Slugs (1988)

Killer slugs on the rampage in a rural community.

Director:

Juan Piquer Simón (as J.P. Simon)

Writers:

José Antonio Escrivá (as Jose A. Escriva), Ron Gantman (screenplay)

Stars:

Michael Garfield, Kim Terry, Philip MacHale

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Garfield	...	Mike Brady
Kim Terry	...	Kim Brady
Philip MacHale	...	Don Palmer
Alicia Moro	...	Maureen Watson
Santiago Álvarez	...	John Foley
Concha Cuetos	...	Maria Palmer
John Battaglia	...	Sheriff Reese
Emilio Linder	...	David Watson
Kris Mann	...	Bobby Talbot
Kari Rose	...	Donna Moss
Manuel de Blas	...	Mayor Eaton
Andy Alsup	...	Officer Dobbs
Frank Braña	...	Frank Phillips
Stan Schwartz	...	Ron Bell
Juan Maján	...	Harold Morris

Storyline

People are dying mysteriously and gruesomely, and nobody has a clue what the cause is. Only health worker Mike Brady has a possible solution, but his theory of killer slugs is laughed at by the authorities. Only when the body count begins to rise and a slug expert from England begins snooping around does it begin to look like Mike had the right idea after all.

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Plot Keywords:

male nudity | alcohol abuse | pollution | eaten by an animal | small town | 

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Taglines:

They ooze. They slime. They kill.

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Genres:

Horror

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

Spain USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

5 February 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Slugs

Filming Locations:

Lyons, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dister Group

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The movie was chosen to be part of famous german "SchleFaZ" series. It was aired August 2018 on german TV station Tele5. "SchleFaZ" is a german abbreviation, means "the worst films ever". In that series 2 hosts present the whole film and make fun of it throughout the movie.

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Goofs

Spanish actors.

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Quotes

Mike Brady: After I've dealt with these slugs, what do you say to we get naked and crazy?

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Alternate Versions

The UK video version was cut by 42 secs by the BBFC to edit a bedroom scene of a naked girl being attacked by the slugs and shots of a man chopping his hand off with an axe. The cuts were fully waived for the 2009 Lions Gate DVD.

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Connections

References The Wizard of Oz (1939)

User Reviews

Would make a perfect double feature paired with "Squirm".

From Juan Piquer Simon, the late, great director who also blessed genre fans with such unforgettable gems as "Pieces" and "Pod People", comes this ode to those slimy little animals, who have mutated and become carnivorous thanks to that old cinematic standby, toxic waste. The monsters start claiming victim after victim, and only a select few individuals are willing to do anything about the problem, including County Health Inspector Mike Brady (Michael Garfield).

Based on a novel by Shaun Hutson, and scripted by Ron Gantman, this movie is delicious...really. Who can see the scene with the lettuce and not feel hungry? "Slugs: The Movie" (named this way to avoid confusion with "Slugs: The Musical"?) is such good fun, and when watching it, it's hard to believe that Gantman, Simon, and company didn't have their tongues in their cheeks the whole time, what with the unrelenting delivery of so much priceless dialogue ("You ain't got the authority to declare Happy Birthday, not in this town!") and performances.

They also show their willingness to cast aside expectations in terms of one scene late in the game involving an attempted rape. One memorable sequence features two young lovers who get besieged by the titular killers, and the male of the pair quite prominently displays his backside for the camera. Of course, if you want a true highlight sequence, it has to be the one in the restaurant with the VERY unlucky David Watson (Emilio Linder), which is so very appropriately timed.

The gore and effects are quite fun to watch in this thing, and they're the work of Carlo De Marchis. The actors are all a hoot, especially Santiago Alvarez as John Foley, John Battaglia as Sheriff Reese, and prolific veteran Spanish actor Frank Brana in a brief cameo appearance.

Horror fans whose tastes include the silly & cheesy 80s material are sure to find this a real treat, right from its amusing beginning to its impressive conclusion where a lot of things blow up REAL good. It's 90 minutes worth of engaging nonsense.

Eight out of 10.