuck Russell about the blob.

He says, quote, it's a monster in its simplest form.

There must be something about this thing that can slide under your door or squeeze through an air vent or quietly dissolve somebody in the next room.

That's very elemental.

It just makes monstery sense.

It's a fear of the worst death, being eaten.

You know, Like I read that quote and I just thought that is a terrible that might be the worst, like being eaten alive, like knowing that you're being eaten and not being able to escape.

Because I feel bad for a lot of these victims in this movie.

Well not all, but some of them.

Most of them were they.

You know, they like the hand is outstretched and they're screaming because they're being devoured, and like what are you gonna do?

Like you grab their hand, and you.

Know, poor Paul, Yeah, Paul, you know, like it's a great misdirect.

Paul the all you know, what what is he call like quarterback for the team?

Yeah, wide receiver, Yeah, because he gets he gets his noted, his uh, his block knocked off when he asks Shawnie Smith out or I should say meg but uh yeah, Paul's like he's got the Letterman jacket.

You just assumed, like the first time you're watching this, or were you guys assuming like, oh, here's Stephen, here's Steve McQueen.

Of course, here's the hero.

Yep, yeah, well not the case.

Sorry, you know that was that was a great mister ract.

Yeah, and it.

You know, there was another director who started off a film where he invested about good twenty minutes or so into a character, only to kill that character brutally in a shower scene and a little hotel on the side of the road.

I mean, they totally pulled a Marion crane on it.

And once once he died, like all the rules started unraveling, you know, for your expectations of the film.

Yeah, well I think it does.

It does something amazing that that Hitchcock, you know, to your point, Chuck kind of introduced back in.

The sixties, nobody's safe, no so.

And even when you think someone should be safe, like a like a ten year old boy sneaking into a horror movie.

You would think, you know, he's he's you know, we could save that kid, except that we don't.

He's just even little kids are getting consumed by the blob.

So just a fan.

Yeah, this, I'm Dave.

I'm actually really happy that we finally got to do something that we haven't done.

You know, we do a lot of scary stuff, a lot of horror stuff in October, and we've been doing it for six seasons, but we've never had a fun monster movie to my recollection, where it's something like, you know, the BLOB's not giving us clever catchphrases like Freddy Krueger.

It's not something you can wrestle with or fight with, like like like Jason Voorhees.

It's it's just like, stay the hell away from it, don't touch it at all.

Right, Yeah, And it's one of those films I absolutely love where it's that small town feel and you know, you have that threat of a horror existing and forcing people to band together to fight it.

I love those kind of films.

I feel like it's a lost art form anymore.

Stranger Things is doing it, you know, but you know you don't see it anymore, which is quite a shame unless you're Stephen King.

Of course he loved doing that kind But yeah, I love these kind of films.

Well, let's take a quick break and when we get back, we'll talk a little bit about the cast.

Welcome back, Chuck.

Bryan is with us from the Cinematic Flashback podcast.

Chuck, we didn't really get a chance to talk about the Cinematic Flashback podcast.

Can we talk about this for a quick minute before we talk about cast?

Yeah, absolutely, the Cinematic Flashback.

We're rounding out the end of our very first season and it has been a learning time for both Matt and I and we've been able to stretch our wings in some places.

And I think one of them that I was most pleased that both of you were involved with was our Jaws episode.

Thank you for being on that, and if you haven't heard it, I invite people to go and listen to it.

Because the thought of the.

Show was what have we learn that is new about Jaws in the past fifty years?

And I would dare say that most Jaws of fictionado's are going to know all everything about it.

So we took it and said, let's get some podcast hosts who are quick on their feet, Let's turn it into a game show, and let's make it creative.

Let's come up with questions like recast Jaws, but you're only using muppets except for one character, who are the muppets, who's the one person who is going to stay?

And sometimes the answers would absolutely surprise you.

Sometimes an answer would lead to something very, very funny.

And I'm very proud of that episode.

You should be, because that was a ton of fun to do.

It really was.

I can't remember when I had that much fun guests, you know, as a guest on someone's show.

Chuck and I remember, months before we recorded that, You're like, Hey, we're gonna do Jaws because you know cinematic flashback.

You guys, it's you are very specifically all about the seventies.

All seventies, all seventies.

And I'm thinking, man, you type in Jaws podcast online.

And you're gonna get the phone book.

I mean, Dave, we you know, you and Scott did it for our film at fifty series, you know, and we everyone's talked about Jaws.

But Chuck, you had this amazing idea to say, we're not gonna just rehash all the facts in the trivia.

We're gonna have some fun with this.

And I'm telling you what, man, the questions were just hilarious.

The responses were more hilarious.

Listeners, you have got to check out the Jaws episode for the Cinematic Flashback Podcast, because it is you'll be laughing, you'll be rolling, you will.

Lots of familiar faces and voices there.

So yeah, you're gonna absolute we're gonna love it.

But otherwise, you know, we have tried to swim if it were away from the big name, tent pole films and we're trying to go and look at other films that are maybe lesser known.

Sometimes we try to pair a month where we have like a really well known film with a lesser known film to try to you know, balance it out.

But otherwise we're.

Exploring films that, you know, for the most part, I always end up saying I haven't seen this film or I haven't seen it in you know.

Thirty forty years.

So it's it's it's it's a good experience.

Well, well, thanks to you and your co host Matt, I gotta tell you, like I've my Donald Sutherland filmography has been widely expanded.

I'm like, what we're talking about Donald Sutherland again, what's this movie?

You guys have come up with some movies.

I'm like, I've never heard of that movie.

And yeah, after I see it, I'm like, wow, like Sorcerer, Like I'm just assuming, like Roy Scheider, I've seen I've seen his best and I hadn't.

You know.

A Sorcerer is probably the the best movie from nineteen seventy seven that's not named Star Wars, and it's probably the one that not many people have seen, very much like tonight's episode that we're reviewing on the Blob, you know, not many people saw it and.

It's a shame.

Yeah.

Yeah, well, you know, Dave, I've noticed something weird and maybe it's just me, maybe it's just my brain's tricking me.

But we'll do a movie, you know, because we typically stick.

To like underrated films, We'll do something like this and then like within a week, it shows up on two B, it shows up on you know, HBO.

Max or something like that.

All of a sudden, it's streaming.

I'm like, oh, well, that would have been nice to if you guys could have done that before the episode came out.

But I was like, maybe someone's listening, that's making decisions.

Yeah, or guessed what a pair of conventions that we're going to that uh are or in movies that we're gonna be talking about on podcasts.

That's like anybody listening in on us, because yeah, what was it?

Yeah, like just recently you and uh and Garrett me we did we did Hatchet Hatchet, and we're talking about the lead of the film.

And then yesterday Still City con announces him.

What wasn't it Still City?

Yeah?

Still City announced it?

Like what the heck?

Here you go?

Yeah, yeah, I don't know.

And we were we were Horror Hunt too, and good old Shawnie Smith was there.

I chuck, gorgeous and nothing but fun.

You should have seen the just how engaging she was with her fans and out of the day.

I was like, look, man, we can talk to her, but it's probably gonna be like at least two hours before we get close because she had attracted a huge amount of people at this day.

Yeah, that kind of like the theme was was sauld like that.

You know, they got they had Tobin Bell, they had Shawnie Smith.

Dave and I were you know, happy with you know, we were there for for Halloween, you know because uh, the lovely PJ Souls was there.

Nick Castle was there.

We we got a chance to hang out with them a little bit and talk and I know Dave was happy about that.

Oh yeah, I was.

Oh, I saw the pictures of p J Souls.

