SLUGS: I’VE BEEN SLIMED

Back in the 80s the glut of low budget horror films was running rampant. Most weren’t playing in theaters around the country but the movies did make their way to the grindhouses of the world and then onto video store shelves where horror and gore fans flocked to find the latest release. One such film that garnered attention as well as a small cult following was the film SLUGS, new on blu-ray from Arrow Video.

The story is fairly simple and feels like it was derived from the tons of oversized radiation induced monsters of the fifties. A small town is having a rash of murders occurring and no one seems to know what the cause is. Each victim seems to have been eaten alive, their skin and flesh wolfed down to the bone. With no trace of evidence to connect the murders to anyone local Sheriff Reese is at wits end.

The local health inspector, Mike Brady, is called to the scene of the first known death. Brady and Sheriff Reese never have seen eye to eye, not in small part due to the Sheriff’s always angry disposition. How this man ever got elected is beyond me. Looking for clues Mike doesn’t find anything definite but he does notice a trail of slime at the murder scene.

As the film progresses more people are killed and in the most gore filled ways. One young teen couple is fooling around only for the girl to fall out of bed and into a massive pile of the man eating blood sucking slugs that are the protagonist in the film. Like the title didn’t give that away. Nude and covered in blood and slugs her fate is sealed. The same holds true for various other town folks who are attacked and killed.

By the time Brady figures out what is going on he tries to warn the mayor and Sheriff. But with a major development deal in the making and the folks behind it in town no one wants to hear about it. With the help of his best friend, the town planner, they take to the sewer system with the aid of the local high school science teacher to flush out the slugs and bring an end to their reign of terror.

So the first question is, is this film any good. Seriously? With a title like SLUGS you ask that question? Of course it isn’t a great cinematic achievement. But then again with a title like that and a plot to match why would anyone expect it to be Oscar material. So let’s rephrase that question. Is the film a fun filled romp that is absurd, gore filled, cheezy and enjoyable if you let it be so? Absolutely. Don’t go in expecting great theater and you’ll have some fun with this one.

The over the top gore aspect of this film is exactly what made those films in the 80s pop with horror fans. Having gone through decades with little gore and then fueled by films like DAWN OF THE DEAD the gore factor suddenly took off through the roof. Slimy slugs with big mouths and sharp teeth as well as being able to slide along faster than real life slugs seemed like a natural antagonist. This American/Spanish production made the best of what small story there was and created one of those movies that popped up on cable non-stop and rented well at video stores.

While those VHS copies are still found, more often than not for sale on ebay, this release puts all of those to shame. Arrow Video, who I’ve hailed before for saving genre titles and non-mega hits that still have fans, has done it again with a quality transfer of the film. The washed out, blurry tape versions have been replaced with a sharp picture that is amazing considering the sources. The sound is also amazing.

If that wasn’t enough the extras are enough to keep you busy as well. Included are an audio commentary track by writer/filmmaker Chris Alexander, HERE’S SLUGS IN YOUR EYE – an interview with actor Emilio Linder, THEY SLIME THEY OOZE THEY KILL: THE EFFECTS OF SLUGS – an interview with special effects artist Carlo De Marchis, INVASION USA – an interview with are director Gonzalo Gonzalo, THE LYONS DEN – an interview and locations tour with production manager Larry Ann Evans, a 1988 Goya Awards promo reel, the original theatrical trailer, a reversible sleeve with newly commissioned artwork and a fully illustrated collector booklet with new writing by writer Michael Gingold. When watched with the movie it’s enough to keep you busy for an entire evening.

So SLUGS isn’t a cinematic achievement that major film scholars will be dissecting for years to come. It’s fun! It’s one of those movies that you don’t have to look for subtext in or find political implications running throughout. It is a simple monster movie with the oddest choice of creature you can think of. Pop this one during a party and watch folks howl with laughter while groaning at the gore scenes as well. It’s a popcorn movie for those with strong stomachs and fun for horror fans who will want to add this one to their collection.

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DEXTER-THE COMPLETE SERIES: SERIAL SOLUTION

Since I’m one of those people not enthralled by the shows and repetitive movies that movie channels like Showtime have become you’ll find me among that group that waits for those series to arrive on disc before delving in. Such was the case when folks were talking non-stop about the series DEXTER. I waited, picked up the first season when it came out and loved it.

For those who haven’t jumped on the bandwagon let me first explain what the series was about. Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall) is the blood splatter forensics expert for the city of Miami. His father was a police detective and so is his sister Debra (Jennifer Carpenter). Dexter is also a serial killer. But here is where things get different. Dexter only kills other serial killers and the most wretched of criminals alive. He is an anti-hero taken to the extreme.

