Slugs 1988
Directed by
Juan Piquer Simón
Made by
Dister Group
Slugs Plot Summary
Read the complete plot summary and ending explained for Slugs (1988). From turning points to emotional moments, uncover what really happened and why it matters.
In the fictional town of Ashton, a grim night ends with Ron Bell, Stan Schwartz, eaten alive by a massive swarm of carnivorous slugs right inside his living room. The next day, Mike Brady, Michael Garfield, a health inspector and sewer manager, along with Sheriff Reese, John Battaglia, head to Ron’s home to serve an eviction notice, only to discover a nearly skinless body and trails of slime winding from the basement that defy easy explanation.
Later, Mike and his co-worker Don Palmer, Philip MacHale, are summoned to clear a sewer blockage, where Don uncovers several animal carcasses wedged in the pipes, hinting that something unthinkable lurks beneath the town. In the meantime, Harold Morris, Juan Maján, a local gardener, unwittingly slips a slug into his glove; the creature bites his hand, and chaos unfolds as he knocks over chemical jars, causing a fire that triggers a gasoline tank explosion, killing both him and his wife Jean Morris, Lucía Prado, in a brutal, fiery accident.
Back at home, Mike’s wife Kim Brady, Kim Terry, shares the news of the spread of danger as they discover abnormally large, aggressive slugs in their own garden. Mike collects a few specimens in a jar and consults John Foley, Santiago Álvarez, the town’s science teacher, hoping for answers. Foley witnesses one of the slugs attack and devour the class hamster, underscoring the threat the slugs pose.
The menace escalates as the slugs attack and kill two teenagers, while Mike’s friend David Watson, Emilio Linder, unwittingly consumes a slug that had been concealed in a salad prepared by his wife. The following morning, Mike and Reese are tasked with investigating the teen deaths, and Mike stubbornly suggests the slugs as the culprits, though his theory is dismissed by officials who distrust his claim.
Don then discovers that the locations of the murders align with the town’s sewer network, reinforcing the idea that the slugs’ aggression may be tied to something dumped into the wastewater. A separate chain of events unfolds as David falls ill in a restaurant, bleeding from the nose and collapsing as blood flukes burst from his eyes, a grotesque sign of the infection spreading through the town.
Seeing the pattern, Mike pleads with the town mayor to cut off the downtown water supply, hoping to starve the creatures, but his warnings fall on deaf ears. In the school lab, Foley introduces lithium-based arsenic that could kill the slugs in the sewers, and Mike convinces Don to join a plan to deploy it. Foley prepares a large batch of the arsenic, while Mike and Don storm the sewer system to confront the breeding ground.
That night, Don falls into the underground lair and is eaten by the insatiable slugs, a grim reminder of the danger they face. Mike then collaborates with Foley to pump the arsenic into the sewer using a firetruck hose, triggering an explosive reaction that destroys the slug population beneath Ashton, even though the detonation causes significant damage to much of the town.
As emergency services arrive and Kim reunites with Mike, the final twist reveals that, despite the widespread destruction, a single slug has survived the explosion, leaving a silent reminder that the threat may not be entirely eradicated.
Slugs Timeline
Follow the complete movie timeline of Slugs (1988) with every major event in chronological order. Great for understanding complex plots and story progression.
Ron Bell attacked by slug swarm
In the dead of night, a swarm of carnivorous slugs invades Ron Bell's living room and consumes him. The scene is gruesome and smeared with slime, signaling something far beyond a normal nuisance. The town remains unaware of the horror that has just occurred.
Morning discovery and basement slime trails
The following day, health inspector and sewer manager Mike Brady and Sheriff Reese go to Ron's home to deliver an eviction notice and discover his near-skinless body. Exploring the house, Mike finds multiple slime trails leading from the basement, but he and Reese cannot determine what exactly happened to Ron. The clues hint at something crawling beneath the town.
Sewer blockage and carcass discoveries
Mike and Don Palmer fix a sewer blockage and uncover animal carcasses stuck in the pipes. The disturbing finds indicate a larger threat connected to the town's subterranean network. The men begin to suspect a link between sewage and the strange deaths.
