Leeches (2003)
Cast: Matthew Twining, Josh Henderson, Stacey Nelson, Tony Carroccio
Director: David DeCoteau
Synopsis: Steroid pumped leeches mutate into humungously huge and nasty bastards!
Reviewed by: Omar Khan

A modern day killer leech film – now there is a bit of a turn up. This creature feature by David DeCoteau (of Creepazoids, Nightmare Sisters, and Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama fame) was in collaboration with the editor of Fangoria who co-wrote the film and came up with the inspired storyline featuring a college swim team on steroids who become fodder for genetically mutating leeches…who grow very nasty and to gigantic proportions due to the steroids in the bloodstream's of their victims!

With a plot line as inspired as this, it’s difficult to go too far wrong. The director claims in the DVD commentary track that he chose not to go with CGI hoping that he could achieve a more authentic leech monster with old fashioned make up and special effects – he might reconsider if ever he was to consider doing a sequel because the leech stars of the film resemble rubber gloves with rubber fangs stitched on to them. The leeches’ movements and the cameras ingenious framing suggests that rubber gloves is exactly what they were! Actually they sort of resemble William Castle’s majestic Tingler creature but are much slimier and have the propensity for squealing and making some deliciously bizarre sounds.

So the plot involves a swim team being fed a diet of steroids by a member of the team who is basically dealing on the behest of the team’s dastardly coach. There is a deep moral contained in the story – one that aspiring athletes would do well to keep in mind. Take steroids and risk being eaten be giant leeches.

Despite its intrinsic stupidity and cheesiness and perhaps because of them, Leeches is a rather entertaining and amusing time waster. The acting is suitably ropey and the plot enough to guarantee at least a few laughs along the way. The Leeches themselves are a pitiful sight but their sheer awfulness do give them a certain cult credibility. It’s a harmless, fairly amusing z-grade monster movie that is so awful that its actually quite endurable. Lots of nubile young male flesh on display throughout – makes an odd change! Leeches is a totally farcical and ridiculous film – but enjoyable all the same for its cheapness, inane plot, hammy acting and above all for the lovable rubber glove leech monsters!

Leeches shouldn’t disappoint undiscerning genre addicts.