Passes the Bechdel test
The Blob
1988. Directed by Chuck Russell, written by Theodore Simonson and Kay Linaker and Irvine H. Millgate.
The Bechdel test
Bechdel score
3 / 3
Passes
-
Yes
1. At least two women
15 women characters. 9 of them speak. -
Yes
2. Who talk to each other
In 2 scenes out of 111. -
Yes
3. About something besides a man
In those scenes, our script parser found no man named. See the scene.
Second opinion
Agree bechdeltest.com readers give it 3 out of 3.
The film
Meg Penny is a cheerleader out on her first date with one of the football players, Paul Taylor. It doesn't go very well. Before they get where they're going, an old vagrant runs out in front of Paul's car, screaming in terror. The old man is closely followed by Brian Flagg, the local teen rebel, complete with long hair, black leather jacket, motorcycle and tough-guy attitude. Paul blames Brian for chasing the old man, but after the threesome takes him to the doctor's office, it becomes clear the vagrant had more to worry about than some young tough. He was screaming because of the acid-like substance on his hand - a substance that spreads over his body and eventually consumes him. Soon, the growing red blob, which sprouts tentacles to attack its victims, becomes a menace to the small town of Arbeville, Colorado. The military soon arrives in Hazmat suits, led by the wide-eyed Dr. Christopher Meddows. They're from the government, they say, and they want to help; but Brian's distrust for authority figures proves justified when he learns of their true motives.
- Released
- 05 Aug 1988
- Genres
- Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
- Rated
- R
- IMDb
- 6.7 / 10
- Awards
- 1 win & 7 nominations total
- Elsewhere
- View on IMDb
Starring, by lines spoken
- Women
- Men
- Not in the cast list
- Bigger name, more lines
- Brian 101 lines, man
- Meg 96 lines, woman
- Paul 35 lines, man
- Herb 29 lines, man
- Trimble 28 lines, man
- Mrs. Penny 21 lines, woman
- Scott 21 lines, man
- Kevin 18 lines, man
- Briggs 13 lines, man
- Fran 13 lines, woman
Full cast, 47 people
- Kevin Dillon as Brian Flagg
- Shawnee Smith as Meg Penny
- Donovan Leitch as Paul Taylor
- Jeffrey DeMunn as Sheriff Herb Geller
- Candy Clark as Fran Hewitt
- Joe Seneca as Dr. Meddows
- Del Close as Reverend Meeker
- Paul McCrane as Deputy Bill Briggs
- Sharon Spelman as Mrs. Penny
- Beau Billingslea as Moss Woolsey
- Art LaFleur as Pharmacist / Mr. Penny
- Ricky Paull Goldin as Scott Jeskey
- Robert Axelrod as Jennings
- Bill Moseley as Soldier #2
- Frank Collison as Phil Hobbs—Projectionist
- Michael Kenworthy as Kevin Penny
- Jack Rader as Col. Hargis
- Billy Beck as The Can Man
- Wade Mayer as Movie Patron
- Douglas Emerson as Eddie Beckner
- Jack Nance as Doctor
- Charlene Fox as Woman in Doctor's Office
- Erika Eleniak as Vicki De Soto
- Margaret Smith as Nurse
- Teddy Vincent as Sally Jeffers
- Don Brunner as White Suit #1 / Scientist
- Clayton Landey as George Ruiz
- Jacquelyn Masche as White Suit #2
- Julie McCullough as Susie
- Daryl Marsh as Lance
- Jamison Newlander as Anthony
- Judith Flanagan as Eddie's Mother
- Richard Anthony Crenna as Soldier Outside Town Hall
- Pons Maar as Theatre Manager
- M. James Arnett as Radio Man
- Peter Crombie as Soldier at Command Post
- Rick Avery as Soldier with Cracked Faceplate
- David Weininger as Soldier #1
- Moss Porter as Sergeant
- Noble Craig as Puddle Soldier
- Opelene Bartley as Old Woman in Tent
- Portia Griffin as Gospel Singer
- Jennifer Lincoln as Young Woman in Town Hall
- Charlie Spradling as Co-Ed
- Kristen Aldrich as Co-Ed
- Michael Lindström as Movie Patron (uncredited)
- Chuck Russell as Movie Patron (uncredited)
Who talks, scene by scene
Lines of dialogue in every 3 scenes, start to finish. Women above the line, men below. 3% of lines come from characters we couldn't match to the cast list and aren't shown.
Women
Men
Scene 1 Scene 111
Hover, tap or tab to a bar to see those scenes: where they happen and who's talking.
