Blu-ray Review: Prepare To Be Slimed With SLUGS

The type of horror film that could only have been made in the 1980s, Slugs might be filled with bad acting, but a lot of effort has been put into this schlocky Spanish/American flick from cult director Juan Piquer Simón.

Slugs is a far-fetched horror (aren’t they all) that sees a horde of mutant killer slugs invade a small American town  – and its left to Michael Garfield’s local health inspector to try and stop them. It’s sort of like Jaws with Slugs, as nobody believes Garfield’s civil servant when he lets them the cause of the mysterious deaths occurring in the town. Its all as preposterous as it sounds, but it strangely works as a piece of entertainment.

Slugs (which is based on the novel by Shaun Hutson) might be a low budget B-movie, but Simón and cinematographer Julio Bragado shoot this like an A-feature, giving the film an impressive sheen. The film runs a tight 90 minutes and it’s well paced, never overstaying its welcome before the next kill comes along. The killer Slugs might not be the scariest monsters committed to screen but their handiwork is perfectly released by some old school special effects. The finale also includes some impressive pyrotechnics, which again, helps make the film seem much bigger than it really is.

Fans of this type of film will be pleased with the how things progress. but it won’t necessarily keep you up at night unless you have a slug phobia. It’s a shame few filmmakers put this care and attention into low budget films like this today – it  might be cheap but it definitely punches above its weight on a technical level.

Special Features

Another cracking release from Arrow Films. This high-definition presentation of Slugs has been restored from the original negatives. You also get commentaries from author Shaun Hutson and writer/filmmaker Chris Alexander (Shock Till You Drop) and the featurettes Here’s Slugs In Your Eye, They Slime, They Ooze, They Kill: The Effects of Slugs, Invasion USA and The Lyons Den.