Blu Review – Slime City/Slime City Massacre Double Feature

Blu Release – 4/5

Slime City
Director – Greg Lamberson (Johnny Gruesome, Slime City Massacre)
Starring – Robert C. Sabin (I Was A Teenage Zombie), Mary Huner (Ghoul School), and T. J. Merrick
Release Date – 1988
Rating – 3/5

Tagline – “A horror film with guts”

A few years back I was playing around on imdb.com and found a list of forgotten horror films from the 80s. On that list I saw Slime City and remembered that I had been on the hunt for that particular film for years. I set my sights to amazon and found it in the Slime City Grindhouse collection. I picked it up and when that Halloween season rolled around I decided to toss it it. I loved it. It was oozing with fun. I reviewed it then (review below) and recently it was brought to my attention that my friends over at Camp Motion Pictures would be releasing it on blu. They were kind enough to send it my way and I was able to revisit it.

**Spoiler alert**Alex (Sabin) is looking for a new apartment so he can have some alone time with his virgin girlfriend. He finds the perfect place in an old apartment building. However, the tenants seem a little off. His neighbors do not eat meat, in fact, they do not eat anything but colorful “yogurt.” Alex eats some of the yogurt after a tenant invites him over for dinner. Alex’s skin starts to secrete slime and he loses control. He walks the streets until he finds a homeless man and beats him to death with a pipe.

After doing so he returns to normal. Alex quickly discovers that the apartment building he is living in was once the home of a cult that committed mass suicide and the yogurt he has been eating is the ectoplasm of those in the cult. It is then up to his virgin love interest to stop his oozing rampage before he kills everyone in his path and slays her virginity.**Spoiler Alert*

The 80s was a decade that covered everything in cheese even though the cheese was unintentional for the most part. That is what made those movies so damn fun. The directors loved movies and loved making them even more. The directors had fun making their movies and that same fun shows on the film. Movies like Evil Dead II, House, House II, Killer Klown from Outer Spaces, and so forth are cheesy films that were only made to entertain the viewer. Sure, they did not have stories that made you think but they did keep you entertained and watching till the very end. Slime City fits that perfectly. The films may have been hard work but it was surely a labor of love. The director had to be extremely satisfied with his finished product.

The acting in this one is hit and miss. The younger cast members do a decent job and make the film easy to follow. However, the older cast members make the scenes very uncomfortable to watch. It is very obvious that they had no prior work on film and if they did it was not enough practice.

The story is very clever but nothing thought provoking. I really enjoyed the story to be honest and loved how the paranormal was mixed with murderous impulses. I really enjoy seeing something original.

Finally, the special effects are very good and truly add to the overall film. We get some very cheesy and campy kill scenes filled with colorful slime and gore. True horror fans will definitely get a kick out of this one. Overall, this is a hell of a good time…with slime. I highly recommend it.

Slime City Massacre
Director – Greg Lamberson (Dry Bones, Killer Rack)
Starring – Jennifer Bihl (A Heaven for Queers, Born to Die), Kealan Patrick Burke, and Debbie Rochon (The Legend of Six Fingers, Return to Nuke Em High Volume 1)
Release Date – 2010
Rating – 4/5

Tagline – “Welcome to the city where slime never sleeps”

Sequels can go anyway. Sometimes they are better than the original film and sometimes they suck wet Trump ass. Films like Evil Dead II, Aliens, and Terminate 2: Judgment Day are prime examples of sequels being better than the original. Not that the first films in the series are bad, by any means, but some sequels can be better than the original film. That brings me to the 1988 classic Slime City from director Greg Lamberson. This cult favorite is a highly sought after film with VHS releases of the film going for rather ridiculous prices.

I saw the first film a few years back when I bought the Slime City Grindhouse collection. I loved the film and immediately ordered the sequel. I ordered the Shriek Show release of Slime City Massacre but never made the time to check it out. That was until my friends over at Camp Motion Pictures released the film on blu with the original Slime City. I want to thank them for sending a review copy my way!

**Spoiler Alert** The film follows four survivors trying to seek refuge in Slime City after a dirty bomb is set off killing most of the city. They find a ring of keys and find a secure room that once belonged to Zachary Devon. They find his home brew elixir and Himalayan yogurt from the first film. They eat it and slowly become possessed by Zachary and his followers. They secret slime and when this happens they have a dark urge to kills. After killing they return to normal until they eat the yogurt and drink the elixir. They try to stop before they completely lose themselves but a group of mercenaries come into their building to kill all the homeless forcing them to succumb to the spirits and kill the mercenaries.**Spoiler Alert**

I really enjoyed Slime City. It was gritty, gross, and, to a lesser extent, cheesy. I love 80s horror and I love 80s horror comedies over everything else. I was curious how a sequel set 22 years later would hold up. The answer is pretty simple, it was fantastic. In fact, I think it was better in almost every way than the original film. The cast was a lot more experienced, the story was a great continuation of what we had already saw, and the effects were fantastic.

The acting in this one is great. Debbie Rochon is always a great choice for lead. She takes control of all her roles and dedicates herself 110% to it. She is always great and rarely disappoints. The remainder of the cast was great as well. If you stand this film up with Slime City you will see that this film is leagues better in terms of acting. The cast is great and bring their characters to life.

The story for this one is a great continuation of what we see in the first film. I have seen countless sequels, loved a good portion of them, but very few is able to follow up with a story like this one did. Which is surprising considering this one picks up 22 years later. That is one hell of a writing job and sets the bar pretty fucking high for an indie production.

Finally, those of you looking for blood, gore, and slime will find more than enough here. I was expecting the slime but I was not expecting the blood and gore that I was given. The effects for this one is great as well. The kills we get are very imaginative while paying tribute to films John Carpenter’s The Thing and Street Trash while not forgetting the film that it comes from. I can also see some Troma inspired carnage and mayhem tossed in as well. Overall, Slime City Massacre is one hell of an indie horror film. The film is a worthy follow up to a cult hit and offers up great gore. Check it out!