Slithis Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		3.0

Slithis Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf March 6, 2021

Writer/director Stephen Traxler has a vision for 1978’s “Slithis” (a.k.a. “Spawn of the Slithis”), but he doesn’t have a movie to back it up. Inspired by genre classics such as “Creature from the Black Lagoon” and “Jaws,” Traxler tries to create his own little corner of horror, taking the action to Venice, California, playing into growing environmental concerns of the era to inspire a mutant monster effort that barely features the titular menace for a good portion of its run time. Weird creative decisions are common in the picture, which devotes time to inane conversations, wild overacting, and the seductive powers of a potential sexual predator, keeping away from the basic enjoyment of a man in a rubber suit gobbling up local idiots. Traxler is hanging on for dear life with “Slithis,” almost going out of his way to generate a painfully dull viewing experience, finding it more comfortable to do nothing with his production. After all, violence costs money, and there’s not a lot of that to be found in the endeavor.

In Venice, California, something evil has been stalking the area, with mutilated dogs discovered in the neighborhood. Locals aren’t entirely sure what’s going on, but high school journalism teacher Wayne (Alan Blanchard) wants to learn more about it. While his wife, Jeff (Judy Motulsky), doesn’t see the importance of such a mission, Wayne strikes out on his own, meeting with the locals and collecting soil samples, receiving help from his friends in the science community. Wayne soon learns of Slithis, a humanoid creature born from contaminated mud created by a nearby nuclear power plant, and the monster has now graduated to human prey. Attempting to get to the bottom of the environmental disaster, Wayne begins to understand the danger at hand, while Slithis finds his way into Venice, devouring victims while the police struggle to wrap their minds around such horrifying displays of violence.

It’s hard out there for a journalism teacher, finding Wayne depressed in the early scenes of “Slithis,” struggling with his inability to care about his job and deal with the student body at Palisades High School. Jeff offers little comfort, leaving Wayne to find a fresh outlet for his investigative instincts. Enter Slithis. Well, the idea of Slithis actually, as the creature itself doesn’t make too many appearances in the movie, introduced through the visual of freshly skinned dead dogs lying on the banks of a local canal (it’s best not to know how this shot was achieved). Outsiders don’t care to understand what’s going on, but Wayne? He doesn’t share the same apathy, setting out to learn more about the violence and what’s causing it.

What’s wild about “Slithis” is Traxler’s unwillingness to go bananas with his monster movie, giving audiences a ride around Venice as trouble emerges from the depths, feasting on unsuspecting residents. Instead of screen movement, Traxler attempts to turn the feature into a detective story, following Wayne as he walks around Venice, meeting with neighbors to better understand the rising threat. And I mean literally walking around, with the film offering tours of the streets and the beach, allowing Traxler to kill minutes of screen time in the process. A break in the case comes with Bucky, a homeless vet who has near-miss incident with Slithis, giving viewers a first look at the creature, who doesn’t look as terrible as one might expect. Time is spent with scientists and a diver hired to collect samples near the power plant, turning “Slithis” into a talky endeavor with little to no action.

Things get downright ridiculous with mid-movie encounter between an older sexual predator and his female target, with the jittery Venice swinger picking up the girl at a local turtle race(!) before questioning the daffy North Dakotan’s real age on the car ride back to his boat, letting her know it’s okay to admit she’s underage. For reasons unknown, Traxler follows this tedious conversation all the way from the race to the boat, stopping the movie in full to squeeze in some creepiness unrelated to the monster, which also helps to push the feature closer to a sellable run time.

Slithis Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The "Slithis" Blu-ray is billed as a "2017 2K Scan of the Original Camera Negatives." The AVC encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation offers a bright viewing experience, with daylight tours of the city offering appreciable dimension, offering a time capsule examination of stores and street life. House interiors are open for inspection, and detail is acceptable with skin surfaces and fibrous costuming. Monster particulars are defined, surveying the rubbery, slimy craftsmanship. Colors enjoy period amplification. Skintones are natural. Delineation is acceptable. Source has some wear and tear, encountering warped and damaged frames, a few missing frames, scratches, and speckling. Mild banding is detected.

Slithis Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 2.0 DTS-HD MA sound mix presents clear dialogue exchanges that are periodically hit by mild sibilance issues. Scoring cues are acceptable, with passable instrumentation and volume. Monster attacks are noticeably louder, triggering fuzzier highs. Hiss is present throughout the listening event, and pops are periodic.

Slithis Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Deleted Scene (1:12, HD) features a second encounter between Wayne and the Police Lieutenant, offered without sound.

• And a Theatrical Trailer (3:01, SD) is included.

Slithis Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Loaded with filler, "Slithis" doesn't have a noticeable fear factor, going slack repeatedly to tend to uninteresting supporting characters. In fact, Slithis decides to leave the picture for nearly 35 minutes, only really making himself seen in the finale, with Traxler trying to give his production a "Jaws"-like feel as the heroes take to a boat to eliminate the terror of Venice. "Slithis" goes into battle mode for its final showdown, making one wish the entire feature had this level of energy, offering genre fans a lively viewing experience with a familiar-looking monster from the depths. Instead of cranking things up to capture attention as often as possible, Traxler can barely get the movie going.