That was that was awesome.

Thank you.

You should have seen our very own con one, David.

He was smooth that day.

Yeah.

I was enjoyed that moment.

I'll tell you.

Yeah, if you'll know, you look at the pictures like, I'm kind of I'm standing next to her, Dave.

You know, she's like they're like wrapped, you know, his.

Arms wrapped around her and she's leading into him.

Yeah, he's a smooth guy.

This David Burne.

Speaking of smooth guys.

Let's talk Kevin Dylan.

He's our He's he's actually.

The lead, the lead, the lead male.

Yeah, you know Brian Flagg after poor Paul is dissolved at the hospital.

So I got to ask you guys something.

Take it.

I sent you guys a picture here if you'll take a quick look at it.

And let's Dave, you and I talked about Rushmore of Slashers, you know, on the Hashit episode.

I want to talk about Mount Rushmore for eighties actors with mullets, because I think this is this mullet that that Kevin Dillon has.

It's glorious and if you if you look.

At the photo that I sent you guys, I mean, let's talk a mount Rushmore.

It's it's Sevester Stalloone, it's Mel Gibson, It's Kurt Russell.

And my question is, having.

Watched the Blob from nineteen eighty eight, is it Kevin Dylon or.

Is it Patrick Swayze?

Oh?

Like, who you guys putting on this on the on the as the fourth face of this mullet monument?

I mean, doesn't it have to be Patrick Swayze?

I mean, even though Kevin Dillon has got a heck of a mullet in this film, without question, but doesn't it have to be Patrick Swayze with the others that are on that monument?

I kind of think it does.

Maybe what do you think, Chuck?

Well, you know I would probably lean more towards Patrick swayzey just because I am crazy about Swazey.

But you make a good argument.

Yeah, this, this hair that Kevin Dillon has is glorious.

And the entire time he's filming this movie he hates.

It because it's it is he did grow his hair out a little bit, but.

It's also it's it's extensions him and Shanny Smith are both wearing hair extensions.

So I had to bring this up because.

I'm like, wait a minute, wait a minute, changed the answer.

I guess, But yeah, I just when I went back and watched the second time, I was like, where's the I mean, who's doing the hair on this movie?

Because you can't.

It's a magnificent mullet, you know, perfect.

Yeah, I mean think about he's on that Triumph motorcycle like several times and it's blowing in the wind all majestically.

He looks fantastic.

What do you, Dave?

What?

What?

What?

What?

What?

How do you feel about Kevin Dyllon in this movie?

Oh?

I thought he was great, man.

I mean I remember him for the tune of when he beat Bunny, but no, I thought he's perfect in this.

It was another one of those examples where you're getting kind of that kind of a misdirect with him because you think he's gonna be this punk guy who doesn't care about anything, and he does kind of, don't get me wrong, but he has a heart and you see that come out throughout the film, so you you know, everybody is taking him as this bad guy that is always going to get in trouble and just is a criminal when in fact he's got He's a softye man.

He is because he helps Meg and cares about her.

Man at first, he's like, I don't want anything to do with it.

A cheerleader.

Come on, man, he says, he's like a cheerleader.

Yeah, a cheerleader.

No, but no he he's a softy man and I love that aspect how they turn his character around.

In this, Chuck, Kevin Dylan, is it fair to say he's he's a little Han Solo in this?

And I'm very glad you brought that up because he has the most Han Solo white shirt.

Yes that flips over.

Yeah, I mean it's it's such a stylized shirt.

The first time I watched it, I'm thinking, what is this a Is this a puffy shirt?

But no, the second time I totally thought Harrison Ford Empire strikes back, and you know it was it was a glorious shirt.

So yes, I am getting Han Solo vibes all the time on that one.

Well, and if we could just stick you know you brought you brought up Star Wars just a few minutes ago talking about movies from nineteen seventy seven.

But think about this.

Did you guys catch the Star Wars reference aside from his his Han Solo Empire Strikes back shirt that he's wearing.

Okay, I'm getting you guys are blank faces.

I want let me take you to the van escape.

When they're in the back of the van and he's he's he's planning to make a make a bust and get out of there, and he's like, come on, you jump with me.

She says she's and now it's not an exact word for word dialogue, but she's basically paraphrasing.

She says, take care of yourself, that's what you're good at.

And when she said that to him and then he jumps out of the van, I was like, wait a minute, where didn't didn't Luke say that to a.

Han Solo in Star Wars?

And I looked it up, but yeah, take care of yourself, Han, it's what's your best at.

And this is right before you know, Han Solo leaves and then he comes back to save the day, right right, just like Brian Flag in the Blob, you know, Shawnee is like struggling, she's in the sewer.

The BLOB's about to get her and then boom, there's Brian Flagg.

He came back.

Brian Flagg is Han solo.

I'm saying it.

I get that, Yeah, I get it, all right, all right, Shawnie Smith playing Meg Penny.

What what a sweetheart?

She absolutely is.

I mean she's a cheerleader and a completely becomes a bad ass by the end of this film.

Yeah.

Well, if Kevin Dylan is is pulling some some uh some Han Solo action, I think it's it's fair to say that she's definitely pulling some Sarah Connor action.

Oh.

Absolutely, she's the hero.

Mm hmm right, chuck.

Yeah, I was gonna say she is pulling some strong Ellen Ripley.

She starts off as Ellen from Alien and by the end of it she's Ellen from Aliens.

Yeah, and I was trying to paint I was trying to paint Brian Flagg as maybe her hicks by the end.

Don't know what You're gonna follow me there or not?

He No, listen, I'm listening nineteen eighty six Aliens.

Yeah, you got my attention, man, So yeah, I didn't even think about that.

Wow.

Yeah, I'll say this too.

It's an it's an eighties horror film.

So we just are waiting for these two to get together.

It's it.

They're gonna, they're gonna become a thing, right, are going to have their moment?

Nope, and respect, they don't.

They just hug.

It's a hug.

Yep, it's a it's a hey, we survived it hug now.

To be fair, though, she did spend a chunk of the movie in the sewers, like swimming through the sewers, so maybe she's not ready for Like, you know, they embrace that he's.

He's hoping for.

But I know, I think their chemistry is amazing and it's definitely one of the things I enjoy most about this film is their chemistry.

Hey, Dave, you mentioned you mentioned Bunny Platoon.

First of all, thank you.

I as one of my favorite movies from nineteen eighty six.

I loved Kevin Dylan in that.

And I don't know if you picked up Meg says something.

She says, come on, you can do better than that.

Did you catch that?

I did that quote?

That was line?

Yep, Yep, you're.

Right it is.

That's that's Kevin Dylan's line Platoon.

Platoon.

Hats off to Chuck Russell and Frank Darabont for this script because I mean it's packed with so.

Many little Easter eggs and I'm I'm not even talking.

I'm that we don't we won't even have time to go into all the the Stephen King references that that that Frank Darabont packed into this thing.

But if you haven't read The Stand or you haven't seen the Stand mini series, either the new or the old one, you're probably missing out on that.

But there's a lot of Stephen King in there.

You guys are both shaking your head, so I'm yeah, we all saw it.

Then, all right.

There's plenty of people we could talk about.

Uh from from uh from American graffiti to RoboCop to Playboy centerfolds, but uh, we'll be We'll try and be brief.

One, you know.

Joe Senica, Oh yeah, yeah, Dr Chuck.

Isn't he supposed to be?

Like when I like, the first time I saw this was like, Oh, this guy, he's here to save the day.

He's gonna help.

Whenever whenever the government shows up fifty minutes in an eighties film, it's never a good thing.

