Slither (Collector's Edition) (Blu-ray, 2006)

The sleepy town of Wheelsy could be any small town in U.S.--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. No one seems to notice as telephone poles become clogged with missing pet flyers, or when one of the town\'s richest citizens, Grant Grant, begins to act strangely. But when farmers livestock turn up horribly mutilated and a young woman goes missing, Sheriff Bill Pardy and his team, aided by Grant\'s wife Starla, uncover the dark force laying siege to their town and come face-to-face with an older-than-time organism intent on absorbing and devouring all life on Earth.

Director: James Gunn
Writer: James Gunn
Starring: Nathan Fillion, Elizabeth Banks, Gregg Henry, Michael Rooker, Tania Saulnier, Don Thompson

• NEW Audio Commentary with Writer/Director James Gunn and Actors Nathan Fillion and Michael Rooker - Recorded in 2017 by Shout!, this is a jovial track with frequent laughter as Gunn, Fillion, and Rooker reminisce on Slither\'s shoot twelve years ago. Gunn supplies production anecdotes and Fillion chips in with his individual memories. Rooker is the least talkative and often relegated to the background. In English, not subtitled.

• Audio Commentary with James Gunn and Nathan Fillion (from 2006) - Gunn was recorded in the studio while Fillion joins the track via phone in Vancouver. This is a screen-specific commentary with a lot of observations made about the course of filming. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW The Genesis of SLITHER – An Interview with Writer/Director James Gunn (29:39, 1080p) - Shout! shot this new interview with Gunn, who initially was only going to sell his screenplay of Slither and not direct the picture. He recollects the casting choices, the themes of the film, the importance of Slither to his directing career and how it fits within his larger body of work. In English, not subtitled.

• NEW The Other MacReady – An Interview with Actor Gregg Henry (8:09, 1080p) - Mayor Jack MacReady in Slither recalls his original impressions of director James Gunn on the set, brief remarks about his collaborators, the special makeup effects, and what he thought of the film after his most recent viewing. In English, not subtitled.

• Deleted and Extended Scenes with Optional Commentary by James Gunn (17:13, upscaled to 1080) - these comprise a dozen clips and unlike the Universal DVD, they can\'t be played individually. The deleted scenes (eight clips, 9:58 total) and extended scenes (four clips, 7:15 total) have been consolidated. Shout! doesn\'t provide the scene names on the sub-menu or on any title cards preceding each so I re-list them here courtesy of the Universal disc. They include \"Mrs. McCammon\'s House,\" \"Grant at Work,\" \"Grant/Starla Dinner Scene #1,\" \"The Meat Filing Scene,\" \"Grant Takes Dog Away,\" \"Grant/Starla Dinner Scene #2,\" \"Outside \'Deer Cheer\' Lodge,\" \"Starla Zones Out in Classroom,\" \"The Butcher Shop,\" \"Bill and Starla on Lodge Balcony,\" \"Grant at Brenda\'s House,\" and \"Bill and Kylie Outside Police Station.\" The scenes can be played with or without commentary by Gunn. They\'re presented in 1.85:1 non-anamorphic widescreen. Gunn is chatty as he explains why each one was dropped from the final cut. He also mentions preview audiences and test screenings in which he showed early cuts of Slither. In English, not subtitled.

• Visual Effects: Step by Step (5:04, upscaled to 1080) - a.k.a. Visual Effects Progressions. This short featurette takes several scenes from the movie and demonstrates the evolution of shots, usually in three stages or more. It depicts the anatomy of a shot and shows how it is conceptualized through animation and green screen. Presented in non-anamorphic widescreen. In English, not subtitled.

• Slithery Set Tour with Actor Nathan Fillion (4:41, upscaled to 1080) - the actor who plays Bill Pardy lugs an EPK camera around as he visits with various cast and crew members. Presented in 1.33:1. In English, not subtitled.

• The Sick Minds and Slimy Days of SLITHER (10:04, upscaled to 1080) - an EPK making-of doc featuring interviews with writer/director James Gunn, producer Eric Newman, producer Paul Brooks, as well as actors Nathan Fillion, Michael Rooker, Elizabeth Banks, Tania Saulnier, and Gregg Henry. Presented in 1.33:1. In English, not subtitled.

• Brewing the Blood – How to Make Blood (3:17, upscaled to 1080) - a.k.a. Gorehound Grill. Kurt Jackson, first assistant for special effects, gives a humorous demo on how to make homemade blood (key ingredient: corn syrup) and shows how it compares with movie blood. Presented in 1.33:1. In English, not subtitled.

• Bringing SLITHER\'s Creatures to Life (18:38, upscaled to 1080) - an extended featurette containing interview snippets with the same actors from the making-of as well as comments from special makeup effects supervisor/ designer Todd Masters, visual effects supervisor John Gajdecki, prosthetics technician Michael \"Parasite Mike\" Manzel, prosthetics tech Nicholas Podbrey, puppeteer Adam Behr, among others talking on the set. There are text screens of production notes and shots displaying the animated parasites. Presented in 1.33:1. In English, not subtitled.

• Lloyd Kaufman\'s Video Diary (8:58, upscaled to 1080) - cult director Kaufman describes James Gunn\'s early writing credits and narrates his thoughts on the way to the set of Slither and in the dressing room. He chats with Gunn\'s then-wife and hair/makeup people. There\'s also footage of Gunn directing. Appears like VHS quality (and it\'s interlaced) but the image is pretty clean. Presented in 1.33:1. In English, not subtitled.

• Gag Reel (8:12, upscaled to 1080) - a series of actor flubs, guffaws, and screw-ups from many scenes in the movie. Presented in non-anamorphic widescreen. In English, not subtitled.

• Who Is Bill Pardy? Featurette (5:14, upscaled to 1080) - a gag reel and slew of outtakes featuring actor Nathan Fillion. Cast and crew members make sarcastic remarks about Fillion in an amusing way. Presented in both pan-and-scan and letterbox. In English, not subtitled.

• Theatrical Trailer (1:30, upscaled to 1080) - this is more of a teaser by Universal for the film. This didn\'t make it to Universal\'s 2006 DVD because, according to James Gunn via IGN, the dual-layered disc was completely full. Macro-blocking is conspicuous. Presented in anamorphic widescreen with Dolby Digital 2.0 sound.