CULT CORNER
By Nick Yak
SLIME CITY (1989 / released by Retro Shock-O-Rama / DVD)

In the mid-late 80’s, I had the privilege of seeing a batch of films (theatrically) thanks to the fact that I live 15 minutes away from Manhattan (45 if there’s traffic . . . sometimes 90). Among the more memorable sleaze fests were Street Trash, I Was a Teenage Zombie, Frankenhooker, and the horribly bad Class of Nuke ‘Em High 2: Subhumanoid Meltdown (which I’m mentioning for the loads of fun we had outside the theater as Troma Films threw a trashy version of a red carpet premiere . . . complete with Tromie the nuclear squirrel and a homeless man with cigarettes sticking out if his ears!).

I once owned a very bad VHS dupe of director Gregory Lamberson’s Slime City, and I only recently found out it actually had a NY theatrical run (OOPS—how’d I miss that?). Now, thanks to Retro-Shock-O-Rama, you get to see this trashy little gore-feast in all its dripping glory . . . not to mention a boat load of extras. Lamberson (yes, the same person who penned the novel Personal Demons) spins a yarn about some poor dude and his girlfriend who move into an apartment only to discover some kook and his followers offed themselves there years earlier. When said dude (Alex) ends up shaggin’ his metalhead-looking neighbor, the green-slime really starts to hit the fan as he becomes possessed by the spirit of the suicidal cult leader. What ensues is enough splashing grime, ooze, and blood to keep any gore completist happier than a cheating dieter at a Dunkin’ Donuts convention. The end scene of Alex’s split-open head giving birth to a mutant, crawling brain must be seen to be believed.

Low budget, sleazy, and looking like the mutant offspring of fellow 80’s schlocker Basket Case, Gregory Lamberson’s debut feature is a real hoot. The extras include great commentary by the director and star Robert Sabin, an excellent “Making of Slime” documentary, and an entire shot-on-video feature from 1999 by Lamberson titled Naked Fear, which turned out to be a very well done psychological thriller starring most of the cast of Slime City. Why don’t you own this yet?