What is Blobfest? It’s the annual celebration of the 1958 Steve McQueen vehicle The Blob in Phoenixville, PA. Blobgeeks from all over gather at the town’s Colonial Theatre, where the film’s “movie theatre” scenes were shot. While the festival includes all sorts of fun things—the opportunity to see the real silicone material used for the movie’s monster, screaming contests, tours of the theatre (including a view of its projection booth and its still-in-operation 35 mm projector), screenings of the film (this year paired with winners like Them! and Tarantula), a street fair with loads of Blob-licious stuff to blow money on, and a tinfoil hat contest—perhaps what the weekend’s best known for is a recreation of The Blob’s “run-out” scene: movie patrons pour from the theatre’s doors, desperately trying to escape the Blob, who has oozed through the projection booth’s walls. (For those wondering: yes, they recreate the original marquee in the film, too. It feels like the real deal!).

This year, tickets for that specific event sold out in just under three hours, but Charles and I were lucky enough to get them. You wouldn’t think running screaming out of a theatre at full bore could be so exciting, but it was one of the most exhilarating things I’ve ever done. And despite that this year it was raining, nothing was going to dampen the crowd’s enthusiasm.

Here’s some photos and video that will give you a sense of what it was like to be at Blobfest—after the slideshow, stick around for an inside look at the run-out (you can’t see much as I was running for my life, but you can certainly get a sense of how much fun it was) and the local news coverage. And if you want to know more about The Colonial Theatre and all of its events, visit their website here: http://thecolonialtheatre.com/

Enjoy!

Editor’s Note, 9/15/13: Here’s a neat little featurette I found on the theatre and Blobfest over at Pop Pilgrims: http://www.avclub.com/articles/philadelphia-the-blob-movie-theater,57348/