SLUGS (MUERTE VISCOSA) (director/writer: J.P. Simon; screenwriter: Jose A. Escriva/Ron Gantman/novel by Shaun Hutson; cinematographer: Julio Bragado; editor: Richard Rabjohn; cast: Michael Garfield (Mike Brady), Kim Terry (Kim Brady), Philip MacHale (Don Palmer), Concha Cuetos (Maria Palmer),Emilio Linder (David Watson), Alicia Moro (Maureen Watson), Santiago Alvarez (John Foley), Andy Alsup (Officer Dobbs), John Battaglia (Sheriff Reese), Kris Mann (Bobby Talbot), Kari Rose (Donna Moss), Stan Schwartz (Ron Bell), Manuel de Blas (Mayor Eaton), Frank Brana (Phillips), Juan Majan (Harold Morris), Lucia Prado (Jean Morris), Miguel de Grandy (Mr. Riggs), Patty Shepard (Sue Channing), Tammy Reger (Pam), Glen Greenberg (Danny Palmer), Erik Swanson (Boy in boat), Karen Landberg (Girl in boat), Laramie G. Evans (Mr. Moss), Nevada Killips (Mrs. Moss), Toby Gold (Dino); Runtime: 90; MPAA Rating: R; producers: J.P. Simon/Jose A. Escriva/ Francesca de Laurentis; Anchor Bay Entertainment (New World Pictures); 1988-dubbed into English from Spanish)
“Silly grisly horror flick; one that is so bad, it’s good.”

Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz

Spanish filmmaker J.P. Simon (“Where Time Began”/”Pieces”/”The Rift”) directs this silly grisly horror flick; one that is so bad, it’s good. It’s adapted by writers Simon, Jose A. Escriva, and Ron Gantman from the best-selling novel by British author Shaun Hutson. It tells the story of how the rural small town of Ashton if it is to survive must defeat, of all things, an army of flesh-eating mutant slugs that have multiplied by the millions in the toxic wastes and have invaded a section of the town’s water supply. It’s a goofy exploitation pic, that gleefully defies reason and targets a cult audience of horror pic lovers who were more than likely admirers of the gory stylized campy 1950 horror B films that blended into the even more sensationalized 1980s horror B films.

A teen boy and his sexy bikini clad girlfriend (Erik Swanson & Karen Landberg) are out fishing on the lake. When he jumps in for a swim, he’s devoured and we only see a red ball of blood. The town drunk (Stan Schwartz) is being evicted from his run-down shack, when the gruff Sheriff Reese (John Battaglia) and the uppity health commissioner, Mike Brady (Michael Garfield), arrive to do the honors, they find the pitiful old geezer completely devoured. Things start getting ticklish when the married cantankerous gardeners (Lucia Prado & Juan Majan) are attacked in their greenhouse by slugs and the man gardener in panic accidentally causes an explosion that burns down the house and kills them.

Brady tries to solve why such mysterious gruesome deaths and is helped by the town’s sanitation engineer, Don Palmer (Philip MacHale). When evidence points to millions of giant mutant slugs nesting in the sewage system that was once the site for a toxic dump, Brady turns for answers on how to eliminate these killer slugs to the nerdy high school science lab teacher, the know-it-all Brit John Foley (Santiago Alvarez). Before they can come up with a plan there are a number of macabre killings, as the slugs come out of the water taps or somehow mysteriously escape from the sewage plant and go on a killing rampage. They eat the face of a slick city planner (Emilio Linder) of a new shopping center while he’s dining in a pricey restaurant, a nude teen couple (Kari Rose & Kris Mann) copulating in her parents’ bedroom are devoured by a roomful of slugs, a good girl (Tammy Reger) running into the woods to escape a masked rapist at a Halloween party falls into a drainage ditch and meets her unpleasant death via the slugs, and the slugs take down an arrogant town leader (Frank Brana) refusing to believe the tale about killer slugs and loudly refuses to shut down the water supply as recommended by the earnest health commissioner.

Kim Terry plays the hero health commissioner’s loyal wife, who repels students as the strict English teacher witch but excites hubby as the sexy wife.

It’s not for everyone, but for those who can see the humor in watching such uncomfortable things as a man’s eyeballs exploding while he showers and is covered with slimy slugs, this piece of garbage will deliver the goods.

REVIEWED ON 9/10/2014 GRADE: B-

Dennis Schwartz: “Ozus’ World Movie Reviews”

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