The Blob (Criterion Collection) (Blu-ray)

A cult classic of gooey greatness, THE BLOB follows the havoc wreaked on a small town by an outer-space monster with neither soul nor vertebrae, with Steve McQueen (THE GREAT ESCAPE) playing the rebel teen who tries to warn the residents about the jellylike invader. Strong performances and ingenious special effects help THE BLOB transcend the schlock sci-fi and youth delinquency genres from which it originates. Made outside of Hollywood by a maverick film distributor and a crew whose credits mostly comprised religious and educational shorts, THE BLOB helped launch the careers of McQueen and composer Burt Bacharach, whose bouncy title song is just one of this film's many unexpected pleasures.

Starring: Aneta Corsaut, Olin Howland, Stephen Chase, Steve McQueen, Steven McQueen, Aneta Corseaut, Burt Bacharach, Earl Rowe, Kay Linaker, Vince Barbi, Lee Payton, Theodore Simonson, Hugh Graham, Audrey Metcalf, Elinor Hammer, James Bonnet, Jasper Deeter, Julie Cousins, Kieth Almoney, Lee Paton, Ralph Roseman, Stephen Oates, Tovert Fields, Vincent Barbi, Vivian Ogden, Olin Howlin, John Benson, George Karas, Elbert Smith, Pamela Curran, Robert Fields, Alden Chase

Director: Doug Shultz, Hilary Sio, Jack H. Harris, Peter Schnall