Skip to main content

Slime City (1988) - Greg Lamberson



When i first heard of Slime City I got really excited. My enjoyment grew with the amazing opening synth theme. I came into it knowing that it would be low budget but that didn't even cross my mind. I just sort of... took it in and enjoied it for what it is. A cult classic from the eighties. A rare gem that prefers to stay hidden from the masses. 

The characters are likable enough to become invested. Alex is an art student that gets an apartment to "seal the deal" with his girlfriend Lori. The apartment building he moves into has some real upstanding characters. However, a Nick Cave wannabe and a biker skank seem to be the main culprits. The mucky biker chick seems to concoct this thick sticky ooze that the other tenants eat. They love it. It's pretty foul. 


The ooze is weird. It has odd effects. Although the initial effects are temporary, they could last for a lifetime. It makes your skin turn into a gelatinous substance and sends you into a murderous rage. At least that's what happens to Alex. He tries just a bit of the slime and is instantly hooked. It's very crack adjace. Kids, Don't do drugs. 

The tepid lighting and flaccid sound are enough to turn any casual viewer away. However, under the surface Slime City actually has something going for it. Now I haven't seen Street Trash at the time of this viewing. However, I intend to at some point and come back to this and make a follow-up. Many people have drawn comparisons between the two films.


Upon my viewing this time though I found this movie to be pretty fun and original. This isn't a quality movie but it certainty is entertaining. It's a very punk rock movie. I love the gritty-ness and hardcore feel. It's a breath of fresh air in this climate of family friendly PG-13 "horror" flicks. 

Slime City is most certainty gory. It is your usual bloody mess movie, verging on ridiculousness. It goes so far and beyond that it becomes revolting. It does a fine jobe of that. It encompasses the spirit of classic horror movies but delivers in a way that would make Lloyd Kaufman proud. I fully recommend Slime City. 


Director: Greg Lamberson
Country: USA


Did ya know...


A soundtrack album feature 40 minutes of instrumental music by Robert Tomaro was released for the 20th anniversary of the movie. It feature the bonus track The Slime City Tribute Song by Holy Mary Motor Club.Lamberson is the author of the horror novels Johnny Gruesome and Personal Demons, published by Medallion Press, and the filmmaking book Cheap Scares! Low Budget Horror Filmmakers Share Their Secrets. He also created the popular horror entertainment website www.FearZone.com. His personal website is www.slimeguy.com.


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Ju-On (2000) - Takashi Shimizu

Watching Japanese horror is similar to watching British comedy. If you enjoy dry whit then you probably enjoy the boys of Monty Python in drag. That's the joke, they're dressed like women. Get it? Well, that's British humor. But if you're like most Americans you probably prefer Adam Sandler farting his way across a football field and hooking up with chicks that are way out of his league. Americans usually prefer this more in your face, crass brand of humor. My point is funny in England is different from funny in the US. The same goes for J-Horror. What the Japanese consider scary is very different from what Americans consider scary and it shows in this horror film. Japanese horror is generally slow (a little too slow sometimes), suspenseful and creepy. Ju-On is a creepy effing film. The movie has almost no soundtrack. It is incredibly suspenseful and the pay-offs are pretty awesome, but I think that it was done better in the American version (cultural t...

Sleepy Hollow (1999) - Tim Burton

Tim Burton's take on the old Sleepy Hollow tale is really interesting. He adds his own flair of course. He delves very deeply into the original story by Washington Irving. The casting is usual for Burton. Johnny Depp of course in your lead. Helena Bonham Carter, thrown in for some flavor. The score is done by Danny Elfman. It's literally just the Ichabod Crane story run through the Tim Burton machine. But in a good way. Sleepy Hollow has a problem with a guy, running around, taking people's heads. Like, a lot of people. The town sends word for assistance and the nervous  Constable Ichabod Crane reports. He starts to unravel clues that take him down an incredibly strange path. With the Horseman still murdering patrons, Crane tries finding who's next before they lose their head.  I've always been a big fan of the Disney cartoon,  The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad . This movie is a far cry from Bing Crosby and quaint animations....

Le Manoir du Diable (1896) - George Melies

According to Wikipedia in August of 2011, Le Manoir du diable by Georges Melies is the first horror movie. Well, actually its a short film (about three minuets or so) but film was really hard to come by in that time so this counts as a film to me. The plot of the film is basic, you have your hero being tormented by demonic things in a crazy castle room... However, that plot isn't what brought the crowds. The thing that drove the popularity of these films was the fact that you were seeing motion on screen. I suggest going and seeing Hugo. That film is spectacular. It answered so many questions that I had. It really sets the scene and the tone. The film has strong christian overtones and actually ends with Christianity prevailing over the "tides of darkness". I provided a link at the bottom of this review for anyone that would like to see this pioneer in Horror Film. The movie uses very, very early "movie magic" that is an abundance of smoke and m...