I watched this film on Amazon Prime in a fine-looking high definition print, so it's a pity that the quality of the film itself wasn't any better. BEWARE! THE BLOB is a sequel to the 1950s monster movie classic that took 13 years to get made and after watching you'll wish they hadn't bothered. This movie was bizarrely directed by future DALLAS star Larry Hagman who also has a cameo as one of three tramps alongside stand-up comedian Del Close (who would go on to play the priest in the BLOB remake) and Burgess Meredith.

The film itself is quite well mounted and the special effects are a step up from those in the original film, although certainly nowhere near as good as in the 1988 remake. What fails is the script, which goes for a jokey, comic approach through. To say that the humour is forced is an understatement, and the viewer has to wade through endless exaggerated performances in order to get to the fun monster attack scenes. They should have just played it straight and allowed the viewer to find their own laughs as in the original movie. The end result is more of a cult item than anything else.

From a common housefly to mischievous kitten to a happy go lucky married couple to an entire community, this is even more tense than the 1958 classic "The Blob" (from which there is a clip of a TV broadcast of) yet not even close to the gore of the above average 1988 remake. Robert Walker Jr. is the equivalent of Steve McQueen here, not a suspected juvenile delinquent but an independent minded 20 something who, along with girlfriend Gwynne GIlford, warns the town of the big jello like substance that doesn't leave a sticky mess as evidence behind when it swallows someone up. The way these horrifying deaths are presented is in a way that is comical which may bring uncomfortable laughs for some but is something that horror movie fans expect in a situation like this.

You'll get to see some of the most familiar faces of TV sitcoms of the time in this, from the future Shirley Feeney (Cindy Williams),Dick Van Patten, Richard Stahl and Major Nelson himself, Larry Hagman, who just happened to be the director. Some of these performances are amusing little cameos, and you'll spot Burgess Meredith, Geoffrey Cambridge (as the first victim, eaten up as he watches the original film),Carol Lynley and Shelley Berman as an effeminate but apparently married hairdresser. Stahl's character starts off as your typical obnoxious entitled businessman, but once he comes to see that what Walker and Gilford warned everyone about is true, he becomes a major part of the pot and even heroic. This speeds by at an alarming fast rate with a very intense sequence in a bowling alley (replacing the movie theater from the 1950's) and plenty of thrills that will have you on the edge of your seat. So keep the jelly in the fridge and just have your peanut butter plain with this. You might get the heeby jeebies watching this when that jelly starts jiggling.

A technician brings a frozen specimen of the original Blob back from the North Pole. When his wife accidentally defrosts the thing, it terrorizes the populace, including the local hippies, kittens, and bowlers.

I'm probably rating this film a little too highly, because let's be honest.... it's pretty bad. The acting is not good, the plot is all over the place. It doesn't hold a candle to the original or the 1980s remake. There is good reason this film has been forgotten by just about everyone.

And yet, it is wildly entertaining in its badness. The scenes that run on for no reason... did we really need all the buildup to the hippie getting a haircut? No, but it was great just the same. I watched this by myself and enjoyed it, but I imagine a group of friends and some beer could make it even better.