Slugs (1988)

**_Perhaps the greatest film about killer slugs ever made_** In a town north of the Finger Lakes in New York, mutated black slugs start preying on the populace. Michael Garfield plays the health inspector who sounds the alarm, but is ridiculed by authorities. "Slugs" (1988) comes in the tradition of creature features from thirty years earlier about some kind of weird threat to an American town and how the inhabitants have to rise to the challenge to survive, such as “The Blob” and “Earth vs. the Spider.” This one, based on a book, uses a menace similar to “Squirm” (1976) with the cause of the havoc akin to “Prophecy” (1979) and “The Being” (1983). A Spanish production shot in the USA, the director is known for the slasher “Pieces” (1982). While pretty obscure, I felt “Slugs” delivered the goods for this genre. It creates a good sense of the average town in the Northeast/Midwest. Michael Garfield is great as the masculine protagonist, along with his likable pal from sanitation (Philip MacHale). Meanwhile Kris Mann as Bobby is reminiscent of Dave Mustaine of Megadeth. Highlights on the feminine front include Karen Landberg (opening scene), Kim Terry (Kim), Kari Rose (Donna) and Tammy Reger (Pam). The film runs 1 hour, 31 minutes, and was shot in Lyons, which is located in north-central New York, a dozen miles north of the Finger Lakes. GRADE: B/B-