Slugs (1988) d. Juan Piquer Simon (Spain/USA) (89 min)
Simon, the maestro behind the gut-busting splatter flick Pieces, delivers another heaping helping of the red sauce, this time with toxic waste-fed gastropods doing the honors. While the line readings and WTF moments are not as abundantly plentiful, there’s enough head-shaking banana boat wackiness to keep guts chuckling and gruesome sequences to keep lunches buckling. When several members of a quiet upstate NY community start turning up munchified, it’s up to public health inspector Michael Garfield (as a character named – snicker – Mike Brady) and his public works buddy (Philip MacHale) to save the day.
The freewheeling and illogical means by which they manage this are questionable, but whenever Simon serves up the supremely slimy slithery screeching showstoppers, you probably won’t care much. Ah, the good ol’ 1980s, when you could have no-name no-talents doff their duds and roll around on the gore floor with about a zillion slugs, no questions asked. For the record, slugs were most definitely harmed during the making of this movie. But, hey, they’re slugs.
The 2016 Arrow Blu-ray has two commentary tracks, the first with Michael Felsher sharing the mike with Brit author Shaun Hutson (who wrote the novel on which the film is based) and it’s quite a hoot, listening to the animated scribbler take the piss out of himself, his literary efforts, and this particular screen adaptation. (Looking forward to checking out the second with former Fangoria editor-in-chief Chris Alexander.) Also, we are treated to interviews with actor Emilio Linder, special effects artist Carlo De Marchis, art director Gonzalo Gonzalo, and our delightful production manager Larry Ann Evans. Well worth picking up!
BONUS MATERIALS
Brand new restoration from original film elements
High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
Original Uncompressed PCM Stereo audio
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Audio commentary with Michael Felsher and author Shaun Hutson (who wrote the source novel)
Audio commentary with writer and filmmaker Chris Alexander
“Here’s Slugs In Your Eye” with actor Emilio Linder (8 min)
“They Slime, They Ooze, They Kill: The Effects of Slugs” with special effects artist Carlo De Marchis (11 min)
“Invasion USA” with art director Gonzalo Gonzalo (12 min)
“The Lyons Den” with production manager Larry Ann Evans (21 min)
Original Theatrical Trailer
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Wes Benscoter
Fully-illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing by writer Michael Gingold
Slugs is available now from Arrow Video and can be ordered HERE:
http://mvdb2b.com/s/Slugs/AV066
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