SLIME CITY MASSACRE (2010) Review

Directed by: Greg Lamberson
Written by: Greg Lamberson
Starring: Jennifer Bihl, Kealan Patrick Burke, Debbie Rochon, Lee Perkins, Robert C. Sabin, Mary Bogle

"WELCOME TO THE CITY WHERE SLIME NEVER SLEEPS"

With SLIME CITY MASSACRE writer / director Greg Lamberson has managed to create a sequel which is also a prequel to his original film which was released a whopping 22 years earlier. A new time period (two actually) and a (mostly) new cast mark the only major differences from the original film while the rest is a familiar mix of violent, slimy mayhem involving occult leader Zachary Devon's infamous concoctions.

In the wake of a dirty bomb attack, New York City has been evacuated and its only inhabitants now are homeless scavengers (or 'displaced refugees' as they are referred to in the film). A pair of fugitives Alexa (Bihl) and Cory (Burke) looking for shelter in the part of town now known as Slime City, stumble upon a seemingly abandoned building where they run into squatters Mason (Perkins) and Alice (Rochon) who decide to let them stay on account of Cory's impressive set of skeleton keys. While scavenging for food Mason and Cory come across a soup kitchen previously run by Zachary Devon, and inside they find hundreds of bottles of the satanist's home brewed elixir and 'Himalayan Yoghurt'.
Back at their building the two couples chow down on the yoghurt and elixir, go to bed, fuck and unsurprisingly wake up covered with slime and filled with bloodlust.

A decent part of the film is also told through black and white flashbacks, showing scenes that pre-date the original movie and fill in a little of the back story of Zachary Devon and his followers. We witness his first meeting with Nicole as he 'saves' her from her life of prostitution and invites him into his soup kitchen for a meal and a place to belong. It also explains further the moment when Zachary and his followers decide to kill themselves and why Lizzie had to stay behind.
But wait, there's more! A wealthy entrepreneur named Ronald Crump (get it?) has plans to level Slime City so that he can redevelop it, but first he needs to rid it of its transient infestation. His solution? Hire a group of mercenaries to go in and shoot anything that moves. It's all very ESCAPE FROM THE BRONX, and there's nothing wrong with that because that movie rocks.

The political and religious commentaries are obvious in SLIME CITY MASSACRE. A war over oil? Check. Abortions declared illegal? Check. Rich businessman wants to cleanse the city of the bottom-dwelling lower class? Check. Incestuous religious cult? Double check. There's also a really neat STREET TRASH reference, no doubt thrown in due to all of the comparisons people have made in the past.
Almost everything in this sequel outdoes the original, the acting is better, the production values are better, the locations are better, and even the no-boobs issue from the first movie is rectified here. Fans of the original will enjoy the cameos from the original actors and Troma fans will love the trashy vibe and the brief appearance of uncle Lloyd. The only real shame is that the ending doesn't pack anywhere near as powerful a punch as that of the original movie did. But it's still fucking fun.