Creepy-Creatures Double-Feature (The Slime People + The Crawling Hand): Collectors Limited Edition – VCI Entertainment (Blu-ray)

Theatrical Release Dates: USA, 1963 (The Slime People, The Crawling Hand)
Directors: Robert Hutton (The Slime People), Herbert L. Strock (The Crawling Hand)
Cast: Robert Hutton, Les Tremayne, Robert Burton, Susan Hart, William Boyce, Judee Morton, John Close (The Slime People), Peter Breck, Kent Taylor, Rod Lauren, Alan Hale Jr., Allison Hayes, Sirry Steffen, Arline Judge, Richard Arlen, Tristram Coffin, Ross Elliott (The Crawling Hand)

Release Date: April 21st, 2026
Approximate Running Times: 88 Minutes 6 Seconds (The Slime People), 76 Minutes 59 Seconds (The Crawling Hand)
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (The Slime People), 1.85:1 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC (The Crawling Hand)
Rating: NR
Sound: LPCM Mono English (Both Films)
Subtitles: English SDH (Both Films)
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $29.95

"Slime People: "Golden Turkey" fans, attention! It's a veritable voyage to the bottom of the sci-fi barrel as prehistoric"Slime People" emerge from the sewers of Los Angeles! The atom-age U.S. Army is no match for this small band of spear-toting boogeymen and the city is evacuated. Left behind and forced to fight for survival are a TV sportscaster, a science professor, his two glamorous daughters, a bashful Marine, and a nutty author in love with a sheep. The Crawling Hand: A manned rocket returning from the Moon is invaded by an alien life force that possesses the astronaut, maintains control of his disembodied hand after a California beach crash-landing, and then imposes its will on a local medical student (Rod Lauren). Veteran players Kent Taylor, Richard Arlen, Alan Hale Jr., and Arline Judge struggle to retain their dignity in this five-fingered sci-fiasco!" - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.25/5 (The Crawling Hand), 4/5 (The Slime People)

Here’s the information provided about the transfer, "First time these Sci-Fi Classics have been release in high definition from new 4K scans of the original 35mm negatives!"

The Slime People and The Crawling Hand come on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 41.9 GB

Feature: 19.4 GB (The Slime People), 15.6 GB (The Crawling Hand)

Both films are given brand new transfers that are marked improvements over their previous home media releases. Image clarity and gray and black levels are solid; there are no issues with compression or digital noise reduction.

Audio: 4/5 (Both Audio Tracks)

Each film comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in English with removable English SDH. Both tracks sound clean, clear, and balanced. That said, range-wise it's best described as serviceable.

Extras:

Extras for this release include an extensive photo gallery of classic drive-in sci-fi movies, a featurette titled Rubber Monsters, Real Fears: Mid-Century Sci-Fi (3 minutes 2 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), an audio interview with actress Susan Hart, conducted by film historian Tom Weaver titled Unearthing The Slime People (54 minutes 49 seconds, LPCM stereo English, no subtitles), an audio commentary with Tom Weaver for The Slime People, an audio commentary with artist, reviewer, and podcaster Rob Kelly for The Crawling Hand, reversible cover art, and a slipcover (limited to 1,500 copies).

Summary:

The Slime People: Los Angeles is taken over by subterranean monsters who isolate the city with an impenetrable shield.

Although The Slime People is an extension of the 1950s creature feature, the result is something that firmly resides in the psychotronic film category. These were low-budget films that usually resided in the horror and sci-fi genres, and a film like The Slime People combines both of these genres. When these films were entertaining, they were enjoyable to watch. However, when these films are not entertaining, they become a tedious experience to endure. That said, despite all of its shortcomings, one thing that stands out about The Slime People is that it's always a lot of fun.

While the premise is far-fetched, its opening setup does a remarkable job setting the mood for what follows. When it comes to pacing, things move at a deliberate pace that is in no hurry to get anywhere. The special effects do not hold up well at all, especially the men inside of creature suits; fortunately, the creatures are only being used sparingly. The performances are best described as serviceable, the most notable cast member being Susan Hart (Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine) in the role of a daughter of a professor. Ultimately, The Slime People is a film that relies heavily on atmosphere and is best enjoyed if you go in with low expectations.

The Crawling Hand: The severed arm of a dead astronaut comes back to life and strangles the living.

The Crawling Hand takes sci-fi elements and fuses them with horror elements, making it a perfect example of what is known as "psychotronic cinema." Despite its sci-fi opening setup, The Crawling Hand is actually a dialogue-heavy narrative where not much happens outside of an occasional strangling. It’s immediately clear that The Crawling Hand is working with a razor-thin budget, and nowhere does this standout when it comes to the special effects.

The Crawling Hand is a film that fails on all levels. Its absurd premise full of possibilities is poorly executed, and the narrative moves at a lethargic pace. The acting is not memorable; the most notable cast member is Alan Hale Jr., most known for portraying The Skipper from Gilligan's Island. That said, it's easy to see why a film like The Crawling Hand was lampooned by Mystery Science Theater 3000. Ultimately, The Crawling Hand is an awful film that commits the worst crime of all; it's not entertaining, at least in a so-bad-it's-good way.

VCI Entertainment gives The Slime People and The Crawling Hand their best home media release to date.

Written by Michael Den Boer