Each season found Dexter dealing with the possibility that his friends on the force as well as his own sister would discover his secret. Showing homicidal tendencies at an early age it was his adoptive father who steered him in this direction, a form of vigilante justice if you will. Think of it as Batman gone bad without the gadgets and wealth. The first season jumps in letting us know from the start who and what Dexter is. It then draws us in as a competitive serial killer who knows his secret shows up and begins copying his style. Now not only must Dexter keep his secret from the police he must track down his competition as well.

Subsequent seasons found Dexter dealing with other serial killers as well. There was also the ongoing story of his relationship with a regular woman with two young children and an ex-husband who abused her. While Dexter was supposed to be a killing machine devoid of emotions in reality it was through various interactions with her and her children as well as his co-workers that the reality of his emotions came through. As I said, he was a killer you actually rooted for.

The dark humor at play in this series flooded out from the first scenes of the show. The entire cast was a perfect fit for their characters. Hall was magnificent as Dexter, employing just the right amount of coldness tinged with a subtle touch of humor that made fans love him. Carpenter as the devoted officer seeking the truth and a suspect yet clueless that her brother could be involved did a fantastic job as well. The rest of the cast, too numerous to name, also was amazing.

As with a number of the series in their catalog CBS has offered this one in season collections for some time now. They also released a special collection of the entire series that was contained in a microscope slide box, a tie in with the series since Dexter would collect a small blood sample on a slide from each of his victims. Now they’ve released the entire series in a more contained and less extravagant blu-ray box set at about half the price of that special collection.

The 24 disc box set is contained enough to not take up your entire shelf or even the space the collected editions would have. Priced at around $80 it is far less money than you’d spend colleting each of those sets in total. Best of all you have the opportunity to binge watch at your leisure, starting with the first season and working your way to the series finale.

I have a deeply dark sense of humor when it comes to films and TV series. I laugh at inappropriate things. And watching this series there are plenty of moments like that. If you find you have that same sort of sense of humor then this is a must have series for you. And with this particular box set you can have it all at a great price in great format. Fans of the series, this is a must have. For everyone else, it’s about time you became acquainted with Dexter Morgan.

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PERRY MASON-THE COMPLETE SERIES: FOR THE DEFENSE, YOUR HONOR

I never watched the classic TV series PERRY MASON when it first aired. That’s because I was born the same year that the series based on the books by Erle Stanley Gardner about a tireless lawyer in search of justice for his clients began. PERRY MASON went on to run for nine seasons, ending in 1966. Even then I wasn’t watching it. No, I discovered PERRY MASON the same way most of us did, in reruns and syndication. I came on board late in the game and found the series to be one of the most entertaining I’d come across. And now it’s all been collected in one great package.

The series told the story of Mason (Raymond Burr), a lawyer who knew all the tricks of the trade. Each week Mason, aided by his secretary Della Street (Barbara Hale) and private detective Paul Drake (William Hopper) took on a new client and helped them from small crimes to murder. His main nemesis in the series was District Attorney Hamilton Burger (William Talman), a man he respected and was friends with outside of the court room.

The best thing about the series was that each week a different story, a different defendant, made for compelling mysteries that had you guessing till the end. That was the fun of the series, trying to figure it out before the end of the show. Those endings have been satirized for years since with the famous court room admissions from the witness chair that Mason always seemed able to pull out of the most confident witness.

Is there a favorite episode? I don’t think you can lay claim to any one particular show. Not when you have 271 episodes to choose from. To be honest I’ve only begun to watch this collection. When you consider there are 72 discs involved to hold that many episodes the odds are it will take a while before finishing. But it won’t take that long to enjoy the series for what it was, a groundbreaking series that held the attention of fans for years. It was so popular that a TV movie called PERRY MASON RETURNS brought the remaining cast members back together in 1985 and was so popular that it led to a series of made for TV movies that came out and continued through 1993!

The series has been available for some time on DVD and broken down by year or split in two for each year. Selling for anywhere from $10-15 dollars per seasonal part that broke down to anywhere from $180-250 dollars for the whole series. Now you can buy the entire series in this single boxed set for $180 retail or $150 at amazon. The set is nicely put together in three cases that hold the discs well and keep everything together in much less space than the previous individual seasons held.

For fans this is the perfect way to have the collection on hand. It will offer hours of entertainment and puzzle solving for the arm chair detective. It is family friendly rather than the current spate of law shows that seem intent on delving into the worst cases of sexual deviant or scenes of blood drenched corpses. Mind you I’m not slamming those shows but if you enjoy series like this and have kids the odds aren’t great that you’ll be able to watch these shows while the kids are awake. The same isn’t true for this series which all ages can watch. The clothes might seem funny to the kids but the stories are still captivating.

This is a set that the collector will want to have on hand. I got rid of my split seasons with this one here to add to my shelf. My guess is that Perry Mason fans will want to do the same. While the price may seem high it is actually quite a bargain. Even more so when you consider the entertainment value as well. This one is worth owning.

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