Slug attack and fatal explosion at Harold Morris’s home
Local gardener Harold Morris discovers a slug inside his gardening glove, which begins to eat his hand. In the ensuing struggle, he knocks over chemical jars, sparking a fire that ignites a gasoline tank and explodes. The blast kills Harold and his wife Jean, turning Harold's garden into a gruesome scene.
Kim informs Mike; large slugs in the garden
Back at home, Mike is informed by his wife Kim about the deaths. They then discover a group of abnormally large and aggressive slugs in their garden. The couple begins to realize the town's pests are not ordinary creatures.
Slug investigation begins
Mike collects several slugs in a jar and takes them to school science teacher John Foley for examination. Foley witnesses one slug attack and eat the class hamster, confirming the slugs' dangerous nature. The investigation moves from rumor to tangible threat.
Slugs attack two teenagers
In another town incident, the slugs attack and eat two teenagers, escalating the fear among residents. The town starts to panic as the slug threat expands beyond the initial households. Authorities are slow to connect the incidents.
David ingests slug; illness begins
Mike's friend David unknowingly eats part of a slug hidden in a salad prepared by his wife. He soon falls ill as the slug-related disease begins to manifest, foreshadowing the broader danger to the town.
Investigation begins; disbelief
The next morning, Mike and Sheriff Reese are brought in to investigate the teenagers' deaths. Mike postulates that slugs are responsible, but his theory is dismissed as crazy by authorities. The town's skepticism deepens as the evidence accumulates.
Sewer origin theory
Don discovers that the murder sites align with the layout of the town's sewer system. He theorizes that toxins from an abandoned toxic waste dump nearby could be making the slugs more aggressive. The idea shifts the investigation toward environmental contamination.
David's restaurant incident and second spike
While dining at a restaurant, David experiences a nosebleed and collapses. Soon after, blood flukes erupt from his eye sockets, underscoring the severity of the slug invasion spreading through the town. The incident heightens pressure on officials to act.
Mayor dismissal and water warning
Mike pleads with the town mayor to cut off the downtown water supply to starve the slugs of their habitat, but the mayor dismisses him as crazy. The town remains in denial as the threat grows.
Arsenic plan to kill the slugs
In the school lab, Foley reveals a lithium-based arsenic compound designed to kill the slugs in the sewers. Mike and Don agree to work together to deploy the poison. The plan marks a turning point in the town's response to the invasion.
Into the sewers and the explosive end
That night, Mike and Don enter the sewer and locate the slugs' breeding ground; Don is eaten by a slug. Foley helps by pumping the arsenic into the sewer from a firetruck hose, triggering an explosive reaction that destroys the slugs but devastates much of the town. A single slug survives the blast, and emergency services arrive as Kim reunites with Mike.
Slugs Characters
Explore all characters from Slugs (1988). Get detailed profiles with their roles, arcs, and key relationships explained.
Mike Brady (actor: Michael Garfield)
Health inspector turned crisis investigator who relentlessly links the slug outbreak to the town’s sewer system. He remains practical and stubbornly logical, pushing through bureaucratic skepticism to protect his family and the community. His determination drives the investigation and risky countermeasures.
Kim Brady
Mike’s wife and a high school teacher who offers practical support and keeps the home front stable as the crisis unfolds. She witnesses the creeping threat and embodies the personal stakes behind the larger disaster.
Don Palmer
Mike’s practical coworker who helps investigate the sewer outbreak. He accompanies Mike into dangerous areas and ultimately becomes a casualty in the fight to destroy the slugs.
Harold Morris
Local gardener whose encounter with a slug in his glove triggers a fatal chain of events leading to a house explosion. His death marks the escalation of the crisis and the reach of the slug threat into everyday life.
Jean Morris
Harold Morris’s wife who dies in the explosion caused by the slug-related containment attempt, underscoring the human cost of the disaster.
Ron Bell
Alcoholic and early victim whose death signals the spread of the slug threat and prompts the investigation.
Sheriff Reese
Local law enforcement who initially doubts Mike’s theory but becomes involved in the investigation as the crisis escalates.
