Slugs (1988)

Slugs: The Movie (known under the Spanish title, Slugs, Muerte Viscosa) is a 1988 American/Spanish horror film based upon the novel Slugs (1982) by Shaun Hutson. Over the years the film has gained a small but active cult following.

Plot
When a rural town becomes prey to a strain of black slugs spawned from the disposal of toxic waste, it is up to the local health inspector to stop them. People die mysteriously and gruesomely, and only a health worker going by the name of Mike Brady has a possible solution, but his theory of killer slugs is ridiculed by the authorities. Only when the body count begins to rise and a slug expert begins investigating the town does it begin to appear as though Brady's theory may be right.

Cast

 * Michael Garfield - Mike Brady
 * Kim Terry - Kim Brady
 * Philip MacHale - Don Palmer
 * Alicia Moro - Maureen Watson
 * Santiago Álvarez - Foley
 * Concha Cuetos - Maria
 * Frank Braña - Frank Phillips
 * Patty Shepard - Sue Channing
 * Kari Rose-Donna Moss
 * Kris Mann-Bobby Talbot

Release
The film opened in the United States on February 5, 1988.

Critical reception
On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film currently holds a 38% based on 8 reviews.

Variety praised the "convincing special effects and make-up and snappy direction" and said it "has enough thrills and spills in it to keep youth audiences alert".

Box office
The film flopped at the U.S. box office. It opened in seven theaters in the United States and grossed $15,842 in its opening weekend.

Awards
The film won a Goya Award for Best Special Effects by Gonzalo Gonzalo, Basilio Cortijo and Carlos de Marchis.

Home video
Anchor Bay Entertainment released a DVD of the film in 2000. In 2011, Image Entertainment released a DVD of the film under the Midnight Madness Series. In 2016, British home video distributor, Arrow Films, released a special edition Blu-ray of the film, which contained a commentary track and interviews with several people associated with the film.