I Mean, if.

Anything has taught me, it's it's when the government says we're here to help, I'm a little suspicious.

And but you know, it's so good seeing Joe.

Every time you see him, I just get taken back to Crossroads.

Do you remember that film?

Y'all covered that in.

The Yeah, that was that was That was part of our nineteen eighty six series Love Crossroads.

Yeah, I love that one.

But he's yeah, he is.

He shows up and you know, you leads you down the road of he's here to help, right, But then you begin to reveal more and more that there's a little bit of a maybe a little bit of a nefarious reason for why they are there, and and another.

Curve ball here to us.

Yeah, yeah, yes, yep, And I want to.

I do want to talk about that.

But to Chuck's point, I can't remember a single moment where government agents in hazmat suits showed up to a small town and it was gonna be okay, I'll tell you right now, Dave.

The first time I hear like a an air raid siren or one of those you know, tornado sirens, you know.

Yeah, I go outside and I see I see one hazmat suit.

I'm I got the bug out bag.

I'm thought of my truck.

I'm gone.

I am gone.

I'm leaving.

Yeah, because they're always like, hey, it's we're quarantined.

We're just here, We're here to help.

Yeah.

And if anything has taught us, you know from movies, you know, from et to Outbreak Too, Returning, Living Dead.

When you see the hazmat shoot suits show up, don't file, don't don't, don't follow in a single file line, don't get in the back of the trucks, don't go to the the shopping.

Mall that's now the meeting area.

Just just just sneak sneak away, get out, get.

Like be like Brian Flag, have your trusty ratchet still with you, unlock that door and get out of there and go.

I am I am jumping out of the back of the truck ten times out of ten because y're gonna get me.

Yeah, Oh go ahead.

No, I just I just want to throw somebody out there, just throw a little love to date.

In the docum Base seventy seven, I want to mention Art Lafleur as the pharmacist because he played Captain Sears and Cobras.

Like, I don't know where you're heading with this, but oh it's a Cobra reference.

All right, well we got that fun you know, it's that fun little nod like the you know, the jock goes into the pharmacy and he's buying condoms and talk about the girls gonna score.

With and uh, oh it's actually the pharmacist daughter.

Yeah yeah, Art Lafloor playing mister Penny.

They just so much mileage.

This is where the script is smart.

Okay, they got so much mileage out of that joke.

The first mileage is when, uh, when Scott Jesky is purchasing the condoms and he is offered by the pharmacists whether he wants regular or ribbed, and he chooses the ribbed, and of course at that point Dell Close, who plays Reverend Meeker, shows up and so he's embarrassed.

So immediately he's pointing over said, they're not for me, They're they're for Kevin over there.

I'm buying it for him because he's gonna score with this girl.

Right, So that's funny, right, But then the hayoff comes about five minutes later when when Kevin, who is probably doesn't really realize what Scott was saying, meets Meg's dad and who is it.

It's the pharmacist and all he can say is.

They're driving layers seany smish, like, sorry about my dad.

I've never seen back like that.

I don't know what's going on anything.

I'm gonna kill I'm gonna kill you.

Yeah.

Oh man.

Uh we mentioned RoboCop Paul mccrane, who was one of those dad guys.

He's Deputy Deputy Briggs in this yep.

And if you're wondering, like, well, who's he playing RoboCop listeners, I'm talking about.

Uh, it was it.

I think it was a meal.

He was a guy that gets.

The toxic waste on his face.

He's like the he's known as the melting man.

You know, don't touch me.

Yeah, it's kind of funny, like eighty Like you know, in nineteen eighty seven he he's the melting man and then next day eight he's going up against the melting thing.

So I like Paul mccrane.

Though I remember him first.

I think the first time I ever saw him was Rocky two.

You know, he had just had a small role where Rocky signs his cast leaving the hospital.

So I like that guy.

Another actress I'd like to point out real quick because uh, I think, I think think it's a fun character.

Sad to see her dissolved by the Blob.

But Chuck, I know you probably recognize her since you guys, since you guys are the expert on seventies films.

Dave, I'm sure you you recognize her because you're a big ron hired guy.

Candy Clark playing the diner.

Uh, like she owns a diner, Fran.

Yeah, American Graffiti and she was also in I think The Man Who Fell to Earth another.

Okay, yeah, she she is.

I gotta tell you because I went back and watched a clip from American Graffiti and of course in the Blob, she's she's she's older, right, but she's still just as cute.

Oh, she's adorable.

She she has aged.

She she she.

Looks great in this film.

And you know you're she's she.

If there's any kind of touch point of safety, you feel safe with her.

She because she she's the waitress and the diner when Brian and Meg come running in.

She's the one that all, we're close, but I can make you a sandwich, I can give you a dessert, you know, and you feel really comfortable with her.

She gives off a vibe like like, we know, we know Brian Kevin Dillon's character, he's he's the rebel in town.

He's you know, he's always in trouble with the law, he's in trouble at school.

But when he comes in, he's like, oh, come on, and she's like she's she's almost like motherly to him.

I really enjoyed that.

I hated her.

Her her death scene is awesome, but I hated that it that it was her death.

You know, does that fair?

You know?

Does that make sense?

Like I hated seeing her get eaten up by the blob.

But yeah, and the fact how they quickly threw in sheriff getting killed too, right there, right, you know, okay, immediately.

What I'm pretty sure it's in Frank Darabont's contract, like anything that he's involved with, even if Frank, if Frank Gaerabat does craft services for a film, I'm pretty sure Jeffrey Dumont.

Is going to be in that movie.

Yes, because he's playing he's playing the sheriff.

Yeah.

I love the dude.

Yeah, it's but.

It's funny for me is that Jeffrey was much younger in this In this film, from like what I think of him?

Right, and so it took.

Me like a few minutes and I'm sitting here going if you age him up a little bit, Yeah, he does.

He does look like you know everyone from like Walking Dead in the midst and The Green Mild.

You know.

Well, I mean, let's let's be fair.

It's nineteen eight so he's I would assume he's probably our age or maybe maybe even a little bit younger than us, sure at this point.

So yeah, he's kind of leaning, he's youthful.

He's the sheriff.

I buy him as the sheriff, you know.

Yeah, but he's he's he's really good.

And what I love the lines where he sees Brian kind of hanging out and he says, hey, Brian, congratulations, Yeah, you're turning eighteen.

You're you're in the big leagues now, no more jube for you.

Next time you get caught, you're going up the river.

You know what.

I don't know if it's I don't know if it's the cowboy hat or the tan police car, but he is he's really pulling some Brian Dennahy first blood action here like yes, and then and when you look at that that beautiful male that Kevin Dyllon has.

We were talking about Stone earlier.

I was like, man, this is this the first blood that we could have had, you know, in nineteen eighty eight with Jeffrey Dumont and Kevin Dylon.

I want to watch that.

Yeah, but you can clearly see he's the smart one, you know, and he plays a smart cop because he didn't know at first they're they're blaming him, they're blaming flag for all of this, and they have him arrested and he realizes, dude, let him go.

He did he didn't do this.

You know, he's smart enough to realize there's no way he did that.

Well, Briggs has a he's got a mean on for the guy, for for Kevin Dillon.

He wants to cuff him and stuff, and yeah, you're right, you know.

Deman's like, there's no moti, there's no intent.

Just just let the kid go.

So I did, Like, you know, I'm glad, and I dig it, like Chuck, you're right.

I dig the fact that we don't see him get taken by the blob.

It's a it's a it's almost like a Ben Gardner reveal, like joll styles.

It is because his.

