This sci-fi/horror flick from the early 80s takes place in the grim
futuristic world of 1992.  Where ray guns and deadly laser pointers are
weapons, and where food and coffee are in shortage.  Not to mention the gas
is $40 a gallon.  Paul Dean, a geneticist/doctor, was creating a new strain
of parasite when an accident allowed the parasite to eat through his
clothing and embed into his stomach.  Dean flees to the desert and stops in
a small town, where he attempts to find a way to kill the parasite inside
him.  Dean befriends a old scarred man from New York, and a young lemon
picker (Moore).  After a few run-ins with the sickies and the local punks
(led by a big chinned gentleman called "Ricus"), Dean loses his prized
possession - another parasite.  It becomes loose and starts feeding on the
locals.  Can this giant slug be stopped?  Can Dean find a cure for the one
inside him?  Or will the merchant who's chasing him find him first?

The story is thrown together with certain plot points just coming out of
nowhere, and other things just happening for no reason.  The special effects
aren't too shabby for 82.  The parasite (and other visual effects) are
brought to us by Stan Winston.  There's some blood and some gore and some
slime and some random violence and some grimy looking people.  Oh, and
there's plenty of things jumping towards camera - probably since this was
originally a 3-D film.  Overall, it's a bad movie, but it has one of the
first starring roles of Demi Moore's career and some decent FX shots.
 
 

Quality: 3.0  Visuals: 4.0  Intensity: 3.0  Laughability: 2.5 
OVERALL RATING: 3.1