DVD Review: Slime City Grindhouse Collection

DVD released: July 28th, 2009
Approximate running times: 81 minutes (Slime City), 75 minutes (Undying Love), 79 minutes (Naked Fear), 8 minutes (Johnny Gruesome)
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Anamorphic Widescreen (Slime City, Undying Love & Johnny Gruesome), 1.33:1 Full Frame (Naked Fear)
Rating: NR
Sound: Dolby Digital Stereo English
DVD Release: Shock-O-Rama Cinema
Region Coding: Region 0 NTSC
Retail Price: $24.95

Shock O Rama have another great collection this month, this time slime is the name of the game to complement their recent fantastic WIP collection! Greg Lamberson's Slime City, Undying Love and Naked Fear are included on this set with a load of extras as well to complete a great bang for your buck!

Slime City

"When Alex (Robert Sabin) and his girlfriend Lori (Mary Huner) move into a New York City apartment, they fall victim to blood-thirsty supernatural forces that transform Alex into a murdering, melting monster…a hideous slime-splattered demon that cannot be stopped!"

When Alex moves into his new apartment in the Big Apple with his girlfriend, little does he know the evil that lurks there and that it is going to take over his very being! Despite it's low budget (reported to be around $35,000) appearance this is actually quite good fun despite the questionable SFX, and while not scary, definitely gives a nod to flicks like Re-Animator! Performances are fine but really this is a beer and pizza movie that gore hounds will no doubt enjoy!

Undying Love

"Undying Love - Scott Kelly tried to take his own life. Now he finds himself seduced by
a beautiful woman named Camilla who has promised his life will NEVER end! Now hunted by a detective, Scott must decide whether to battle his growing need for blood, or embrace his new unholy existence!"

Perhaps the most lacklustre title within this collection, it never quite knows what it wants to be with a vampire story that lacks in originality! The plot never quite gets going and there is not enough blood or guts to keep the audience involved, however the budget for this was virtually zero so Lamberson had very little to work with!

Naked Fear

"Naked Fear – When traumatized agoraphobic Camden (Robert C. Sabin) takes in a new roommate - who happens to be both claustrophobic and an orphan – he overlooks indications that Randy may not be what he seems. But then neighborhood lowlifes begin turning up dead. And Julie, Camden’s new girlfriend, is convinced there is something very, very off about Randy…"

Again, an 80 minute run time seems twice as long, with poor acting and it's also shot on video which in my opinion never lends itself to a decent viewing experience, coming across as cheap and half-assed! Again I think it would help if you were having a few beers or a joint as it would probably make more sense that way!

Transfer and Audio

All features except for Naked Fear (1:33:1 full frame) are presented in 1:78:1 Anamorphic Widescreen with the images at times presenting signs of softness and green tinges but thankfully no other major artifacts or problems!

Again all features are presented in clear and concise Dolby Digital Stereo, with no problems at all in hearing the bad acting that is on show here! No subtitles are available!

Extras:

Funnily enough despite what I've already stated above, the extras are where this set excels and why you might want to pick up this collection. The extras are both plentiful and interesting! First of all we have a Slime City poster and nice 3 page booklet of liner notes written by Roy Frumkes. Disc 1 houses commentaries for Slime City and Undying Love starring Lamberson, Sabin, Sweeney and Huner; we also have featurettes "Slime City: Making Slime" and "Undying Love: Making Love the Grindhouse Way" Rounding off the disc is a Shock-o-Rama Trailer Collection.

Disc 2 hosts the nine minute short "Johnny Gruesome" starring Misty Mundae and there is also making of called "Johnny Gruesome: Meeting his Maker". Also included is "Slime Heads" that has interviews with Sabin and Huner who discuss working with Lamberson. Also on Disc 2 is the commentary for Naked Fear. A great selection of extras that really give and insight into the low budget cinema world and shows Lamberson's love of what he does!

Overall

If you are interested at all in the career of Greg Lamberson then this disc is a must have for the fantastic extras that are included, indeed they are generally more interesting than the movies themselves! If you don't own the original 2006 release of Slime City, then definitely pick this set up!