His partially del dissolved head is inside the blob and it smears up against the phone booth once again.

It's it's a one two punch.

You think that the horror in what you're concerned about is you're concerned about fran because she's trapped in a phone booth right and the blob is getting in.

But then there's the reveal Ben Gardner style that Sheriff Geller has also been consumed by the blob, and then the blob breaks in.

Well, move it moving right along.

Just because I said Playboy playmates, just for some listeners are that are curious.

We do have a a a quick moment with Julie McCullough.

Uh, she's playing an actress in the movie the scary movie that the kids are watching with the hockey mask Killer, which I thought was kind of fun.

And then Erica Liniac I think she's playing Vicky.

She's she's up at like Sweetheart's Hill or whatever with the other guy who's who's a scumback.

He gets he gets what he deserves, you know, he's he's he's loading her up with wine coolers or something and she's ready to pass out.

He's he's getting a little sticky hands.

And I'm like, I'll tell you right now, every every kid in that you know before like when you get your driver's license, every every guy should have to watch that scene and just know, like, here's why you respect a woman in a vehicle.

Because I mean I was like ah, but I was also like, good, that's what you get, kid, exactly?

Can can I take a moment though, to admire Scott Jessky's trunk.

Liqueur?

Yeah, yeah, I listen.

That was If there's one thing that he's doing right, it's the it's the trunk, chuck.

Yeah, well he's got he's got the trunk, he's got all of the different class rings, you know.

So so you know, poor Vicky wasn't the first young lady he's taken up there and given his high school ring to.

Uh so, but he is.

He is a total skull.

He's a scumbag.

He got he got what he deserved.

One more person I want to bring up specifically because this is nineteen eighty eight.

Sharon Spellman is playing Missus Penny, and you know she's your typical eighties mom, right, She's married to Art Lafleur.

But I was watching like the the moment where you know poor Paul has been dissolved, and like, Okay, well, we don't believe Shawnie Smith that this creature exists, so let's just give her, just give her a value, and let's put her to bed and the mom's giving her that generic, pointless advice and every be fine in the morning, Sweetie.

You know you'll be the You'll still be the head cheerleader and everything's great.

Don't worry about anything.

I'm not trying to diss Sharon Spellman, but did we not think to give the ultimate eighties mom, d Wallace a phone call and let her let her be the mom in this movie?

Where's Deve Wallace?

It's nineteen eighty eight.

Maybe she was busy, I don't know.

But de Wallace, Dave, We've we've talked about et We've covered critters on nineteen eighty six.

If there's one mom that knows how to take care of aliens or alien invaders in the.

Eighties, it's Steve Wallace.

Yeah.

I just I just feel like de Wallace could have been It could have lifted this movie up even more, Not that it needed lifting, but sure what I would have been okay.

With the Wallas, it would have put it over the top if she was in this.

Yeah, for sure, you know now I will.

I'll give Sharon Spellman credit though, because I don't know if you guys recognized her.

But she did play.

In addition to this movie, she did play another famous mon in the eighties.

Uh, chuck, she just happens to be.

She played.

She played the mother of one Johnny Lawrence, the hero of the Karate Kid.

Yeah, here we go with that conversation again.

I'm not gonna get into it.

I'm not gonna get into it, but just just pointed out.

I was like, Hey, it's missus Lawrence.

That's that's kind of cool, Jeff, I want to play.

I want to point out a couple of things, a couple of actors.

You know how I love to bring everything back to Star Trek.

Oh, here we go.

I wanted to dig just to make sure that I had a couple of people that were in this film.

They were actually in Star Trek projects.

And of course there are a couple actually, Frank Collusion is in an episode of Deep Space nine that we're covering on Fass that we recently covered on Faces Guys plays Yeah.

He plays Hobe in this the projectedist in the at the Theater.

Uh.

He plays Dolk in Star Trek d Space nine for two episodes, and he played the same character in Star Trek Next Narration.

Also Robert altre plays j He was an episode of Star Trek Voyager.

So there's my Star Trek love because everything comes back to Star Trek.

I do want to point out one more person in this film, and this is one of his earlier films.

He's Soldier number two in the Sewer.

Oh yeah, Bill moy.

Bill Moseley, We love well.

I'm pretty much everything that he's ever done.

But you know, great character actor, Return of Living There, Night of Living Dead the remake, and Tom Savini did he played played Johnny.

I think a lot of people know him now as Otis from the rob Zombie films, The Trilogy, House, House of a Thousand Corpses and and uh, the Devil's Rejects Man.

We've talked to him once or twice.

He's like, he's a he's a He's a staple at a lot of these horri cons that we've been to, and just the most he's the nicest guy though, he's so Yeah, when I I had come pletely forgotten that he was in here.

So when that soldier shows up in the sewer, I was like, that looks like Bill Mosley.

I was like, it's not Bill Mosley.

And then he started talking us like that is Bill Mosley.

So yeah, thank you, thank you for bringing him up.

Another one, Meg her little brother.

I'm talking about Shanny Smith's character.

I don't remember his name, but that's the that's the little kid from a Return of the Living Dead part two.

Yep, that was discovers the Michael Kinworthy.

Thank you, Chuck.

That's why.

That's why you.

That's why you always if you're gonna have a guest, you get a guess that comes prepared all the answers.

Hey, I have somebody that I mentioned earlier, but I do want to spotlight him a little bit.

Would be Dell Close as yeah, yeah, Reverend Meeker.

So I first remember Dale Close from the movie The Untouchables.

Mm hm, great line.

Hey, yo, thank you guys are intouchables everyone can get.

Yeah.

Yeah, but he he also has roles in Ferris Bueller's Day Off as the English teacher.

Oh that's right.

But what is.

Interesting more about Dell is that.

He is.

Very famous in the Chicago world of improv comedy.

In fact, he has been an influence on John Belushi, Bill Murray, Gilda Radner.

He was the Saturday Night Live house metaphysician.

Whatever that means.

Back in the early season, the first season of Saturday Night Live, so Dell Close when he died, he wanted to have his skull donated to the Chicago Improv Troupe to play in Hamlet.

That is a little bizarre, but also kind of cool.

It was cool.

It didn't happen, but they still play into it that it did.

So I like that.

Guys, Let's take a quick break and when we get back, we'll talk a little bit about the film's background, and we'll talk about some scenes.

Maybe we do like a little bit of a best of Blob type action.

I like that.

That's the plumb, right, we'll be right back.

Welcome back.

Let's talk a little bit about the film's background.

It's nineteen eighty six.

New World Pictures buys the rights to remake The Blob Chuck Russell, Frank Derbant.

They get involved with original producer Jack Harris.

Who produced You know.

He was one of the producers on the original from nineteen fifty eight, and they're like, hey, you know they's He's done the assistant directing thing.

He's done.

They've both been writing, they've both been production managers pas, and now they're starting to think, hey, people don't want to hear our pitches for our original stuff, but maybe they'll be inclined.

To go for something that they know can bring people in.

In Philip Movie Theater.

So they're they're going around town pitching the Blob.

They land at the New Line Cinema, who aren't exactly convinced, but they listened to Chuck's pitch for a new Nightmare on Elm Street movie that would go deeper into Freddy's world with the idea of dream Warriors battling him.

Nightmare Elms Street three Dream Warriors is a financial success, and now Chuck Russell has the clout to get the Blob greenlit, which he does, and the rest is history.

So, Dave, you mentioned this small town vibe that this movie has a lot of us grew up in these kinds of towns.

It's actually a place called Abbeville in Louisiana, and you know, we've we we got our friend down there in Uh.

In the Bayou.

James Buckley, who.

