Movie Review: Slugs - The Movie

Last night I decided to take little break from the Sci Fi Invasion challenge. I felt, shall we say, inspired after writing about Extraterrestrial Visitors, the rather awful film from Jua Piquer Simon. There are some odd bits in that film, but nothing really worth going any distance to see. The inspiration came when I looked up the filmography of said director and discovered he was also behind the amazing Pieces (seriously, that is a gonzo masterpiece). I decided to go elsewhere in his filmography and see which direction his talent goes.



No, I did not revisit Pieces, although the temptation is always there. I decided to go later in his films, one that just happens to currently be on Netflix. This movie is probably his second most well known. It is Slugs: The Movie. Yes, that is the onscreen title, although it is probably mostly know as merely Slugs. It is an ecological horror film that is, if you can believe this, is based on a novel. The novel was written by Shaun Hutson, although I have to wonder just how closely does the movie stick to the tale. I suspect it is not all that close.

Slugs opens with a teen couple out on a lake. The girl wants to swim while the guy just wants to fish. The funny thing is that his reason for not swimming is they passed a sewage drain, makes you wonder what his plans are for the fish? Anyway, he quickly falls in and she starts screaming as his blood bubbles to the surface.

This is not a movie that is going to scare you or keep you guessing with any narrative twists. Slugs gets by on blood and sleaze and there is nothing wrong with that. In this case, it helps make up for the the overall movies lack of an interesting story. It takes things over the top the only way a killer mutant slug movie can.

The story follows Mike Brady (Michael Garfield), a health inspector, who discovers the mutant, meat eating slugs. He spends much of his time trying to convince the non-believing sheriff. Meanwhile the bodies are piling up all over.

The movie banks on the crazy sequences strewn amongst the boring talky bits. The acting is bad, the dialogue is awful, but there is still a lot of charm to be rung out of this thing. Groan at the dialog, sure, just be easy for the next crazy bit.

Watch the old man put on the glove with the slug in it as he bangs it around and uses things like hedge clippers and a hatchet to rectify the situation, all leading to expectedly terrible results. Watch as a teen couple have sex and then try to leave a room whose floor is now a writhing mass of slugs. Watch a man try to touch a slug as it bares is teeth and bites him. Watch a man's head explode as he eats a slug filled salad. This thing as it all. And don't forget the guy with the half naked girlfriend who gets distracted by the bottle of Jack.

This is by no means a good movie, but it is a damn fine example of a weirdo horror/exploitation film that pulls no punches. It is quite entertaining and worth a watch for those who like that sort of thing. I know I will watch it again. It's no Pieces, but it is Slugs.... The Movie!

Recommended.