Slither (2006) (Collector’s Edition) [Blu-Ray]

Director: James Gunn

Cast: Nathan Fillion, Elizabeth Banks, Michael Rooker

Release Date: August 1, 2017

A Review By: Kevin Lovell

Disc Rating: 8/10

Synopsis:

The sleepy town of Wheelsy could be any small town in America — somewhat quaint and gentle, peopled with friendly folks who mind their own business. But just beneath the surface charm, something unnamed and evil has arrived…and is growing. Intent on devouring all life on Earth, this dark and slimy entity is infecting anyone in its path. Now it’s up to the local sheriff, Bill Pardy (Nathan Fillion, Firefly, Castle), and his team to stop the spread of rampant devastation – and shocking mutilation – before it’s too late.

From the wonderfully twisted mind of James Gunn (Super, Guardians of the Galaxy) comes the modern horror/comedy classic ‘Slither’ which follows the residents of a small, quiet town as they are forced to tackle the sudden outbreak of an unexpected epidemic involving everything from zombie-like folks to masses of speedy, giant slugs and more as their quiet tight knit community becomes quickly overrun by the strange creatures; all of which seem to be somehow connected to a local man now undergoing some drastic and unsettling changes while his unfortunate wife is caught in the middle. Written and directed by James Gunn and starring a fantastic cast that includes Nathan Fillion, Elizabeth Banks, Michael Rooker, Gregg Henry and more, ‘Slither’ was initially unleashed upon audiences in 2006 and still holds its own remarkably well as one of the finest (and nastiest) horror/comedy outings around; still only managing to become more enjoyable with each subsequent viewing.

James Gunn’s hilarious and splendidly nasty ‘Slither’ finally makes its way to Blu-ray here in the states in an overall quite solid new Collector’s Edition Blu-ray release courtesy of the Shout! Factory imprint label Scream Factory. This new Collector’s Edition release of the film comes home sporting a fairly gorgeous high definition video presentation, along with the option of both lossless multichannel and stereo soundtracks on the feature film that should largely please fans for the most part when it comes to the feature presentation. This Collector’s Edition release also brings home a healthy collection of bonus content comprised of some archival extras and some brand new noteworthy extras such as a new ‘Audio Commentary with James Gunn, Nathan Fillion and Michael Rooker’ along with more (more detailed information regarding the bonus content can be found in the special features section of the technical specification coverage below) which combined with the largely capable high definition video and audio presentations and the new artwork (featuring reversible classic artwork as usual of course) should make this new Collector’s Edition Blu-ray release a definite must own for the majority of fellow diehard ‘Slither’ fans and fanboys of Gunn’s hilarious (and often wonderfully twisted) work in general.

Overall, fellow fans of James Gunn’s unique work behind the camera and his modern classic gore-fest ‘Slither’ in particular will both likely want to make certain to pick up a copy of Scream Factory’s new Collector’s Edition Blu-ray release of the film. Marking the first time ever released on Blu-ray here in the states, Scream Factory’s Collector’s Edition release delivers highly capable high definition video and decent enough audio on the feature film, along with a notable collection of bonus goodies including some brand new extras created just for this Blu-ray edition. It should also offer the perfect way to experience this hilarious and splendidly nasty flick for the first time if you haven’t previously had the pleasure of this horror/comedy gem; anyone that appreciates Gunn’s work or simply a well done horror comedy with plenty of fun and gore to offer won’t want to dream of missing out on ‘Slither’ any longer.

VIDEO:

The Scream Factory Collector’s Edition Blu-ray release of ‘Slither’ features a full 1080p High Definition presentation utilizing the film’s original 1.85:1 Aspect Ratio. The video presentation looks pretty fantastic as a whole and provides a sharp, clean and detailed presentation from start to finish with no notable faults to be found along the way. It holds up impressively even during the numerous darkly lit and fast moving sequences, never causing anything occurring on screen to become negatively affected or rendered indiscernible. Overall, this is a solid high definition video and audio presentation complimented by a more than adequate bitrate that should easily please most fellow fans of this wonderfully fun film.

AUDIO:

The Collector’s Edition Blu-ray release features the option of both a lossless 5.1 and 2.0 channel DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. As per usual I opted for viewing the film with the 5.1 DTS-HD MA soundtrack which sounds pretty decent and offers a crisp, clean and fairly smooth audio presentation throughout that sounds pretty fantastic in most sequences, yet occasionally does tend to be somewhat off in the placement during some heavily active auditory effects and also has a slightly more notable increase in volume levels than most releases when comparing the tamer and more active moments which can result in a fair amount of volume switching for those who have to be considerate of neighbors. Overall, this 5.1 channel DTS-HD MA soundtrack sounds pretty great in most regards and while it does suffer a few minor issues at times nonetheless still manages to provide an enjoyable and capable enough lossless surround experience.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The Scream Factory Collector’s Edition Blu-ray release of ‘Slither’ includes a solid collection of supplemental material including carry-over bonus content from older releases in addition to some brand new extras created specifically for this Blu-ray release. Included on the release is a new ‘Audio Commentary with Director James Gunn and Actors Nathan Fillion and Michael Rooker’, in addition to another ‘Audio Commentary with Director James Gunn and Actor Nathan Fillion’. Also included are a couple of new interviews with members of the cast and crew: ‘The Genesis of Slither with James Gunn’ (running approximately 30 minutes in length) and ‘The Other MaCready with Gregg Henry’ (running approximately 8 minutes). We are also treated to a collection of ‘Deleted and Extended Scenes with Optional Commentary by James Gunn’ (running approximately 17 minutes altogether), and some old Featurettes/videos including: ‘Visual Effects Progression’ (approximately 5 minutes), ‘Slithery Set Tour with Nathan Fillion’ (5 minutes), ‘Who is Bill Pardy?’ (5 minutes), ‘The Sick Minds and Slimy Days of Slither’ (10 minutes), ‘Brewing the Blood’ (3 minutes), ‘Bringing Slither’s Creatures to Life’ (19 minutes) and ‘Lloyd Kaufman’s Video Diary’ (9 minutes). A ‘Gag Reel’ (8 minutes) and the ‘Theatrical Trailer’ (1 minute) for the movie are also included.

*Please note that the above images are taken from the Blu-Ray and resized. They additionally will suffer quality loss as a result of .jpg compression. Larger versions of each image can be viewed by clicking on the image. All images and content included on this Blu-Ray release are the property of their respective owners.

Disc Rating: 8/10

James Gunn’s Modern Gory Classic ‘Slither’ Arrives on Collector’s Edition Blu-ray August 1, 2017 from Scream Factory!

You can purchase ‘Slither: Collector’s Edition’ by clicking on the Amazon cart Icon immediately below!