Is one of our he's one of our our biggest Patreon supporters.

He's been on the show before.

Amazing guy.

He gave us some fun details about.

The the the.

On location information for Hatchet because it's it's down there in Louisiana.

But I asked him.

I reached out.

I said, hey, man, what can you tell me about Abbaville?

And uh he said, hey.

It's a very nice little town and very steeped in the Cajun culture.

It's close to Avery Island, home of Tabasco Hot Sauce, and oh, by the way, Abbeville is also home to the annual Giant Omelet Festival.

So I'm talking about Abbaville with James as.

We're were we were.

Talking about Hatchet, So I was hoping I was trying to pull a little misdirect.

Uh So, so James, obviously we're if you're if you're listening, we're talking about Abbaville because the Blob was filmed in Abbaville.

So the next time you go to the Giant Omelet Festival, or you want to or you want to get some Tabasco Hot sauce, you might want to do some film locations, like, you know, check out the the Multiplex and check out the town square and.

Maybe that bridge that he jumped, you know, on his bike.

Speaking of that, the the bridge jump, you know, my favorite part about that.

Is it's the fist pump.

Yeah, you know what I'm talking about, Chuck.

He at the beginning.

Okay, so at the beginning of the movie, he's you know, Brian, He's on his Triumph motorcycle, which, by the way, Steve McQueen was huge with Triph motorcycles.

So I like that.

That's a nice little nod to Steve McQueen from the original Blob.

But he doesn't make the jump the first time, bangs up his bike and that's why he has to fix it.

But the second time, when he's on the run from the sinister government agents, he makes the bike jump Evil Canevil style and when he lands, it's not for anyone watching, it's just for him.

He does the he does the John Bender.

Breakfast Club fist pump.

That's a that's a move, man, that's just it's a move.

I like it.

Speaking of I.

Thought he was actually saluting the people that were chasing him.

Oh okay, one finger but.

Yeah, yeah, go back.

He's just fist pumping.

I think it's cool.

It's good, it's cool.

Move well.

I just want to point out that at the beginning, again, this film is very well structured.

There is the beginning.

It starts off with you see basically a ghost town and it's going through showing all these buildings and there's nobody there in Appleville.

But then you see that's because everyone is at the football game, everybody except for Brian, who is considering blowing off this town making this jump and who knows where he's going to go after.

But from the language of cinema, how they set this up.

They start to cut the cheerleaders going go, Go go, as he's revving up and he's going through and he's making the jump, and of course he hears the engine sputter, and we all realize that we wouldn't have much of a film if he made the jump.

So early in the movie.

But I thought it was just really great how they were able to just put everything from the football game put him in there, and it was it was just really well done.

I think within the first ten minutes of this movie, they had three different things.

They were foreshadowing.

That was one of them.

The other one was the boy's jacket getting stuck when the mom put it on him, and the other one was the snowmaker.

They were throwing four shodowing like crazy at the beginning of the film.

I had to call that check off snowmaker.

I mean the minute that they throw it out there, it's like, hey, it's.

The first act.

That's a snowmaker.

I know how the film goes, you know, from the first one, and so this probably will show up in the third act.

Yep.

I want to go back to that bridge scene, Jeff.

You we always talk about here about practical effects that nothing cgi and stuff like that.

That one shot where you get the helicopter, the truck flying off onto his side, and the motorcycle jumping at the same time.

That was all real.

He caught all that in camera and went all in camera woow.

Matter of fact, when the stuntman went over the bridge in the bike, the tires blue, but he managed to keep it up and not crash.

Holy shit.

Yeah, that's amazing.

Hats off to that stunt guy.

No kidding, well, you know, and like here's what's cool.

It's eighty eight.

So we're we still haven't really cracked the whole CGI thing yet with effects.

So most of this what you see is practical effects with the I think some of the like the glistening, you know at the end when the blob is kind of frozen, I think some of the like the glistening, is a little optical effects.

But I mean for most part you're looking at I forget the chemical that they use, but it's the same thickening agent for milkshakes.

But you're basically looking at this this chemical in in silk bags that they they kind of you know, put the camera at like a little bit of an angle to you know, to you know, because a lot there's a lot of miniature work here happening.

But the blob creepy as hell.

Looking at this thing, and the fact that the way it pulsates and undulates and it's not and you can tell, you can clearly tell it's not CGI, because if it did, it just looked too fake and too clean.

I love the look at the blob in this.

I feel like Gary Queen missed out on the marketing here.

They could they could have marketed a blob of milkshake to go along with this film they should have.

I was gonna say that that this film, I believe was in production.

They were shooting like early nineteen eighty eight, like January, and it's in theaters in August.

That's crazy.

That's an insane Remember when we talked about Star Trek, like how it the motion picture, it took like nearly a forever to get the effects work done, and they were working around the clot and I would say that, you know, this film may not have had the same number of optical effects, but let's be honest, some of the things that they had to have the Blob do was they couldn't all do it practically.

You know, they were doing miniature work.

And I think you had mentioned that.

But even when it gets to the point.

Where in our four K world we look at it and we can kind of see the scenes a little bit more in eighty eight watching that on the screen, you're not seeing exactly how you see it today.

And it looked it looked great then.

I still think it looks good today.

I do too, It absolutely does.

And a little fun fact about the Blob.

This Blob actually not it's only film credit because there was another production in town, well not in Louisiana with James Buckley.

But there was another production.

Going on film that we covered with our very good friends Jason and Dee at the show that You Can't Be Serious Podcast effects shots.

Finished effects shots from this movie ended up in Ghostbusters too.

Who are you going to call?

Yeah, we're calling Chuck Russell to see if they have any extra effects that we can put in.

Yeah, hey we're a little short.

Chuck out that blob movie turned out.

I got some stuff, you know, speaking of the blob.

I know, we you know, Dave, it's it's Halloween.

We've been having fun with this.

We did this with with Hatchet.

Instead of doing like noteworthy scenes and pivotal moment, can we how about we do like best blob moment?

There's so many at there's so many do you have?

Do you have one that you're like, man, that shot, the way it looked, or what happened, you know that the attack, whatever it is?

What's your go to blob moment in this, Dave?

So my go to one is this with George, who is the plunging the sink in the restaurant.

So that scene is just for one thing, he's getting sucked into this drain in the sink, which just seems impossible and crazy to even think about.

But how they just hold on that leg, you know, first you know the waitress is time to do it, and he's here here, let me do it.

I'll take over it.

And how they just the camera just hangs on it so like the water's bubbling up a little bit.

You know what's coming, you just do And then he like reaches down inside there and it takes his time trying to figure out, and then finally it does grabbing a little bit.

Then he comes bursting out grab team and then yank seem down into that pipe that just like blew me away, And the effects of it look incredible.

The effects in that moment specifically, it's almost like Carpenter's the thing, yes, because this blob kind of it's a little tentacally here and there, which creeps me out.

But the what makes that moment great is the misdirect because Chuck Russell is doing all kinds of misdirects.

Like you know, we talked, we were just talking about the beginning of the movie, like looking like a ghost town.

The horror movies teach us like, oh we're this is what's.

Left of the town.

You know, now we're gonna go back and see the story, but nope, this is this is present time.

We're just at a football game.

Anytime you see someone's stick their hand into a drain, a sinakh drain, if it's a horror movie, someone is like, someone's gonna pull the switch.

The things that the you know they're gonna they're gonna get their hand all.

Just mangled, right yep.

So I'm like, I know something bad about to happen, but I'm not even thinking about the blob sneaking up under the drain.

