"Blob"Fest 2011

Having never been to "Blob"fest, I was unsure of what to expect. I had these ideas and expectations in my head of what I was hoping to see. I'll be the first to admit my tastes can be slightly eccentric. Amazingly so are the tastes of the great folks at the Colonial Theatre. Their annual festivities exceeded my expectations! This is one of the few shows I've attended where the hosts specifically knew their core audience.

Various artists of horror and macabre art lined the streets. Motorheads gathered around the classic and antique muscle cars that were displayed. Vintage enthusiasts were able to purchase small pieces of American and cinema history. While movie buffs gazed in amazement at set pieces from the actual film, including the real "Blob"!

The entertainment was top notch as well. The Buzzards kept their pompadours tight, and the poodle skirts dancing in the streets! Their "rockabilly" style made sure all the hep cats kept on grooving in between stage shows. The funky monsters from Ghoul a Go-Go judged the annual costume contest. This brought out all the horror kings and scream queens donning their best homemade outfits. Afterwords the side show troupe of Olde City Sideshow kept the audience in awe as well as disgust. Onlookers watched the crew insert power drills into their nostrils, munch on worms, and swallow swords as well as fire.

Even with all these unique forms of entertainment, the highlight of the day was the fire extinguisher parade, and of course the film screening. Considering myself to be a film geek I got us seats directly under the projectionist booth.

If the blob was to re-enact the famous scene from this landmark theatre we would have been the first to perish. AHHH!!

Somehow I made it out alive!!

"Blob"fest was a truly unique experience and one of the best times I've had. If you're a fan of this classic film this is a must visit destination. If you consider yourself a cinephile or just a family looking for a unique way to enjoy an entertaining day, "Blob"fest will surely not disappoint. So run don't walk to next years "Blob"fest!

"Blob" Tour-Colonial Theatre

Meanwhile in the healthfully air conditioned Colonial Theatre a crowd of patrons are gathered to view the new Bela Lugosi film as well as "Daughter of Horror." The midnight showing had attracted a large audience. The unsuspecting crowd was unaware all mayhem was about to break loose. A jelly-like mutant was maneuvering it's way through a heating vent, ready to strike on a naive projectionist. After devouring the theatre projectionist, the "Blob" began to consume members of the audience. In a panic the uproarious crowd rushed to the streets for safety.

This infamous scene was actually filmed twice, initially people were tripping over each other.
Colonial Theatre is located at 227 Bridge St. Phoenixville, Pa.

"Blob"fest

Every year around the same time something strange occurs at the Colonial Theatre in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania. Hundreds of spectators run rampant out of the theatre and onto the streets. Their look of terror assumes they just saw a monster. Perhaps they did! But chances are they're just re-enacting the famous scene from the campy sci-fi classic. The film originally cost $120,00 to produce. It starred Aneta Corsaut who played Jane, and a hot newcomer; Steven McQueen. This was the last time he used Steven as he later became ubercool Steve McQueen, and unfortunately met a tragic fate. An interesting fact with the film is McQueen was offered $2,500 or 10% gross of the film. He chose the $2,500 figuring the film would tank, the movie caught a buzz and made over $4,000,000.00.


Filmed mainly at Valley Forge Films, Director Irvin Yeaworth used local landmarks in the film to add authenticity, including local homes, a landmark theatre, diners, and even a local high school.

Every year thousands flock here to pay homage. The annual Blobfest occurs every July in the town of Phoenixville. The festival features numerous vendors, B-movie screenings, costume contests, a fire extinguisher parade, and of course the infamous theatre run out.

Follow us the rest of the week as we continue our "Blob" tour!

Outta the Way! Goes to the Movies part 1

Besides having an a fascination with visiting odd and mysterious places, I also have an obsession with watching odd and mysterious movies. Since visiting all these strange locations has inspired me to write a travel zine about them. I thought I'd share some movies that were inspired by these places as well.

The campy sci-fi classic The Blob, which was filmed outside of Philadelphia inspired us to write a zine just visiting some of the spots made famous by the film. The Colonial theatre in Phoenixville is a great place to start a "Blob" tour, or just take in an art house film the mainstream theatres don't show.

One of the most notorious places we visited was a stretch of rural by-way known as Devils road. This stretch of road is shrouded in tales of Satanism, racial hangings, and even a house of inbred mutants. These are of course just tales, but director M. Night Shyamalan was so intrigued by the area he used it in the filming of The Village. Maybe he was aware of the heinous activity which occurred in the late 1970's on this farm lane. A notorious gang of tractor thieves had four teens buried in a shallow grave nearby. The story is much too detailed for me to give you all the information here. I would advise you to take a look at the film At Close Range, which gives a good dramatization into these heinous murders.

Another film to deal with a grisly murder is Apprentice to Murder. This film delves into the murder in the "hex hollow". It's loosely based on the murder of Nelson Rehmeyer an apparent sorcerer. Donald Sutherland does a fine job portraying the imposing man but the film falls into too much 80's cheese. So grab a bucket of popcorn and take a trip outta the way through the movies.

The Colonial Theatre (The Blob) Vol.3

The Colonial Theatre is one of those rare places that doesn't seem to exist anymore: a local hometown business that is still thriving.

It has the distinction of being the location of where the theatre scene in The Blob was filmed. Each July the theatre hosts Blobfest, complete with a theatre running out reenactment.

The theatre also has midnight showings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Most of the theatre's business seems to come from the art house crowds, since they run a lot of indie and foreign films here as well.

In this age of box office schlock that attracts the masses, it's nice to see a local theatre with a brain, for that Outta the Way sends a standing ovation.