Audience Member
One of the best things about Yorkshire Television when I was growing up was the eclectic fare that made up their schedules. At night they showed the most wonderful and unexpected films you could ever imagine. They also showed films you had never heard of before that were either unavailable on video because of some silly oversight or they were caught up in some rights limbo which denied their exposure to a wider audience.
I used to scour the TV listings and use the timer on our prehistoric video machine during the 80's to record anything on late that sounded vaguely of interest to a cult film fan like myself. And there were plenty of movies offered up that I found interesting.
One such was Slithis from 1978, a monster movie that I'm so glad I recorded.
There's a monster on the prowl in 1978 Venice Beach who starts by killing the dogs in the neighbourhood but then starts killing humans. But don't worry. There's a local journalism teacher (!) and some of the nerdiest scientists you've ever seen who are on the trail of the sub-aquatic being named Slithis, a product of a leak from a local nuclear plant.
This is amazing cult film goodness. A man in a rubber suit is always better than the CGI monsters you see in modern day horror films. I love Slithis' look and the way that the film's lighting and colour palate changes dramatically whenever he makes an appearance. It's important to light your leading man in the best way possible.
I also love the locale of Venice Beach that was used with the settings being so beautiful and full of such eccentrics, bohemian types and winos. You get the impression that these extras were captured on film just the way they were which is fantastic. I wish I was a meths drinker in 70's Venice when Slithis was doing the rounds. But I digress...
There's also scientist types who give you the impression that they aren't actors at all but just knew the director and were asked to appear. Their acting is erm, raw. Think Edith Massey but rawer (and if you think that's some kind of insult, you obviously know nothing of my cinematic preferences. It's a compliment of the highest order. No 'so bad it's good' nonsense here!)
I was amazed by Slithis when I first saw it and I get more and more from it with every screening. It would make a great double-bill with the equally brilliant Blood Beach. Both self-aware and brilliantly executed horror movies from the 70's which also contain a deft sense of humour.
But as if this wasn't enough, I then learnt that Slithis had his own fan club! Yes, you heard that right. HIS OWN FAN CLUB!!!
I loved what I read about the publicity used regarding the release of this film. Every patron would receive a Slithis Survival Kit on the purchase of tickets to the movie. This kit (in reality a pink or yellow piece of folded cardboard) included information regarding joining the Slithis Fan Club, how patrons could help promote the notion that Slithis is, in fact, a victim (he is, after all, the product of nuclear plant leakage) rather than a foe and, most importantly, the information that if you keep the kit on your person at all times or stash it under your pillow at night then Slithis would know and won't come to pay you a visit when he inevitably stalks your neighbourhood.
You could even send off for a Slithis 8x10, a Fan Club membership card and merch order form.
As if that wasn't enough, the campus screenings of the film (notice where the film played and that the film's producers already knew the demographic who would dig Slithis the most) would involve someone wearing the actual costume from the film for the occasion. There's a great press clipping of one such screening with a picture of Slithis walking alongside students from the University of Nebraska.
This is all very William Castle (actually, Castle would have gone one further and not told anyone about about the costume and had someone wearing it jump out unexpectedly at the audience towards the end of the screening) and that just makes me love the film even more.
Do you remember showmanship? Do you remember films that were, y'know, fun?!
That's Slithis. And it's a terrific monster movie to boot.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
02/19/23
Full Review
Matthew D
Just enough monster actio to be passable, but the writers should have known that we don't want drawn-out conversations about the monster-- we want more of the monster. Less yak-yak, more roar-roar.
Rated 2.5/5 Stars •
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars
06/25/21
Full Review
Audience Member
The first half hour started off pretty quickly, with a few deaths and even showing the monster right away (maybe too quick). It was moving along briskly, but then comes to a dead halt as the heroes investigate. It has quite a few bad movie moments that are a lot of fun, from bad slo-motion to one of the most hilariously over-the-top police chiefs I think I've ever seen on film. Seriously, I think the filmmakers got a local Shakespeare stage actor and cast him, as his twirled mustache and overacting is so out of place, even in a bad movie like this. I would almost say it was done on purpose and this movie was intentionally bad, but everything else takes itself so seriously. I wanted to like this movie, but it was a bit too dull.
Rated 1.5/5 Stars •
Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars
01/25/23
Full Review
Audience Member
A real stinker of a b-movie
Rated 2/5 Stars •
Rated 2 out of 5 stars
01/30/23
Full Review
Audience Member
I gave this one star for the monster outfit and the cute turtle race. Besides those two things this is a great movie to take a nap to....and that's not a good thing.
Rated 1.5/5 Stars •
Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars
02/25/23
Full Review
Audience Member
I love a 'so bad it's good' movie just as much as the next movie geek but, this 1978 "gem" is just all round bad. I had the misfortune of catching this in a theater back in '78 and let's just say it hasn't gotten any better with age and it's still so bad that 70s nostagia just doesn't help. The movie tells the story of a school teacher who (for whatever reason) is trying to solve the mystery of some animal mutilations and later human murders around a Venice California cove. The police think it's a serial killer or a cult and forensics can't seem to tell animal bites when they see them. He discovers that a leak from a nearby nuclear plant created an organic sludge called "Slithis" (never explained) which takes on characteristics of what it absorbs and it is now a humanoid fish monster craving food. From it's awful dialog to it's even worse delivery of that dialog (an actor playing a police chief seems to think he's playing a bad guy on a Sid and Marty Kroft show.), Slithis is mind numbingly bad. Half the films shots are in slow motion for no reason, including the opening scene of a fat kid playing frisbee, which means it's scant 80 minute running time would be less then an hour without them. The Slithis creature costume is okay but it looks like a pudgy Creature From The Black Lagoon and the human eyes are just too nice and blue to illicit fears. And as a horror film, fear is something this completely lacks. From the easily telegraphed attack scenes, where most of the carnage is off camera, to the tone , which goes from serious to oddly whimsical at times ( What kind of film where they trying to make?), Slithis can't generate any suspense or tension whatsoever. There is some blood but, with a PG rating, Slithis is rather tame and there are only a few attack sequences as the film is very talky for an 80 minute creature feature. An awful film that somehow has garnered a bit of a reputation but, after revisiting it, I can only guess it was from lack of availability as the film has very little to recommend even to fans of bad movies.
Rated 1/5 Stars •
Rated 1 out of 5 stars
02/03/23
Full Review
Read all reviews
>