I'm just thinking, oh, he's about to you know, the disposal is about to chew his hand up because you're an idiot because you stuck your hand in the drain.

You never do that, you know, grab a grab a spoon, grab something and stick it on it.

Don't don't do that people, especially if there's a blob in there.

Chuck.

That is a I didn't realize I thought it was just a chuck thing, but it turns out that sinks and drains.

It's kind of a universal phobia of what can be down there.

You're reaching down, and in this case, it's something reached back out and holy cay, he pulls out his hand.

He looks he's got a little bit of the blob on there, you know, like what's going on?

And then boom.

Yeah, his whole face gets grabbed and it gets pulled down and it's you're looking at it.

Okay, So you're thinking about this, that this is physically impossible, right for to be pulled down a human being to be pulled into a into a drain pipe, and you see the drain pipe expanding, but you realize, well, he's also being dissolved at the same time, and that is what's causing him to go down the drain Yep.

Wow, that's an excellent scene.

I was I if you did not take that one as your great blob expectation, that was gonna be mine.

Yeah.

I was watching this with my nephew, had never seen it before.

He not even heard the blob, as I mentioned, So when that scene happened, like I turned to look at him, his jaw was wide open when that whole sequence was happening, and he's like, did that just happen?

Like that just happened?

Chuck, give me another best of the Blob moment.

Okay, so I had a not to do a scott here and give you two or three, you know.

I mean, I did have the whole sink scene in there, and I think we've already talked about the phone booth.

But for my money, I was a theater rusher back when this movie came, so I was working at a general cinema in Columbia.

I was able to able to see this film for free when it opened up.

And for me, the best Blob.

Scene in the movie is the throwback and to the original Blob, and that is the scene in the theater when the Blob starts to pull the obnoxious theatres patron up because we all want to do that.

Now it's just people with their phones on is who we want to get pulled up.

But then it goes into this whole strobe light sequence where we see this incredible scene of Meg seeing this one of the other cheerleaders I believe, and she rolls her over in half her face.

It just kind of heels.

Right off right, but you know, the Blob is starting to pull people up left and right, you know, and people are running from the theater, just just screaming, trying to get out, and it was just such a fabulous homage to the original film that it has to be one of my favorite seams.

I'm with you on that.

Even he gets a little bit of a Grimlins feel to it, Like when they're trying to escape out of her out the steps into the alleyway and the BLOB's right behind them chasing them.

I got total Grimlins vibe right there too.

Yeah, I think you guys got them.

You know, the theater attack, the sink drain devouring, and then the phone booth for poor Candy Clark.

But I think my favorite.

Look of the blob is probably a David's guy Hobb from Star Trek when the you know he's he's calling for like, hey, there's no ac And when the theater manager shows up in the production projection booth and does it seem but then looks up and the blob is all over the ceiling and what's left of this guy is like kind of peeking out of him.

Yeah, I'm like, I'm out.

That's that's that's horrific, absolutely horrific.

And six were so incredible in that scene.

I mean the whole movie, they're incredible, but that particular scene, and man, it never once looked fake.

No, no, not at all.

Yeah.

They did another great setup for that reveal because one of the characteristics of the projectionists is he has a yo yo, right, yeah, yes, and so the theater manager comes up and the first thing that makes him look up is that the yo yo comes down.

Yep, yeah, brilliant.

It is.

So it's so much joy seeing this film.

It's just so well done.

It's so well done.

I cannot believe that this film like it.

I think it had like what a ten million dollar budget and I think it grossed like eight on it, which is which is just a crime.

It is crime.

And I don't know who to blame for that.

I might be looking at TriStar because not only were they the production company, they were also the distribution which is responsible for the marketing of a film.

And I just have to believe that they did not do a great marketing campaign for this film because they had a winner.

On this Yeah.

Well, I know it changes hands a couple of times, right, Dave, Like from New World to someone Someone went bankrupt though, and tri Star just kind of picked up the pieces.

I think you're onto something there where they just were like, just just get it out there.

Yeah, just get it out there.

That's a shame when that happens, especially when you have such a good film like this.

It didn't have enough marketing.

I'm sure didn't have enough backing for it, and that's that is just quite the shame, it really is, Jeff, I want to talk about one other one.

I know I'm pulling a Hoffman here, but yes, you are.

You kind of mentioned it earlier.

This is something else my nephew picked up on.

When they were in the sewer and the blob grabs Eddie the other yeah, and my nephew is like, they don't kill kids.

I'm like, yeah, they do.

And what Another thing what I love if they did the filmmaker is the fact, yeah, it grabs him and he disappears under the water.

They could have ended it there.

Oh no, oh no, we need to see the kid coming up out of the water being dissolved.

Okay, they just took that scene and just took it over the top with that.

It's it's the sewer, right, Shawnnie Smith is dragging these two kids through the sewer trying to escape the blob, and when Eddie gets pulled in, that should have been the you're right, that should have been in.

And then when Shawnee dives back in and I'm like, please don't open your eyes, please don't open your mouth.

You are in the sewer.

But she comes back up and it's like you just I just you just assume that she's gonna have the kid, right, Nope, Nope.

He pops back up a blobbified and I'm like, I can't believe they just they just blobbed a nine year old kid, Like what was his crime?

You know, annoying annoying theater guy and like pervert on Mount Lookout or make Out Hill, Like I want them to get it, but not poor little Eddie.

But okay, so Eddie's cinema sin, right was he was the bad influence.

He was, he was the guy he was like, my brother is a theater.

You know, it's got people.

You know the movie it's it has the people getting killed, but there's no sex or anything.

Come on, it's all good, you know.

So he's the he's the.

Bad influence on the Kevin Yeah.

Horror film, Like we we need teenagers to uh, you know, to to do drugs or to have sex.

You know, they have to pay for these these sins.

That these as you said, and we don't have any of that.

But this kid, I guess he was the he was the chosen one, so he was the martyr.

Sorry, Eddie, guys, let's uh, let's take let's take one last break before we wrap up.

Unless you are listening to this episode on our Patreon, because uh, if you're listening, we're gonna talk all about the original Blob, it's sequel, and maybe some other creatures that ooze.

So we'll be right back.

And by the way, you don't have to you don't have to wait, come over join us.

Go to www dot patreon dot com slash a film by podcast.

You can sign up for a free seven day trial and uh, if you like what you hear, just let that ooze into a monthly uh subscription.

You know, you can get it as for as low as three dollars a month.

We have got tons of exclusive episodes, Dave, you've got the a film at fifty series.

It's it's it's.

Not that's the only place you can get it is our Patreon, right, yep, that's correct.

Yeah, ten for two with Andrew Blakeley.

We've got exclusive episodes, you know, nineteen eighty six the bonus stuff.

It's all there, so check it out, come over and join us.

We'll see you there and if not, we'll see you in ninety seconds.

Welcome back.

We have been over on Patreon during this break, and what was ninety seconds for you?

Was like, well, it wasn't ninety seconds for us.

We had we had a great conversation about the original Blob from.

Nineteen fifty eight.

Chuck educated us.

On the mostly unknown sequel Beware of the Blob from Night.

What is it?

Nineteen seventy nine, Just nineteen seventy two, nineteen seventy two.

Yeah, and then that just you know, when Chuck's when Chuck's in town, you just you just can't stop.

The ball was rolling.

We ended up talking about the meteor from creep Shire.

We talked about the tar Monster from Creep Show two.

Uh.

We we went off the rails for a minute there, but we're back.

So let's talk about Chuck Russell and what we would suggest.

So if someone has just watched the nineteen eighty eight Blob and they said this guy's movie was awesome, what else has he done?

