In his first starring role, Steve McQueen closes out the monster movie drive-in classic with words that have become even more terrifying since the film’s 1958 release: “As long as the Arctic stays cold.” His teenage hero echoes the words of authorities describing the temporary solution to their small town’s monster problem. They fly the creature — a pulsating jelly-like creature from outer space that grows larger with each new victim it consumes and only seems to be vulnerable to extreme cold — to the Arctic to keep it frozen because they can’t figure out how to destroy it. It’s a troublingly short-sighted solution, one that offers less and less comfort as climate change continues to accelerate.
Chuck Russell and Frank Darabont’s 1988 remake of The Blob addresses that threat more directly and with far more cynicism, turning the titular blob into a symbol for the unstoppable mess that corporate greed, reactionary politics, and jingoistic aggression have made of the world. You can’t kill the Blob, but you can keep it on ice for a while… as long as the Arctic stays cold.