John Foley
School science teacher who studies the slugs and helps develop arsenic-based countermeasures, aiding the investigation.
David Watson
David’s illness after unknowingly ingesting a slug illustrates how far the threat reaches into daily life.
Maureen Watson
David’s wife, whose involvement highlights how personal relationships intersect with the unfolding crisis.
Mayor Eaton
The town’s mayor who initially dismisses warnings, choosing political stability over immediate action.
Boy in Boat (Erik Swanson)
A teen who is among the victims as the slugs spread, illustrating the indiscriminate reach of the infestation.
Girl in Boat (Karen Landberg)
Another teen victim who encounters the slug threat during the spread through the town’s waterways.
Slugs Settings
Learn where and when Slugs (1988) takes place. Explore the film’s settings, era, and how they shape the narrative.
Location
Ashton
Ashton is a quiet fictional town that becomes ground zero for a carnivorous slug outbreak. The local sewer system and water infrastructure are shown as crucial battlegrounds as the body count rises. The setting underscores how a sleepy town can unravel under a sudden ecological threat.
Slugs Themes
Discover the main themes in Slugs (1988). Analyze the deeper meanings, emotional layers, and social commentary behind the film.
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Environmental Pollution
A long-abandoned toxic waste dump leaks into the town's sewer system, mutating the slugs into aggressive predators. The movie uses the outbreak to critique negligence around hazardous waste and municipal oversight. Efforts to deploy chemicals to kill the slugs show the limits of technology when faced with a cascading ecological crisis. The explosion in the sewer alters the town's fate, illustrating how pollution can escalate beyond control.
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Nature Strikes Back
The slugs become agents of nature, preying on people and animals as a reminder that ecosystems can retaliate against human carelessness. The creatures’ expansion into homes and streets heightens the sense of escalating peril. Practical effects emphasize the visceral threat of the infestation and its unpredictability.
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Civic Skepticism
Mike Brady’s warnings are dismissed by officials and the town’s mayor, delaying crucial action. The crisis exposes the tension between belief, authority, and community safety in a tight-knit town. The resolution demonstrates how decisive listening and cooperative action are essential to survive such a disaster.
Slugs Spoiler-Free Summary
Discover the spoiler-free summary of Slugs (1988). Get a concise overview without any spoilers.
In the quiet town of Ashton, the ordinary rhythms of suburban life are suddenly shadowed by an unsettling whisper of danger. Beneath the neat lawns and familiar storefronts lies a hidden network of sewers that seems to pulse with an unspoken menace, turning the town’s most mundane infrastructure into a source of dread. The atmosphere is thick with a low‑key, almost bureaucratic horror, where the line between everyday routine and grotesque threat blurs, leaving the community on edge while the world outside remains blissfully unaware.
Mike Brady works as a health inspector and sewer manager, a man whose job keeps him close to the town’s underbelly and whose practical mind makes him the first to notice the odd irregularities slipping through the cracks. Practical, diligent, and driven by a quiet determination, he finds himself drawn into a mystery that challenges his scientific worldview. At home, his partnership with his supportive wife adds a personal dimension to his growing obsession, grounding his fear with a sense of ordinary life that refuses to be ignored.
When a string of inexplicable deaths begins to ripple through Ashton, the town’s officials remain skeptical, brushing aside Mike’s uneasy intuition. This tension pulls him into uneasy alliances with Sheriff Reese, whose law‑enforcement perspective clashes with Mike’s methodical approach, and with a visiting British expert on mollusks, whose arrival signals that the threat may be far stranger than anyone imagined. The stakes rise as the community’s denial deepens, creating a charged atmosphere where rational explanations are dismissed in favor of uneasy silence.
The film unfolds with a blend of gritty, practical effects and a creeping, almost claustrophobic tension that keeps viewers guessing. Its tone balances outright terror with darkly comic moments, making the everyday a potential conduit for horror. As the town’s hidden waterways become the focal point of an unseen predator, the story invites audiences to wonder what lurks just beneath the surface of an ostensibly tranquil world.
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