David, I'm gonna I'm gonna ask you first.

Give me give me a suggestion.

I'm gonna give you.

I want to I want to hear three, but give me give me one to start us off.

You've already mentioned You've already mentioned one.

That's Nightmare in Elm Street three.

Nightmare on Elm Street three Dream Warriors.

Chuck, is this on your list?

I'm just go and ask.

It's definitely on my list?

Okay, my list to you got to watch nineteen eighty Seven's a Nightmare on Elm Street Dream Warriors.

This is Chuck Russell's directorial debut.

M H.

Dave you you're a big fan of the Nightmare on Elm Street series.

Where's this rank in your in your world?

Uh?

Probably the second, my second favorite one, to be honest with you, I agree mine too.

Yep.

Real, how many?

I know?

I know we're gonna do.

I know we'll we'll do like a common episode here soon of course.

But how how awesome was it uh last last week when we met most of the cast from Nightmare.

On the Street three Dream Warriors.

Wonderful to see all of them again in one building.

It really was.

I was so looking forward to talking to Brooke Bundy, who you know?

She she did, she did the show.

Last year we did we talked Catnip with Tiffany Hilm.

Yeah, we love Brook.

It was great to see her in person.

It was it was just awesome to see all of them.

Really, Uh, Chuck, are you a are you a nightma Olmes Street guy?

You're you're recommending this one?

But like, yeah, I uh so, I love Nightmare that It's like for me, even even the films that were not as strong of an entry, I I'm still going to see It's It's just like it's like going to see, you know, Friday the thirteenth.

I will go see a bad Friday the thirteenth.

Because I just love I love the series.

I always have fun at it.

But what I liked about about Dream Warriors was it's right around the third installment of a film where you can kind of see how it's going to go, you know, if it's going to have.

Long legs or not.

And I think that for my money, I still like the first one a lot.

I mean that I have to I have to come back to that one.

But you know, second, I have to put Dream Warriors as number two on there, just because it was a solid film.

Now that I know a lot more about Chuck Russell.

I I definitely am respected a lot more.

And no, it's it's right up there.

Dream Warriors was Patricia Arquett's feature film debut.

She got the role because Chuck Russell told Wyona Writer that she was too young to play Kristen.

Wow, think about that.

This is this is one year after Wynona Writer does Lucas from nineteen eighty six.

Go back and check out our nineteen eighty six limited series We talked about Lucas and it's also.

One year before she becomes a huge star in both Beetlejuice and Heathers in nineteen eighty eight.

Imagine a nightmare on Elm Street that that that we almost had when on a writer, So David a second recommendation of.

A show film, I am going with you guys.

Remember the TV series Fringe.

Yeah, love Fringe.

Yes.

He directed an episode called the Abducted, which is a really good episode.

I mean I love the entire Yeah.

But the episode he called the Abducted was about the the guy called the candy Man.

I believe it was, well the kid he ducked the the kid and then they find him later and like he's blind and other physical deficiencies.

It's a really good episode if you've never seen it, but highly recommend that one for sure.

That series, Joshua Jackson and anatoorv awesome series.

I love that.

If you needed, like you're if you were an X Files person and you needed to fix like you needed something new to take the.

X Files place, that's it.

It's French.

That series is amazing and also featured uh Leonard d mooy.

It did indeed, yes he did.

Ye there's another back to star Trekxy.

Yeah, chuck your second recommendation.

Okay, I'm going to pitch the nineteen ninety four film The Mask, based on a comic book that I happened to like a lot and starring Jim Carrey in a opportunity for him to play both the straight man and just the guy who is like beyond your imagination in terms of what Jim Carrey is going to do.

I also have to say that it was the debut film for Cameron Diaz and her introduction I will put the Steam in your stride.

Yes, no, So I enjoyed that film.

I had a lot of fun with it.

I I can't vouch for the sequel so much, but the first one is really really good.

I gotta be honest.

So this is the only comedy that Chuck Russell has ever directed.

And if you think about he's done.

He he's kind of a horror auteur, like that's his that's usually his thing, but he's done.

He's also done some big budget stuff like The Scorpion King with the Rock, he did a racer with Arnold.

This is his only.

Comedy, and it's kind of like, Okay, you just directed your first comedy and it's one of the most memorable, biggest blockbusters of all time.

It's a Jim Carrey movie at peak Jim Carrey time.

So I guess he was just like, ah, I'm good, I did best.

I did the best comedy I could ever do.

I'm moving on.

Chuck stated that they saved a fortune in post production on special effects work because Jim Carrey was so flexible and his movements were so cartoonish that they didn't feel that they needed to alter them digitally, which I think is hilarious.

Wow, and Chuck, you talked about Cameron Diaz.

Fun fact, New Line Cinema didn't want a young model with no acting experience, so they said no, They made Diaz audition twelve times, and ultimately Chuck threatened to leave the film, and they finally were like seven days before the first day of shooting.

They they finally caved and we're like, all right, she can have it.

Any any guesses.

Who the studio's choice was, Oh, none at all, believe it or not.

In lieu of Cameron Diaz.

They wanted Anna Nicole Smith.

Mm hmm, what the hell?

What what are we thinking here?

What?

What what are we doing?

I don't get that.

Definitely definitely a bombshell up the time.

Yeah, but not Cameron Diaz.

Maybe not as classy Chuck.

You know who else auditioned against Cameron Diaz?

Yeah, that was we went on a writer.

Right, she might have, but I was talking about Jerry Ryan.

Oh, Dave, you know you know why I bring it up, right.

Jeff, I'm so proud of you to keep bringing up Star Trek.

It all comes back to Star Trek, Yes, it does, all right?

Yeah, I definitely say the mask as well.

She was seven of nine actresses who tried out for that.

Actually was all right, David, one one more one more pick that you would recommend someone check out for Chuck Russell's filmography.

So it's not his best film in his career.

And I'm talking about Arnold Swartzenegger, of course, and that's his nineteen ninety six eraser.

I still enjoyed this film.

Actually, Jeff, I saw this in the theater.

Actually, I might have seen this in the theater with you.

I don't know, I think remember, but I think we did.

Where he is a witness protection specialist, I think he is.

Yeah, he like erases your identity and makes you, yeah, go away so the bad guys can't find you.

Yeah, yep.

And I believe he like there's something high tech weapons involved, and he doesn't trust anybody, and and then like obviously chaos ensues and he becomes Arnold Schwartzinger.

But yeah, I really enjoyed this film.

I would recommend it.

Yeah, it's a it's a listen if you like Arnold Schwarzenegger.

I feel like any of his movies.

You like all of his movies.

Oh, it's kind of like it's a difference between having pizza in a nice restaurant or or ordering it, you know, delivery, or buying one from the supermarket.

Yep, it's all it's all good.

It's pizza, pizza exactly.

You canna like it?

So, Chuck one final recommendation about well, chuck on, Chuck.

Here, Chuck here.

Yeah, you know I was.

I was gonna pitch Eraser as well.

Okay, that's fine.

I talk about Eraser.

Remember seeing that in the movie theater.

They had a local, local theater here in Virginia Beach.

They had a general cinema.

They had two twin tex eleven THCHEX certified auditoriums, and and and it was playing Eraser in there.

So anytime I would get a chance to go see a movie there, that's that's the one that I would go to.

Now, I will say that I don't remember liking it as much as the other films as well.

But what I did like was a trailer that showed prior to the film.

It was a trailer for Star Trek First Contact.

Jesus Christ, you guys, check out all this.

Check out our phaser set for Sun episode of Star Trek First Contact with yours truly guest hosting.

