- A nuclear leak creates a mutant Slithis sea monster, which terrorizes the variety of pets, winos, and hippies who hang around Venice, California.
- A nuclear leak creates a mutant Slithis sea monster, which terrorizes the variety of pets, winos, and hippies who hang around Venice, California.—Jeremy Lunt <durlinlunt@acadia.net>
- Wayne Connors (Alan Blanchard), a high school journalism teacher in Venice Beach, California, reads a disturbing newspaper story about two mutilated dogs found near the city's canals. The article reminds him of a canine carcass he recently saw on a jetty. An evening or two later, an unseen monsterous being emerges from a canal and breaks into the house of Jack and Helen Dunn and brutally murders both of them.
The following week, Wayne hears a radio report about a Venice couple who were brutally murdered at their canal-front home, in a manner similar to the mangled animals. Driven by journalistic curiosity, Wayne visits the abandoned Dunn residence and walks inside the unlocked house. Amid broken furniture and bloodstains, he finds an unusual mud-like substance. When a police officer arrives, Wayne is ordered to leave immediately, but manages to collect a sample of the sludge for his scientist friend, Dr. John (J.C. Claire). Upon initial examination, Dr. John is intrigued, describing the material as "a fossil that is still alive."
A few days later, Dr. John reports his findings to Wayne, but first provides some background information: Twenty years ago, a nuclear reactor leak in Wisconsin contaminated an adjacent lagoon. After the silt in the water became radioactive, it absorbed bacteria, algae, and other primitive life and evolved into a new organic form. Scientists coined the mutated, radioactive mud, "slithis," but the discovery was concealed to avoid alarming the public about the nuclear leak. Dr. John reveals that the substance from the Dunn residence is similar to slithis. One of the scientists who initially researched the slithis, Dr. Erin Burick, continued to experiment with radiation to create new life forms and now lives in Malibu, California. Bored by teaching, Wayne is eager to pursue the story as a means to jump-start his career. Meanwhile, his wife, Jeff (Judy Motulsky), has reservations, considering the potential hazards of radiation and nuclear waste.
The next morning, a flight attendant is found murdered in her apartment across the street from a canal, and the media reports the incident as a sacrificial mutilation, related to the previous killings. While investigating the crime scene, Wayne learns that a vagabond named Bunky was in the vicinity that night and locates the man at a boarding house. Bunky appears unsettled and is initially reluctant to talk, fearful that he might be questioned by police about the murder. He finally admits to Wayne that, although he was intoxicated, he is convinced he saw a slimy lizard-like monster emerge from the canal.
Later, Wayne meets Dr. Erin Burick (Dennis Lee Falt) in Malibu and explains that he confirmed the presence of slithis in the Venice area, but needs more evidence. Burick reveals that slithis cannot be replicated in a laboratory, so the radioactive material must have leaked from the Imperial Energy Plant, a nuclear facility on the coast about a mile from Venice. He adds that the material has possibly mutated from a simple life form into a more complex creature. Wayne speculates further that the creature needs human and animal nutrients to keep it alive. Based on his studies, Burick states that slithis can incorporate the characteristics of anything it absorbs, so the growth potential could be endless. To find the source of the radiation leak, Burick advises Wayne to analyze the soil surrounding the nuclear facility.
Next, Wayne hires Chris Alexander (Mello Alexandria), a SCUBA diver, who owns a fishing boat, to collect water and soil samples offshore from the plant. During the dive, Chris notices that the fish population, which is normally abundant around the warm waters of the plant, has dwindled. An evaluation of the samples reveals no radiation, but there are hints of slithis, indicating that there was a radioactive leak at some time.
Meanwhile, Wayne recounts his finding to a lieutenant at the Venice Police Department, but the officer suspects the killings are associated with a cult and ridicules the idea of a creature formed by radioactive waste. Undeterred, Wayne devises his own method for monitoring the slithis during its nightly feeding routine. Reasoning that the creature travels to the canals from the ocean harbor, Wayne and Dr. John block access by closing the canal gates overnight.
That evening, the creature (Win Condict) is forced to remain in the harbor, but massacres a young couple at the marina. After another gruesome murder, the lieutenant (Hy Pyke) appears more willing to consider Wayne's explanation. However, the Imperial Energy Plant denies any radioactive leaks to the police, and the officer once again dismisses Wayne as deranged.
Dr. John, Chris, Jeff, and Wayne develop a plan to capture the slithis in the harbor. While Chris and Wayne track the creature from the boat using sonar, Dr. John and Jeff stand by on land to shut the canal gates. Wayne hopes to corner the beast in the harbor and catch it with fishing nets. In the middle of the night, the group is almost asleep when the slithis is detected approaching the canal entrance. Wayne radios Dr. John to quickly lock the gates. Hungry, the monster targets the scientist and Jeff as his next victims, but they narrowly evade the threat, and the slithis returns to harbor waters.
On the boat, Chris loads his rifle and instructs Wayne to throw bait overboard to attract the slimy beast. When the boat motor overheats, Chris and Wayne relocate to the engine room for repairs. Meanwhile, the slithis crawls on board and kills the two hired crewmen, Mike and Nicholas. As Wayne emerges from the engine room, he finally sees the slithis up close. He and Chris use several weapons to fend off the assault, until they finally overpower the creature by lodging an anchor into its neck. As the slithis lies motionless on the deck, Wayne and Chris are exhausted and consider whether to take the creature to shore or dump it in the sea. Chris insists on immediately dispensing with the toxic garbage. After pushing it overboard, however, the slithis inexplicably returns to life and attacks the Wayne and Chris, apparently killing both of them.
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