Star Jelly and The Movies It Has Inspired

Photo:  Source

This mysterious substance is called "Star Jelly" from its gelatinous appearance and it is though to be leftover from meteor shows, the-the "star" part of the equation.   As it is reported the substance quickly disintegrates, it has been hard for scientist to collect samples.

Different sources date reportings of this phenomenon back the 14th century. Theories of what it is abound in addition to be being from a metorite to it being remains of frogs or toad eggs, possibly regurgitated by a bird, algae, or an aqueous slime mold, although a blog post on this site indicated one sample collected did not contain any DNA.

In a collection of stories on Star Jelly is the following reported by police in 1950 and the report that was the inspiration for the 1958 movie "The Blob"

"Police officers John Collins and Joe Keenan were cruising the streets of Philadelphia in their patrol car on the night of September 26, 1950. As they made their way down a quiet side street near Vare Avenue and 26th Street, their headlights picked up a strange shimmering object that seemed to be coming to Earth in an open field about half a block in head of them. When they went to investigate, thei flashlights revealed a domed disk of quivering jelly, 6 feet in diameter, one foot thick at the center and an inch or two near the edge. They had a curious feeling that the thing was alive! They turned off their flashlights and saw the thing glowed with a dull purple color. And then they radioed for help. 

  
They were soon joined by Sgt. Joe Cook and patrolman James Cooper. Sergeant Cook suggested they try and pick the thing up, but when Officer Collins attempted to do so the thing fell apart in his hands, like gelatin. The fragments that stuck to his hands soon evaporated, leaving behind only a sticky, odorless scum. Within a half hour of Cooper and Cook arriving the entire mass had evaporated".

The movies this substance inspired are:

The Blog - 1958

Is strange not just for the massive blob that consumes everything it is path, but also the cheery, upbeat theme song and a Dr. that will treat a person after hours and without verifying their insurance.

The Blog - 1988

This is an updated remake 30 years later starring Kevin Dillion (of "Entourage") and Shawnee Smith (of "Anger Management TV Series and former drug addict Amanda some of the "Saw" movies).

The Stuff - 1985

It is my favorite of the three movies.  Instead of the mysterious substance attacking directly, the old guy that finds it markets it as a non-fat dairy addictive dairy product.that is taking over Earth with each bite.   As the tagline states:  "Are You Eating It, Or Is It Eating You?"  Stars Michael Moriarity and Paul Sorvino, both on early "Law and Order" episodes and the odd casting of Garrett Morris of early SNL fame.

If you have any other listing that may have been inspired by the substance or any other information on Star Jelly, please post in the comments section.

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