Show the numbers
| Scenes | Women's lines | Men's lines |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 to 6 | 0 | 6 |
| 7 to 9 | 7 | 27 |
| 10 to 12 | 0 | 24 |
| 13 to 15 | 13 | 10 |
| 16 to 18 | 10 | 8 |
| 19 to 21 | 5 | 11 |
| 22 to 24 | 11 | 12 |
| 25 to 27 | 0 | 4 |
| 28 to 30 | 1 | 11 |
| 31 to 33 | 5 | 12 |
| 34 to 36 | 0 | 1 |
| 37 to 39 | 0 | 3 |
| 40 to 42 | 6 | 1 |
| 43 to 45 | 14 | 36 |
| 46 to 48 | 4 | 5 |
| 49 to 51 | 0 | 3 |
| 52 to 54 | 0 | 3 |
| 55 to 57 | 4 | 1 |
| 58 to 60 | 3 | 5 |
| 61 to 63 | 4 | 2 |
| 64 to 66 | 5 | 7 |
| 67 to 69 | 18 | 43 |
| 70 to 72 | 2 | 11 |
| 73 to 75 | 0 | 2 |
| 76 to 78 | 11 | 10 |
| 79 to 81 | 0 | 16 |
| 82 to 84 | 2 | 4 |
| 85 to 87 | 13 | 19 |
| 88 to 90 | 3 | 8 |
| 91 to 93 | 4 | 27 |
| 94 to 96 | 0 | 0 |
| 97 to 99 | 0 | 0 |
| 100 to 102 | 2 | 0 |
| 103 to 105 | 2 | 1 |
| 106 to 108 | 2 | 3 |
| 109 to 111 | 2 | 4 |
The evidence
- Straight from the script
- Counted from the script and the credits
Tap an exhibit to open it.
Exhibit A: the passing scenes
The scene our parser counted as passing, word for word.
MRS. PENNY: Here. Take this. MEG: I don't want it. MRS. PENNY: Come on, honey. You need to sleep. MRS. PENNY: That's my good girl. Now not another word. I'm sure the police will have this thing settled by morning.
MEG: She clambers over the collapsed barrioade to get outside. MRS. PENNY: MEG! NO!
Exhibit B: every 100 lines
Out of every 100 lines with a known speaker, 31 are women's.
153 lines from women, 340 from men.
- Women
- Men
Exhibit C: who's in it
15 women and 31 men in the cast. 9 women and 24 men from it get lines.
Characters
With lines
- Women
- Men
Exhibit D: who gets heard
The first woman speaks at line 9 of 509.
The longest stretch with no woman speaking runs 44 lines.
Every line of dialogue, first to last
- First line by a woman
- Longest stretch with no woman speaking
Words spoken
Women speak 26% of the words (1,046), men 74% (2,997). Women have 31% of the lines, so their lines run shorter than men's.
Exhibit E: the test the other way
Two named men talk to each other about something besides a woman. It passes the reverse test.
Conversations between two named characters
Two women
7
Two men
34
Exhibit F: behind the camera
1 of the 12 people in these jobs is a woman.
Across the whole crew, 27% of the people whose gender is listed are women.
- Directed by
- Chuck Russell (man)
- Written by
- Chuck Russell (man), Frank Darabont (man)
- Produced by
- Elliott Kastner (man), Jack H. Harris (man)
- Shot by
- Mark Irwin (man)
- Edited by
- Tod Feuerman (gender not listed), Terry Stokes (man)
- Music by
- Michael Hoenig (man)
- Production design by
- Craig Stearns (man)
- Costumes by
- Joseph A. Porro (man)
- Cast by
- Johanna Ray (woman)
The crew, department by department
-
Other crew
4 women, 14 men, 10 not listed
-
Art
3 women, 8 men, 12 not listed
-
Camera
2 women, 5 men, 11 not listed
-
Costume & Make-Up
2 women, 2 men, 8 not listed
-
Sound
1 women, 6 men, 5 not listed
-
Production
5 women, 6 men
-
Visual Effects
0 women, 3 men, 7 not listed
-
Lighting
0 women, 2 men, 5 not listed
- Women
- Men
- Gender not listed on TMDB
Exhibit G: how old the stars were
Women: 35 on average. Men: 39 on average.
The top-billed cast, at the film's release.
Women
Shawnee Smith 19, Candy Clark 41, Sharon Spelman 46
Men
Donovan Leitch 20, Kevin Dillon 22, Paul McCrane 27, Jeffrey DeMunn 41, Beau Billingslea 43, Del Close 54, Joe Seneca 69
Exhibit H: the money
It made 82% of what it cost.
- Budget
- $10 million
- Box office
- $8.2 million
From TMDB, not adjusted for inflation.
About this analysis
Our parser read the script: 111 scenes and 509 lines of dialogue. The bechdeltest.com rating comes from that site’s readers. How the test works
