Slugs (The Alternative Take)

So I think it's fitting for my first post on this site to be about an old horror favorite. I don't know why it's fitting, but it sounded like a good intro.

Slugs is a Juan Piquer Simon film about a "nest" of mutated gastropods that are feasting on human flesh in small-town America(?). Mike Brady (no relation) is the town health inspector that coincidentally gets called on to a lot of crime scenes, and notices a disturbing trend of slime trails and large black slugs near the scene. When he finally puts it all together in a "flashback to the same movie" scene, nobody will believe his wild hypothesis except for his sanitation department buddy Don - whose wife (great-aunt?) bears a striking resemblance to Raisa Gorbachev. After a few gritty confrontations with the city council, Mike has to take matters into his own hands - or die trying.

This is one of my all-time favorite monster movies because unlike C.H.U.D., the whole cast and crew seem to really take the concept seriously. Sure there are some tongue-in-cheek moments, but the fact that they seem to be aware of the ridiculous nature of their subject while simultaneously going forward with the project makes me smile. That, and they really work hard at making the possibility scientifically feasible - so that's a good time. That said, it isn't exactly the best example of pacing for a horror flick - a bit slow in parts with some good payoff scenes for those who enjoy a good, sadistic laugh.

Observations from the film:

1. Why use boom mics when we can always just record this in post?
   
2. Mutated slugs have a hell of a grip - don't stick your hands into your gloves without looking.


3. Why buck the trend of 27 year olds playing high school juniors/seniors? It just works.
   
4. Halloween parties are, as suspected, no fun.
   
5. Don't put anchovies in your salad... it just masks the slug parts.
6. If this is "Slugs: The Movie", where is the rest of the franchise?

Best line: "You don't have the authority to declare 'Happy Birthday', not in this town!"

ME