Yeah, I love it, I do.

Chuck, thank you so much.

You just warmed my heart just bringing Star Trek you guys.

Have you guys turned the nineteen eighty eight Blob into a back Door Star Trek episode, Like, what the hell's happening here?

I love it?

All right?

You put two Trek nerds on on the podcasts, It's gonna happen.

Yes, all right.

Well I'm gonna do something a little unusual here.

It's not that I want to recommend this because I haven't watched it yet, but I just want to say, like I do want to.

I want to bring attention to this because I'm curious.

So Dave, as you know, one more time, our popular nineteen eighty six series, we covered a film I happen to love called Witchboard.

I knew where this is going.

Yep, you knew where this is going.

So Chuck Russell did a remake of Witchboard in twenty twenty four.

Now, if Chuck Russell can remake a classic that we can enjoy air Goo nineteen eighty eight, it's the Blob.

If I already love nineteen eighty six, is Witchboard?

And you know I do?

Yeah, I know you can iconic.

What's his remake gonna be like?

Because I watched the trailer before we started recording, and.

It looks pretty damn good.

And again, listeners, I haven't seen it yet, but it's a remake that takes place in the French quarter of New Orleans.

A young couple planning to open a bistro discover an ancient Wiccan artifact, something called a pendulum b which is which exposes them to uh devination, spirit summoning, and the spirit of the Queen.

Of the Witches.

So they seek out the advice of an occult expert, played none other Dave than by Jamie Campbell Bauerna from Stranger Things, and he called in to kind of help them stop the evil.

I watched this trailer.

Oh by the way, uh, Jamie Campbell Bauer.

He gets the job because Chuck Russell loves Stranger Things.

Of course I watched this trailer and I was like, holy shit, Like that actually looks good.

I mean, is there an it's pronounced I hope, so, I hope.

So like Bauer the he's the occult expert, and he's kind of taken place, you know, the the Ouiji board Expert, the original.

It looks cool, it looks creepy.

I'm definitely gonna check it out.

I don't know, I will.

Now that Chuck Russell directed it, because I really didn't know he directed it until I was looking at his list of So well, I didn't see the movie, so I can't, you know, say anything about it.

But I don't know.

I'm curious.

I'll check it out.

When I remember a while back they talked.

I read that they were remaking Witchboard, and I was like, rubbish.

Yeah, you can't remake what is too good to be remade?

You know, Oh boy, don't.

I don't want to.

I don't.

Well, just listen, don't remake The Godfather, don't remake Wizard of Oz, don't remake Witchboard.

That's all.

That's all I'm saying.

Man Or Scott Huffin, when I need him.

Go back and check out our Wichboard episode.

Scott had some uh, he had some thoughts.

He did to you, Dave, I was a man without a country in that episode.

You guys were a little cruel.

But I'll tell you what.

We cannot be cruel to the nineteen eighty eight remake of The Blob.

No, I think I feel like a remake like this.

You know, you have to up the Annie and this verse and he's darker, it's gorrier.

It introduces a sinister government conspiracy about the Blob, which Chuck kind of educated us on.

You know, so now it's man made, it's not from out you know, it's not an alien from under space.

I think this movie's awesome.

I love it.

Chuck your thoughts as we close up on the Blob.

So nineteen eighty eight, me walked into the theater with my employee pass with nothing to lose, watching this film, and I came out and I just I knew that I really liked it.

I had a fun time.

I had a fun time, maybe in the same way that I had fun watching movies like stand by Me, but also there were a lot of other B movies in the eighties that are just a lot of fun to watch, but this one, being a B film, was a little.

Bit more elevated.

And twenty twenty five year old me watching this last Friday, remembering how much I enjoyed this.

I'm watching the opening credits, and as soon as I see not Chuck Russell's name, but I see Frank Darabaht because Frank Darabont, his name is one I connected with everything from the myst which in my opinion, is one of the darkest endings of a film that I've ever seen if he had.

Just waited two more minutes.

And then I was a fan of the comic book The Walking Dead, and I thought Frank Darbahn's direction in that series was really good, even though there were disagreements with AMC, and I hope they got all that sorted out since then.

But the direction that the show was originally going in, I was very excited because of his work with Shawshank, Redemption, the Green Mile.

He's a name that I could I could trust, and so seeing his name show up at the beginning of this, suddenly I'm like going, Okay, now I under nderstand why I liked it.

And then researching and going back and looking at Chuck Russell, just if I was to stop at Dreamscape, you know that right there as far as writing that that was a great flick, but then looking at Dream Warriors that that was another one that I wasn't aware of that he had done.

Uh.

And of course you know I had picked out the mask.

And he was also a producer, right, so he produced one of my one of my silly favorite films of nineteen eighty six, which was called Back to School.

Yes, so yep, the Triple Lindy.

So another great film which which, Yeah, I have.

You all covered that?

Uh?

Yes, we had a great time talking about Back to School starring William Zabka, who also played John Lawrence and the crowd of Kid.

So.

But that was a setup question because the Back to School episode was the very first film by that I listened to.

You're kidding me?

Okay, and he stuck around so and he stuck around.

Well, We're glad you guys have stuck around this one.

We Hey, we went long, but you know, you gotta you gotta get a little extra, you know.

Uh, And I'm glad we did it for the Blob listeners, what do you think of the Blob?

Have you seen it?

Have you seen the original with Steve McQueen.

You can let us know on social media.

You'll find us on Facebook, Instagram, and x.

You can check out a Film by Podcast dot com for all of our film and TV articles you Our entire library is streaming on the platform of your.

Choice, and you can also write to us at a.

Film by Podcast at gmail dot com with your questions, comments and concerns.

We may just read your response on the show and send you some of a film by swag Chuck always a pleasure to have you show up and talk Star Trek when we're talking when we're doing a Star Trek episode.

Always a pleasure to how you talk about Star Trek when we're doing a.

Episode about the Blobs Chucks.

What do you guys got cooking over there on cinemat flashback?

Oh Man?

So, like I said, we are now in our final episodes of our first season.

Just last week we had the Omen come out, and a couple of weeks before that we had our in drama The Strain episode out.

Next on November six, we have Apocalypse now.

And joining me for that is my coworker, Aaron Mullinix and her husband.

They have been Aaron.

She joined me on the Superfly episode and actually that episode has turned out to be my fifth most downloaded episode, which is crazy.

Does it surprise me that was that?

The super Fly episode was fantastic.

I love that episode.

I again exploring movies of the seventies, films that you don't know about people are recommending.

If you recommend the film to me, I'm going to ask you to come on.

And so with that, I'm also going to remind you, Jeff, that we're going to be talking about the Deep.

I am ready to talk about Nick Nolty and Lewis Gussa Jr.

I might even have some comments about Jack Lobassett and scuba diving in a white T shirt.

You never know, yeah, you never, You can never know.

I'm sure you will.

This is the show you recommended it, right, I just like Peter Benchley Man, I'm Jael's.

It all comes back to Jaws sometimes too.

So yeah, great great stuff that you guys.

I love.

I love the Cinemat Flashback listeners.

One fun thing, if you haven't seen their Facebook page, you know, anyone can can give you like a little screen grab and tell you a little factoid.

But Chuck does this awesome thing where it's like trading cards.

I don't know, I don't know how you do it, ChIL, but I love I love the tops trading cards.

I love seeing them show up in my in my feet on social media.

Those things are fantastic.

Absolutely, thanks, I appreciate that.

For all of you listening to the show, following us on social media, subscribing to our Patreon, and checking out the Cinematic Flashback Podcast, well, thank you.