Slime City

{{Infobox film

| name = Slime City

| image = File:Slime City (1988) poster.jpg

| caption = Promotional release poster

| director = Greg Lamberson

| producer = {{Plainlist|

Peter J. Clark
Marc Makowski

}}

| writer = Greg Lamberson

| narrator =

| starring = {{Plainlist|

Robert Sabin
Mary Huner
Bunny Levine
Marilyn Oran

}}

| music = Robert Tomaro

| cinematography =

| editing =

| distributor = {{Plainlist|

Camp Video (VHS)
Shock-O-Rama Horror Cinema (DVD)
Media Blasters (Blu-ray)

}}

| released = {{Film date|1988}}

| runtime = 85 minutes

| country = United States

| language = English

| budget = $100,000 USD

}}

Slime City is a 1988 American science fiction comedy horror film written and directed by Greg Lamberson.{{cite book|last=Albright|first=Brian|date=2012|title=Regional Horror Films, 1958–1990: A State-by-State Guide with Interviews|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=39jxgdy3IhcC&pg=PA268|publisher=McFarland & Company|page=268|isbn=978-0786472277}} It stars Robert C. Sabin, Mary Huner, Bunny Levine and Marilyn Oran.{{Cite web|url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/news/19580|title=10 Strange Things You'd Better Not Eat or Drink!|date=March 24, 2010|website=Bloody Disgusting|access-date=March 24, 2010}}

In the film, an unmarried couple moves into a rundown apartment in New York City. The man accepts an offer of wine from his new neighbors, but the "wine" turns out to be a mysterious liquid. After drinking the "wine", the man starts shapeshifting into a slime creature.

Plot

Alex and his girlfriend are looking for an apartment to move into. They then move into a rundown apartment in New York City. Their neighbor seduces Alex while his girlfriend is away. His neighbors provide him with a strange drink that they call "wine" and Alex proceeds to drink it.

After the incident, Alex begins to shapeshift into a yellow killer slime creature called "Zachary". He finds that the only way he can return to normal is to commit murder. His girlfriend must learn the secret of the apartment and the brutal massacre that took place centuries ago.

Cast

Robert Sabin as Alex
Mary Huner as Lori / Nicole{{cite magazine|last=Cambell|first=Steve|date=1988|title=The Subterranean Butcher Shop: Slum Lords from Hell Ooze into Town!|url=https://archive.org/details/Slaughterhouse_001_HCS_1988/page/n35/mode/2up|magazine=Slaughterhouse Magazine|publisher=HCS Associates|volume=1|issue=1|page=34}}
Bunny Levine as Ruby
Marilyn Oran as Selina
Gary Stein as Mr. Swan
Jamie Johnson as Tracy

Production

Slime City was filmed in New York City, New York, on a budget of {{USD|100,000|long=no}}.

Soundtrack

A soundtrack album featuring 40 minutes of instrumental music by Robert Tomaro was issued in 2008, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the film's release. It features the bonus track "The Slime City Tribute Song" by Holy Mary Motor Club.

Release

=Theatrical=

A midnight preview screening of Slime City was held in New York City in March 1988.{{cite news|last=Kane|first=Joe|date=March 30, 1988|title=Give Peter Fonda a 'Fighters' Chance|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114171061/daily-news/|newspaper=New York Daily News|location=New York, New York|access-date=December 5, 2022|via=Newspapers.com}} The film premiered in New York City later that spring, and was originally slated for a three-week theatrical run. This three-week run was later extended, which producer Marc Makowski attributed to the film performing well at box office. Midnight screenings of the film were held at the Waverly Theater in Manhattan.{{cite news|last=Kane|first=Joe|date=May 18, 1988|title=Bodies to the Left of Us, Bodies to the Right|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114170308/daily-news/|newspaper=New York Daily News|location=New York, New York|access-date=December 5, 2022|via=Newspapers.com}}

=Home media=

Slime City was released on VHS in the United States by Camp Video in 1989.{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0234748/companycredits|title=Company Credits for Slime City|publisher=imdb.com|accessdate=2011-04-11}} In 1993, it was released in the United Kingdom by VIPCO, under the title The Slime.{{cite web|url=https://bbfc.co.uk/AVV108044|title=The Slime|website=British Board of Film Classification|access-date=February 12, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120415014657/http://www.bbfc.co.uk/AVV108044/|archive-date=April 15, 2012|url-status=dead}}

On October 11, 2005, Slime City was released on DVD by Shock-O-Rama Horror Cinema, including such bonus features as a making-of featurette, the 1999 Lamberson-directed thriller film Naked Fear, and audio commentaries by Lamberson and Sabin for both films.{{cite web|url=https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/18062/slime-city-double-feature/|title=Slime City Double Feature|last=Gibron|first=Bill|date=October 6, 2005|website=DVD Talk|access-date=December 5, 2022}} In July 2009, Shock-O-Rama re-released Slime City and Naked Fear on DVD as a triple feature with another Lamberson-directed film, Undying Love (1991), as "Greg Lamberson's Slime City Grindhouse Collection".{{cite web|url=https://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/38175/slime-city-grindhouse-collection/|title=Slime City Grindhouse Collection|last=Gibron|first=Bill|date=August 12, 2009|website=DVD Talk|access-date=December 5, 2022}}

In 2016, Slime City was released on Blu-ray as a double feature with its 2010 sequel Slime City Massacre.{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/Slime-Massacre-Double-Feature-Blu-ray/dp/B01KI2640O|title=Slime City/Slime City Massacre Double Feature [Blu-ray]|website=Amazon.com|access-date=December 5, 2022}}

Reception

In 2005, Bill Gibron of DVD Talk criticized Slime City for its "failure to create a believable atmosphere of dread", and wrote, "There are not many laughs (but there are quite a few groans) in this oddly moody mess." He referred to it as "a kind of cult favorite", a distinction he felt is owed to the film's lack of availability and splatter elements, and wrote of the latter: "It's not at the level of a Troma title, or something as sensational as Evil Dead or The Thing, but what we get here is still handled well, with a nice combination of nastiness and invention."

Sequel

In 2009, Lamberson directed the sequel Slime City Massacre,{{cite web|url=https://dreadcentral.com/news/32848/its-a-wrap-slime-city-massacre|title=It's a Wrap for Slime City Massacre|date=August 3, 2009|website=Dread Central|access-date=March 24, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151008010948/http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/12771/it-s-a-wrap-for-slime-city-massacre/|archive-date=October 8, 2015|url-status=dead}} starring Debbie Rochon.{{cite web|url=https://dreadcentral.com/news/36968/slime-city-massacre-official-trailer-now-live|title=Slime City Massacre Official Trailer Now Live!|date=April 14, 2010|website=Dread Central|access-date=April 14, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151008021905/http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/16815/slime-city-massacre-official-trailer-now-live/|archive-date=October 8, 2015|url-status=dead}}