Blobfest 2024

Saturday was our second time attending the annual celebration of that hungry red monster from outer space - the Blob.  Phoenixville's Blobfest is essentially an open-air horror convention honoring that time back in 1958 when portions of the The Blob were filmed at the Colonial theater.  The event is a love letter to the film.  The color red is everywhere.  Restaurants and stores are decorated in red balloons, banners, and crepe.  Vendors fill the streets selling spooky merchandise and artwork. 

Each year the Colonial theater plays the original movie (and other classic horror films), and even hosts a "Run Out" where patrons are encouraged to reenact a pivotal moment in the film when the blob attacks the theater.  Folks go running out into the street, screaming and laughing.  

This year, instead of the original, we chose to watch the 1988 remake.  

This was a formative movie for me back in the day, as the practical effects are still some of the best (and most brutal) in the business.  

The theater was packed, and the mood was light and excited.  We all laughed and groaned and cheered as the movie unfolded in the very theater that started this wonderful tradition.  

We had a fantastic time... got to try some Blob jello shots, purchased a tiny ceramic Blob, had a great meal and cocktails at a local restaurant, and got to photograph an amazing cosplayer decked out as one of the members of the biological containment team featured in the film.  There was a costume contest earlier in the day and I'm really hoping this guy took first place.

The restaurant was playing The Blob...

Blobfest 2023

We had the wonderful opportunity to partake in a local tradition since the year 2000.  For twenty-three years, the town of Phoenixville, PA has celebrated the 1958 film THE BLOB.  The movie theater scene in that film was shot at the Colonial Theatre in downtown Phoenixville.  And the town is extremely proud of that fact.  A plaque in the theater reads:

Through this wall in the year 1958, Shorty Yeaworth’s The Blob brought the monster into the movie theater and Phoenixville’s Colonial Theatre into the annals of film history.

During the summer months, the main street through town is blocked to prevent traffic from entering.  Neat shops, cafes, bars, and restaurants abound.  During Blob Fest, loads of vendors and artists fill the street and it ends up being the horror convention you've always wanted - with no overpriced admission fee.  

We had tickets to a daytime showing of THE BLOB.  If you're up for it, you can choose a nighttime viewing where you can be part of the annual Run Out:  movie patrons run screaming from the theater lobby reenacting the famous panic scene at the end of the film. 

Similar to the time when we saw Friday the 13th in the town of Blairstown, there was a party-like atmosphere in the theater.  People were energized, and every little corny moment in the film was met with laughter and cheers and applause.  We had a blast.  I laughed so many times.  There's a scene in the film where the blob starts pouring through the small square windows of the projection room.  The effect still looks really neat, and it was hilarious to observe as half the theater turned around to look back at those windows.  Stuff like that was pure gold.  And it felt really nice to be a part of it.

Below are a few photos from Blob Fest 2023.  I'd highly recommend it if you're ever near the town of Phoenixville in July.  Tickets go on sale early every year as they are quick to sell out.

And click here for a fun fan trailer